A conservative influencer found herself under arrest in California on January 6th-related charges, including allegations of involvement in the theft of a table from a conference room within the Capitol. According to the FBI, this table was subsequently used to attack law enforcement officers just a short distance away at the lower west tunnel, where some of the most violent confrontations occurred.
Isabella Deluca, known for her staunch support of former President Donald Trump, was apprehended in Irvine, California, on Friday, as revealed by court documents unsealed on Monday. She now faces five charges, including the theft of government property.
The FBI’s account implicates Deluca in the act of “removing, and aiding and abetting other rioters in removing, a table from ST-2M” – an office within the Capitol – “and passing it to rioters outside through another broken window.” This table, as per the FBI, was then used in the assault on law enforcement officers stationed at the Lower West Terrace Tunnel.
With a substantial following on social media amounting to hundreds of thousands of followers, Deluca had served as an ambassador for the conservative organization Turning Points USA. Her online biography indicates internships with former Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y., and Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz. (Zeldin concluded his tenure last year and was unsuccessful in his gubernatorial bid in New York in 2022.)
FBI Alleges Conservative Influencer’s Involvement in Theft of Table Utilized in Assault on Officers on January 6th (Credits: AOL)
The FBI’s attention was drawn to Deluca just three days after the Capitol incident, and she was interviewed by the bureau on January 21, 2021 – the day following Joe Biden’s inauguration.
An alleged tweet from Deluca on January 6th reads, “Fight back or let politicians steal [an] election? Fight back!”
Images included in the FBI affidavit illustrate Deluca’s involvement in passing the table through the broken window, alongside her fellow defendant Timothy Desjardins, who was arrested in 2021. Desjardins, sentenced to 18 years in prison on separate state charges, is seen in the images using a wooden table leg to assault officers. Another rioter is reported to have thrown the tabletop at officers.
In an Instagram comment following the attack, Deluca shared that she was “maced pretty bad about three times” and resorted to using milk to alleviate the effects of the mace/tear gas.
Subsequent posts by Deluca expressed conflicted sentiments about January 6th and advocated for Trump to declare martial law, according to the FBI.
Deluca has not yet responded to requests for comment.
Eli M. Gold, president of the Gold Institute for International Strategy, informed NBC News that Deluca had been engaged as an “unpaid volunteer media associate” since May and was tasked with updating the organization’s online social media profile. Upon learning of the charges against Deluca, the institute decided to terminate its association with her.
To date, over 1,300 individuals have been arrested in connection with the January 6th attack on the Capitol, resulting in more than 950 convictions. Approximately 500 individuals have been sentenced to various periods of incarceration, ranging from a few days to 22 years in federal prison.
