Crime & Safety

Natick Woman's Jan. 6 Case Continues One Year After Riot

Suzanne Ianni was arrested after entering the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. Her case remains tied up in court.

The scene on Jan. 6 at the U.S. Capitol when supporters of former president Donald Trump stormed the building to prevent certification of the 2020 election results.
The scene on Jan. 6 at the U.S. Capitol when supporters of former president Donald Trump stormed the building to prevent certification of the 2020 election results. (Associated Press)

NATICK, MA — One year after the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, 725 people hailing from all 50 states have been arrested for participating in the event. But less than half of those cases have concluded, either in a guilty plea or a jail sentence.

One of the cases still winding through U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., concerns Natick Town Meeting member Suzanne Ianni. She was photographed inside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 along with other members of the Massachusetts-based alt-right group Super Happy Fun America.

The FBI arrested Ianni on Jan. 19. She was later charged with knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds — both misdemeanors. She pleaded not guilty to those charges in July.

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Out of the 725 people arrested after Jan. 6, about 145 have pleaded guilty to misdemeanors, according to the U.S. Attorney of the District of Columbia.

Ianni last appeared in court on Sept. 28, when a judge continued her case until November. Ianni's attorney, Henry Fasoldt, asked for and received a continuance of the case until Feb. 2, according to federal court records. Fasoldt told a federal judge he needed more time to review evidence in the case.

Find out what's happening in Natickfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Ianni is an elected Town Meeting member from Precinct 3, but her term ends in 2022. She did not immediately respond to a request for comment about whether she'll seek another term in the March 29 election. Town officials have said there's no mechanism to remove Ianni just because she has been accused of a crime. State law says elected officials can be removed from office if they receive a prison sentence related to a crime.

Related Jan. 6 coverage:

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