Simone Gold, M.D., J.D., founder of the advocacy group America’s Frontline Doctors (AFLD), was sentenced Thursday to 60 days in prison for being present during the January 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol.
Gold, a former emergency room doctor and an early opponent of draconian COVID-19 lockdowns and mandates, was charged with one misdemeanor count of “entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds” for being in the U.S. Capitol building as protesters objected to the certification of the 2020 election and some engaged in violence and property damage.
Gold’s attorney, Kira Anne West, stated that her client pleaded guilty to standing “with a crowd outside the East Rotunda door, where she eventually entered shortly after about 2:27 p.m. along with her co-defendant John Strand. She remained inside the Capitol for a little over half an hour. Around 2:55 p.m., she gave a speech at Statuary Hall stating her opposition to COVID-19 vaccine mandates and government-imposed lockdowns,” MedPage reported.
In addition to being sentenced to 60 days behind bars, Gold also faces 12 months of supervised release and $9,500 in fines, which CNN noted is “the largest fine imposed to date among the almost 200 rioters who have been sentenced.”
Left-wing media outlets have accused Gold, who is scheduled to appear at LifeSite’s 25th anniversary gala in August, of spreading “misinformation” for challenging the prevailing COVID-19 narrative. Far-left outlet Mother Jones has characterized her as an “insurrectionist” for being present to give a speech on January 6.
However, AFLD noted Thursday that “unlike the vast majority of January 6th protesters, Dr. Gold was not even there for political reasons.”
Instead, Gold, who had participated in a press conference on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court in July 2020 where she blasted the authoritarianism of the COVID-19 response, attended the January 6 rally to continue her work advocating for medical freedom and free speech, according to an AFLD press release shared with LifeSiteNews.
According to the press release, Gold had been “scheduled to speak on January 6th alongside numerous other presenters after President Trump’s appearance at the rally, which had a government-approved permit.”
Gold, who rose to fame during the COVID pandemic for pointing out the vaccine's unknown factors, will have one year of supervised release following the prison sentence, Department of Justice records show.
She must also pay $500 in restitution and the maximum fine of $9,500.
Gold pleaded guilty in December to entering and remaining in the Capitol building.
On the afternoon of Jan. 6, Gold spoke in Statuary Hall about her opposition to vaccine mandates and government lockdowns, the DOJ's Statement of Offense claims.
She was arrested by FBI agents 12 days later.
She made headlines in 2021 for telling the "Mad Truth with Dr. Gina" podcast that it is illegal "to mandate an experimental medication or treatment for anything" and advocating for those who are less vulnerable to abstain from vaccination.
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