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Wisconsin Watch partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. Read our methodology to learn how we check claims.

No.

On April 4, 2024, Rebecca Lavrenz was found guilty by a Washington, D.C., jury of four misdemeanor crimes in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol.

The charges were: entering and remaining, and disorderly conduct, in a restricted building; and disorderly conduct and demonstrating in a Capitol building.

An Army officer said in a court document Lavrenz was among “rioters who unlawfully entered the Capitol” to disrupt a congressional session. He said Lavrenz admitted she passed barriers to gain entry.

Lavrenz, 71, a great-grandmother from Colorado, maintained she was prosecuted for “praying in the Capitol Building for less than 10 minutes.”

The claim that Lavrenz was prosecuted for praying was made April 4 on social media by conservative political consultant Alex Bruesewitz, who has teased he will run for the seat being vacated by Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Gallagher, who represents the Green Bay area.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

The Gazette: Verdict: Colorado Springs-area resident found guilty on all charges in Capitol breach trial in D.C.

U.S. Department of Justice: Complaint; Statement of Facts

X: Rebecca Lavrenz post

X: Alex Bruesewitz post

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Tom Kertscher joined Wisconsin Watch as a full-time Milwaukee-based reporter in October 2024 after starting as a freelance Fact Briefs reporter in January 2023. In addition to contributing to Wisconsin Watch’s collaboration with The Gigafact Project to combat online misinformation, he reports on Wisconsin policy, labor, energy and the rapid expansion of data centers across the state. Kertscher is a former longtime reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, a contributing writer for Milwaukee Magazine and the author of two sports books, on Al McGuire and Brett Favre.