Piqua woman found guilty of charges connected to Capitol riot

WHIO Staff
·3 min read
19

A local woman has been found guilty of crimes related to her involvement in the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riot, according to a spokesperson from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

On Friday, Therese Borgerding, 61, of Piqua, was convicted by a federal jury for the following offenses:

  • Civil disorder, a felony offense

  • Entering and remaining in a restricted building or ground, a misdemeanor offense

  • Disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, a misdemeanor offense

  • Disorderly conduct in a Capitol building, a misdemeanor offense

  • Parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building, a misdemeanor offense

“Her actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election,” a spokesperson from the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

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Evidence presented during the trial indicates Borgerding and her husband and codefendant, Walter Messer, traveled from their Ohio home to Washington D.C., and made their way to the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

The spokesperson said the pair arrived at the East Plaza at 7 a.m. Borgerding was carrying a long pole with a circular sign with a big red “Q” on the top and a small American flag sticking out of it.

Borgerding and her husband reached the barricades on the East Front and remained outside the restricted perimeter for several hours.

Evidence shows a large crowd gathered and overran the barricades at the East Front at about 1:59 p.m. Borgerding then went to the nearest barricades, unhooked them, and pushed them apart.

“Borgerding then stood on the East steps near the Rotunda Doors for several minutes, joining chants and waving her sign in the air,” the spokesperson said.

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Police officers inside the Rotunda Doors tried to shut the doors but were confronted by rioters outside who forced the doors back open and pushed into the building at approximately 2:41 p.m.

Evidence presented at trial shows Borgerding was near this confrontation.

Borderding entered the building and remained in the Rotunda for approximately two minutes.

“She then joined the large crowd near the Senate Wing Doors and later exited through one of the smashed windows onto the Northwest Courtyard of the Capitol Building around 2:49 p.m.,” the spokesperson said.

Borgerding then stayed in the Northwest Courtyard for an undisclosed amount of time, chanting and waving her sign.

On Aug. 6, 2021, the FBI arrested Borgerding in Dayton. She will be sentenced by a U.S. District Judge on Aug. 15, 2024.

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Her codefendant, Walter Messer, was sentenced in September 2023, to 24 months of probation for his involvement.

According to the spokesperson, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting this case, with assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio.

The FBI’s Cincinnati and Washington Field Office investigated this case, with assistance from the United States Capitol Police and Metropolitan Police Department.

Almost 1,400 individuals have been charged for crimes related to the Jan. 6 breach of the U.S. Capitol. Nearly 500 of those people have been charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, the spokesperson said.

This investigation remains ongoing.

Anyone with information can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.