Jorge Riley, former Sacramento Republican leader arrested after involvement in U.S. Capitol siege
Sacramento-area woman seen on social media inside Capitol also arrested, court document shows
Sacramento-area woman seen on social media inside Capitol also arrested, court document shows
Sacramento-area woman seen on social media inside Capitol also arrested, court document shows
Jorge Riley, a former Sacramento Republican leader who was forced to resign after his participation in a pro-Trump riot that stormed the U.S. Capitol has now been arrested, law enforcement sources close to KCRA 3 confirmed Tuesday.
Riley, who posted photos on his personal Facebook page documenting his attendance, resigned from his positions as the corresponding secretary of the California Republican Assembly and president of the Sacramento Republican Assembly Thursday.
Riley faces up to 20 years in prison and made his first appearance before a federal judge on Wednesday.
He is charged with two misdemeanor charges and one Class B felony, which falls under obstruction of Congress. All charges stem from posts on his Facebook page, according to the FBI.
The government says that Riley is a flight risk and danger to the community given his actions, and should remain in jail.
The judge will hear arguments regarding his detention on Monday.
The California Republican Assembly issued a press release condemning Riley’s actions and said the CRA was not involved in the incident.
“Specifically, we denounce the lawlessness that took place at our nation’s capital on Jan. 6, 2021. The perpetrators should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. CRA was not involved with the event and any participation by individual CRA members was in their capacity as private citizens,” the statement read.
The statement also said the CRA president demanded Riley resign his membership immediately or be removed.
KCRA 3 reviewed photos, videos and comments posted to Riley’s Facebook page during and after the riot, including a since-deleted Jan. 8 post that read “You will all die.”
In a series of photos and videos, he is seen participating in the rally with President Trump, before moving with the group to the Capitol. As the photos continue, Riley is seen with the group storming the Capitol building. The account also shared photos of broken windows inside the Capitol hallways and outside Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office. Photos of Riley inside the Capitol were later removed from the page.
Also arrested in connection with the U.S. Capitol riot was Sacramento-area woman Valerie Elaine Ehrke, who also posted pictures of herself inside the Capitol building on Facebook, according to an affidavit obtained by KCRA 3.
The document said an anonymous caller informed the FBI that one of their relatives saw Ehrke, who is from Arbuckle, inside the building. A public Facebook page with Ehrke's name had a video posted Jan. 6 at 2:09 p.m. of people entering the building with a caption reading, "We made it inside, right before they shoved us all out. I took off when I felt pepper spray in my throat! Lol"
The screenshot shared in the affidavit also showed Ehrke's profile picture was a flaming Q, commonly associated with the far-right conspiracy group known as QAnon.
An FBI database search done on Ehrke revealed she flew from Sacramento International Airport on Jan. 5 and arrived at Reagan National Airport the same day, the affidavit reads. Ehrke confirmed to FBI agents who interviewed her at her workplace that she had traveled at that time.
"She heard President Trump tell the crowd to go to the U.S. Capitol, and he would go with them. EHRKE instead went back to her hotel room, turned on the television, and saw a news story about how people were going into the U.S. Capitol building. EHRKE decided she wanted to be part of the crowd, and she walked to the U.S. Capitol," the court document reads.