Indian Head Park woman sentenced to 14 days in jail for role in Capitol riot

By Bob Bong

An Indian Head Park woman will spend two weeks in federal jail for her part in the January 6 invasion of the Capitol in Washington, D.C.

Leticia Ferreira, 33, a Brazilian national, was sentenced last week by a federal judge in Washington to 14 days in jail, three years of supervised release, 60 hours of community service, and she must pay $500 restitution.

Ferreira was charged in February with knowingly entering a restricted building without authority and disorderly conduct.

In June, Ferreira pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of picketing or parading in a restricted government building.

Court documents show that she texted a friend the day after the Capitol was invaded and appeared worried she might be in trouble.

“Do you think they will go after all the people walking in the Capitol area?” she texted.

She also appeared to regret having been involved. “I was so irresponsible to walk there,” she texted.

Her friend also gave her some advice. “If you see crowds gathering today … anywhere … walk the other way.”

Ferreira was first interviewed at her home in the 6800 block of Joliet Road by the FBI in April 2021.

She told investigators that even though she couldn’t vote, she said she wanted to see Donald Trump’s speech.

Ferreira said she didn’t get to hear Trump’s speech because so many people started to march toward the Capitol. She said she followed the crowd to the Capitol and kept on following marchers as they entered the building. She told investigators she took photos and video while inside and spent about 20 minutes inside the Capitol.

She gave investigators photos and video she took. Alarms can be heard sounding inside the building when Ferreira began one of the recordings.

Videos show Ferreira wearing a red stocking cap with Trump’s name on it as she walks into the Capitol and again in the Capitol Crypt when rioters began to rush Capitol police.

FBI records indicate “Ferreira did not appear to have participated in any assault on officers.”

In fact, in the photos and videos of her she almost looks like a tourist casually walking through the Capitol door and taking video with her phone of what was happening around her.

Ferriera’s attorneys asked for probation, saying in a recent filing that she has no criminal history and works for a Chicago-area company as a sustainability project engineer, focusing on “saving the planet through recycling.”

Ferreira was the second defendant from the Chicago area so far to receive a sentence of at least some incarceration for participating in the events of January 6.

Nationwide, more than 870 people have been arrested in all 50 states and the District of Columbia on charges stemming from the Capitol breach, according to the U.S. Justice Department.

Ferreira was among 32 Illinoisans charged so far in the Capitol breach. The ongoing investigation has been described by prosecutors as the largest criminal investigation in the country’s history.

Last year, Bradley Rukstales, a former Inverness tech executive, was the first from the Chicago area to receive prison time when he was sentenced to 30 days behind bars.