What did Rachel Powell do? Pennsylvania mother dubbed "Bullhorn Lady" convicted for Jan 6 Capitol attack

Rachel Powell, a 41-year-old mother from Pennsylvannia, has been found guilty after she used a bullhorn to instruct rioters at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. On Tuesday, July 18, 2023, Powell, who is also called the "Bullhorn Lady," was convicted on multiple charges, including felony counts of interfering with officers performing their duties and obstruction of an official proceeding.

The trial was held in May, and the verdict was delivered by US District Judge Royce Lamberth. The 41-year-old mother has also waived her right to a jury trial. Prosecutors requested Powell to be jailed until the sentencing. However, the judge ordered that she could be free until the sentencing hearing takes place.

When asked about the verdict, Rachel Powell’s attorney did not comment on it. According to a prosecutor, she played a significant role during the riot on January 6, 2021. Assistant US Attorney Elizabeth Aloi also described her as the “front and center” in the riot.

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Rachel Powell, who played an important role in the riot on January 6, was arrested about a month after the incident

On January 6, 2021, after then-US president Donald Trump was defeated in the election when a mob of Trump supporters attacked the US Capitol in Washington, D.C. Around five deaths were reported during that incident. The 41-year-old Pennsylvania resident, Rachel Powell, reportedly used a bullhorn to assist the rioters during the attack.

On Tuesday, July 18, 2023, more than two years after the US Capitol attack, US District Judge Royce Lamberth convicted Powell of all nine counts that she was indicted of. Her sentencing hearing is further scheduled for October 17, 2023. According to prosecutors, she pushed officers and obstructed them from controlling the riot.

In addition, a video also surfaced that showed Rachel Powell blowing a bullhorn to “coordinate [the rioters] together” during the attack. Assistant US Attorney Elizabeth Aloi said:

“She is front and center in the incursion.”

Powell was taken into custody just a month after the incident happened in 2021. While investigating her house, FBI agents discovered several broken cell phones, gun paraphernalia, and other weapons.

It was further revealed that Rachel Powell and her ex-husband shared custody of their six underaged children in 2021. Her children were left at home when she was in Washington, D.C., participating in the rally in front of the US Capitol. Shortly before her arrest, Powell was interviewed, where she asked the interviewer:

“Listen, if somebody doesn’t help and direct people, then do more people die?”

According to prosecutors, the convicted woman showed a violent side even before the January 6 attack on the US Capitol. On October 2020, she agreed “with the possibility of civil war happening.”

It has been found that over 1,000 people have been charged with crimes that took place in the January 6 riot. Around a hundred of them have been found guilty, while over 600 have pleaded guilty.

James Beeks, a 49-year-old Broadway actor is the only defendant related to the January 6 riot, has been declared innocent.