Record at a Glance
- Category
- Jan 6th
- Age in NPR record
- 55
- Location
- Olyphant, Pennsylvania
- Charges
- Obstruction of an Official Proceeding; Entering and Remaining in a Restricted Building or Grounds; Disorderly and Disruptive Conduct in a Restricted Building or Grounds; Disorderly Conduct in a Capitol Building; Parading, Demonstrating, or Picketing in a Capitol Building
- Case status
- Pleaded not guilty; Convicted; Dismissed in part or full
Case Summary
On Jan. 7, 2021, the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Police Department received a tip that Deborah Lee, who goes by Debbie, had posted photos on Facebook from inside the U.S. Capitol, according to court documents. Someone responded to one of Lee's posts, saying that she "shouldn't have been there." Lee reportedly responded: "ITS OUR HOUSE. F*** NANCY AND THE DEMOCRATS. WE HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO OCCUPY OUR CAPITAL!!" She allegedly responded to another post that asked if she got into the Capitol, saying "[Y]es we broke in." According to court documents, she claimed that antifa was there and that she and others took weapons from the anti-fascist groups, though there is no evidence that such groups played any major part in the riot. Security camera footage also placed Lee in the Capitol that day, court documents indicate.
Case History
Lee pleaded Not Guilty to all charges. On 8/2/2024, the court granted the motion to dismiss Count 1, Obstruction. Found Guilty on all charges on 10/11/2024. Sentencing set for 1/27/2025. On 1/21/2025, the court grants the government’s motion to dismiss the case with prejudice.
Sources
- Primary Documentation
NPR Jan. 6 Defendant DatabaseNPR - Primary Documentation
Underlying court recordCourt record linked by NPR
Case summary, charges, procedural updates and image are drawn from the NPR Jan. 6 archive snapshot dated 2026-09-25 unless otherwise indicated.