FBI Arrests Former School Therapist Who Stood Next to VP’s Chair in Capitol Breach

Authorities allege Christine Priola, a former therapist for the Cleveland Schools, is the woman on the right in the chambers of the Senate during an illegal breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2020. Win McNamee/Getty Images

Federal authorities on Thursday arrested and charged a former occupational therapist for Cleveland schools, allegedly seen in a viral photo showing her standing next to the vice president’s chair in the Senate during the Jan. 6 breach of the Capitol.

According to a criminal complaint filed Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia (pdf), 49-year-old Christine Priola faces three federal charges: violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, unlawful parading while at the Capitol, and unlawfully entering and remaining on restricted grounds.