NC woman charged in Capitol riot one month after her husband’s arrest

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Julian Shen-Berro
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A North Carolina woman facing federal charges for her alleged role in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot turned herself in Monday, according to the FBI.

Virginia Spencer — who authorities say was part of the mob that stormed the Capitol last month in an effort to halt the certification of President Joe Biden’s Electoral College victory — is the wife of Christopher Spencer, the first North Carolina resident to face charges in the riot. He was arrested by federal agents last month.

Spencer, like her husband, faces charges of knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority, and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.

A spokeswoman for the FBI’s Charlotte office told The News & Observer she turned herself in Monday and had her first court appearance in Durham.

An FBI statement of facts says authorities obtained Facebook footage from the event live streamed by the Pilot Mountain couple as they moved from a rally held by former President Donald Trump to the inside of the Capitol building.

Spencer told federal agents she and her husband had agreed to march to the outside of the Capitol, and then go home the FBI statement says. She claims they were pushed inside the building and couldn’t turn back for fear of being trampled, it says.

But investigators say that in the over 20 minutes of live streamed footage, “the Spencers do not appear to be actively searching for exits.”

Her husband can be heard exclaiming “Wooh! We in this (expletive)!” and “Bro, they stormed the Capitol, bro... took it over,” according to the FBI.

At one point, Spencer appears to be recording footage on her phone, the FBI said. She can be seen in her husband’s footage wearing an anti-gun control jacket with the phrase “Liberty or death” printed on it.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia is prosecuting the case.

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