FBI agents this weekend arrested doctor Simone Gold, the head of a pro-Trump fringe medical group that has promoted false claims about vaccines and the drug hydroxychloroquine in connection with the deadly at the U.S. Capitol on January 6th, according to the Department of Justice.
The arrest came Following Gold’s confirmation that she entered the Capitol building during the riot. DOJ officials arrested her in California on Sunday.
Federal authorities said in charging documents that it had charged Gold with violent entry, disorderly conduct and entering a restricted building. John Strand, the group’s communications director, was also charged in connection with the riot, with the Justice Department including images of both inside the building.
Gold confirmed to The Washington Post on Jan. 12 that she was present at the riot and does “regret being there” but denied that the violent takeover of the building was a riot.
“I can certainly speak to the place that I was, and it most emphatically was not a riot,” she told The Post. However, the affidavit indicates that a video of a police officer who was pulled down by a member of the mob during the riot landed in front of Strand and Gold.
Three Beverly Hills residents were arrested by the FBI, assisted by @BeverlyHillsPD, pursuant to federal charges filed in Washington, DC, for their roles at the US Capitol on 1/6/21.
Gina Bisignano, 52, John Strand, 37, & Simone Gold, 55, expected in court this afternoon in LA.— FBI Los Angeles (@FBILosAngeles) January 19, 2021
