DOJ Seeks 4 Months in Prison for Woman Severely Beaten by DC Police on Jan. 6

Prosecutors’ sentencing memo for Victoria C. White glosses over the 39 blows she suffered from MPD officers in the Lower West Terrace tunnel.
DOJ Seeks 4 Months in Prison for Woman Severely Beaten by DC Police on Jan. 6
Victoria White is jostled and spun around by police in the Lower West Terrace tunnel at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Metropolitan Police Department/Screenshot via The Epoch Times
Joseph M. Hanneman
Updated:
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The U.S. Department of Justice is seeking a four-month prison term for Victoria Charity White, the Minnesota woman who was beaten in the head, neck, and face nearly 40 times by Metropolitan Police Department officers on Jan. 6, 2021.

A DOJ sentencing memorandum (pdf) filed with U.S. District Judge John Bates glosses over the severe beating Ms. White endured inside the Lower West Terrace tunnel, claiming instead that she should have never entered the tunnel in the first place.

“White continued to forcefully push through the crowd with the unmistakable objective of entering the violent fray in the tunnel,” prosecutors wrote in the 26-page document. “As she moved towards her goal, she hoisted another rioter up and over the crowd—cheering as he swung himself from the tunnel’s archway and used his feet to kick at the officers inside.”

Ms. White, 41, of Rochester, Minn., accepted a plea deal for a single felony charge of civil disorder, which carries potential prison time of five years. She will be sentenced in Washington on Nov. 20 in Judge Bates’ courtroom.

Aside from incarceration, prosecutors recommended three years of supervised release and $2,000 in restitution.

Prosecutors made only passing reference to the well-documented beating visited upon Ms. White, primarily by MPD Commander Jason Bagshaw. Capitol Police security video and MPD bodycam footage show Ms. White suffered 39 blows to the upper extremities from collapsible steel riot sticks and the closed fist of the commander.

She was repeatedly maced. By the time she was led from the back of the tunnel, her blue jeans had somehow been pulled down, exposing her posterior. Ms. White earlier expressed fears she could have been sexually assaulted during the melee.

“White successfully forced herself past the initial line of officers at the mouth of the tunnel, only to find herself confronted with dozens more officers inside,” the sentencing memo said. “Once she reached this point, White pushed against the walls, the officers, and their shields; another officer used a baton to get her to stop.

“White was in the tunnel for approximately five minutes,” prosecutors wrote. “Due to her insistence on entering the area, and refusal to turn around and leave, officers ultimately had to physically pull White through the [tunnel] to the other side, into the building itself.”

Speared, Struck, Punched

In a series of interviews with The Epoch Times since early 2022, Ms. White said the only reason she placed hands on officers’ riot shields was to prevent herself from ending up on the ground as she was shoved and batted about.

When he released previously court-sealed security video from the tunnel, Ms. White’s then-attorney, Joseph D. McBride, called for a grand jury to investigate her beating and the beating of Rosanne Boyland by MPD Officer Lila Morris.

“That [Commander Bagshaw] is somebody who’s not only acting with authority but is acting with license,” Mr. McBride said. “That is somebody who is acting because he has no fear that he’s going to be reprimanded for his actions. Do I think that’s criminal? There is no doubt in my mind that what that man did was criminal.”

At 4:08 p.m. on Jan. 6, Commander Bagshaw jabbed overhand at Ms. White like a spear, then switched to forehand and delivered at least six blows. On the video, the bright red of Ms. White’s sweater was visible occasionally through the arms and bodies of the officers who surrounded her.

The bodycam of an officer standing on the ledge showed Commander Bagshaw’s closed fist as he repeatedly punched Ms. White with his left hand. She was visible only briefly, but previously released overhead security camera footage captured the punches to Ms. White’s head and face.

Another bodycam from an officer farther ahead in the tunnel shows a man in the corner who begged police not to strike Ms. White just as Commander Bagshaw began punching her.

At 4:09 p.m., the man said: “No, no, no, please! Please don’t beat her,” according to the video. Two minutes later, as police shouted at him to “move it, keep walking!” the man replied, “No! You’re going to kill her!”

Prosecutors acknowledged that Ms. White earlier tried to stop a rioter armed with a wooden bat from smashing a window adjacent to the tunnel. They argued Ms. White has never expressed any remorse for her actions at the Capitol.

“Almost immediately after her release, White began to make statements on social media in which she expressed pride for taking part in the riot, and she blamed police for using force against the rioters,” prosecutors wrote. “To this day, she has expressed no remorse for her actions on January 6.”

Ms. White’s attorney argued in favor of three months of home detention and 24 months of supervised release.

Victoria White reflects on her beating at the hands of police at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. (Otabius Williams/The Epoch Times)
Victoria White reflects on her beating at the hands of police at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Otabius Williams/The Epoch Times
“...Unlike many other rioters charged with a civil disorder offense, White did not attempt to assault law enforcement officers, enter the Capitol Building, move bike racks or fencing, or destroy any property,” wrote public defenders Zach Crowdes and Brad Hansen. “White admits she attempted to push through the police line in the Lower West Terrace tunnel and accepts responsibility for this conduct.”

Troubled Past

Ms. White’s sentencing memo said she grew up in a broken home. Her father and mother both abandoned her as a child, leaving her care to a sister who was still a minor.

Prosecutors described Ms. White as having a “significant criminal history,” including driving while impaired, damage to property, and misdemeanor assault. Their summary, however, did not mention the life-threatening domestic abuse she suffered for years at the hands of her now ex-husband.

“White suffered numerous injuries that required medical treatment, including a broken foot and skull fracture,” her sentencing memo said. “Eventually, White was able to end the relationship and obtain a 50-year protective order. White has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, which she manages with medication.”

Jan. 6 defendant Victoria White was pushed, shoved, and beaten on the head by police in the Lower West Terrace tunnel on Jan. 6, 2021. (Metropolitan Police Department/Screenshots via The Epoch Times)
Jan. 6 defendant Victoria White was pushed, shoved, and beaten on the head by police in the Lower West Terrace tunnel on Jan. 6, 2021. Metropolitan Police Department/Screenshots via The Epoch Times

In interviews with The Epoch Times, Ms. White said being struck in the head by police on Jan. 6 gave her flashbacks of the beatings she received from her husband over a 10-year period. She shared graphic photographs from some of her hospital visits that showed blood running down her face from a skull fracture.

In early 2023, Ms. White was prepared to enter into a plea agreement but changed her mind after visiting Capitol Hill and meeting with lawmakers, including Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) and Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.).
Prosecutors then moved to have Ms. White jailed for violating her terms of release, which forbid her from being in Washington. Judge Bates declined the recommendation to put Ms. White in custody. She accepted a deal from prosecutors on Aug. 17, pleading guilty to the single felony count.
Joseph M. Hanneman
Joseph M. Hanneman
Reporter
Joseph M. Hanneman is a former reporter for The Epoch Times who focussed on the January 6 Capitol incursion and its aftermath, as well as general Wisconsin news. In 2022, he helped to produce "The Real Story of Jan. 6," an Epoch Times documentary about the events that day. Joe has been a journalist for nearly 40 years.
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