Rachel Marie Powell (born 1979 or 1980), also known as "Pink Hat Lady" and "Bullhorn Lady", is an American woman known for her participation in the

January 6 United States Capitol attack On January 6, 2021, following the defeat of then-United States President, U.S. President Donald Trump in the 2020 United States presidential election, 2020 presidential election, a mob of his supporters attacked the United States Capitol, U ...

, in which she wore a pink hat and used a

bullhorn A megaphone, speaking-trumpet, bullhorn, blowhorn, or loudhailer is usually a portable or hand-held, cone-shaped acoustic horn used to amplify a person's voice or other sounds and direct it in a given direction. The sound is introduced into ...

to instruct other rioters. On July 18, 2023, Powell was found guilty on nine counts, including three felony charges and six misdemeanors. On October 17, 2023, Powell was sentenced to 57 months in prison, followed by 36 months of

supervised release Parole (also known as provisional release or supervised release) is a form of early release of a prison inmate where the prisoner agrees to abide by certain behavioral conditions, including checking-in with their designated parole officers, or ...

. Powell began serving her sentence at the

Federal Correctional Institution, Hazelton The Federal Correctional Institution, Hazelton (FCI Hazelton) is a medium-security United States federal prison for male inmates, as well as a secure facility for female inmates, located in unincorporated Preston County, West Virginia. It is the ...

on January 9, 2024.

Biography

Powell was born in

Anaheim, California Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the 10th-most ...

and raised in

Fresno Fresno () is a major city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley region. It covers about and had a population of 542,107 in 2020, maki ...

. At the time of the Capitol attack, she was a single mother of eight and grandmother of six residing in

Mercer County, Pennsylvania Mercer County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 110,652. Its county seat is Mercer, and its largest city is Hermitage. The county was created in 1800 and later organized in 1803. Me ...

. In an interview with ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issue ...

'', Powell stated that she was initially critical of

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of ...

and did not vote in 2016, though voted for him in the 2020 United States presidential election. Powell posted misinformation about both the election and

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickl ...

Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin ...

January 6 United States Capitol attack

Powell was a participant in the

, in which she entered a restricted section of the

United States Capitol The United States Capitol, often called The Capitol or the Capitol Building, is the Seat of government, seat of the Legislature, legislative branch of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, which is form ...

while carrying an

ice axe An ice axe is a multi-purpose hiking and climbing tool used by mountaineers in both the ascent and descent of routes that involve snow, ice, or frozen conditions. Its use depends on the terrain: in its simplest role it is used like a walking ...

and a large wooden pole. During the riot, Powell wore a pink hat and used a

to instruct other rioters, causing her to become known as "Pink Hat Lady" and "Bullhorn Lady". She also destroyed a window with a pipe, causing over $1,000 in damage. Powell was arrested by the

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, t ...

on February 4, 2021. Additionally, Powell's home in

Sandy Lake, Pennsylvania Sandy Lake is a borough in eastern Mercer County, Pennsylvania, United States. It was established in 1849. The population was 649 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Youngstown–Warren metropolitan area. Geography Sandy Lake is located at ( ...

was raided by the FBI, all of her weapons were confiscated, and she was placed under

house arrest In justice and law, house arrest (also called home confinement, home detention, or, in modern times, electronic monitoring) is a measure by which a person is confined by the authorities to their residence. Travel is usually restricted, if ...

. On April 5, 2023, a federal

grand jury A grand jury is a jury—a group of citizens—empowered by law to conduct legal proceedings, investigate potential criminal conduct, and determine whether criminal charges should be brought. A grand jury may subpoena physical evidence or a ...

indicted Powell on nine counts, including three felonies and six misdemeanors. On July 18, 2023, following a

bench trial A bench trial is a trial by judge, as opposed to a trial by jury. The term applies most appropriately to any administrative hearing in relation to a summary offense to distinguish the type of trial. Many legal systems ( Roman, Islamic) use ben ...

, Powell was found guilty on all charges, which included

civil disorder Civil disorder, also known as civil disturbance, civil unrest, or social unrest is a situation arising from a mass act of civil disobedience (such as a demonstration, riot, strike, or unlawful assembly) in which law enforcement has difficult ...

and destruction of government property.

Sentencing

Federal prosecutors recommended a sentence of 96 months in prison, describing Powell as a "leading participant in the most violent insurrection to occur at the U.S. Capitol in over 200 years". Powell's attorney argued against jail time, pointing to her lack of a criminal record and the fact that she had not physically harmed anyone during the riot. On October 17, 2023, Powell was sentenced to 57 months in prison and 36 months of

. She was also ordered to pay over $8,000 in restitution, fines, and fees. Powell began serving her sentence at the

on January 9, 2024.

Subsequent activity

On December 28, 2023, Powell posted a

tweet Tweet often refers to: * Tweet (bird call), a type of bird vocalization * Tweet, a post on the social media platform Twitter Tweet may also refer to: People * Tweet (singer) (born 1971), American R&B and soul singer-songwriter * Jonathan Tweet, ...

that included a photo of her wearing an

ankle monitor The ankle, or the talocrural region, or the jumping bone (informal) is the area where the foot and the leg meet. The ankle includes three joints: the ankle joint proper or talocrural joint, the subtalar joint, and the inferior tibiofibular joi ...

. The tweet was widely criticized.

References

External links

Rachel Powell
on

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