Politico: “A Virginia couple on Monday became the third and fourth defendants to plead guilty in the sprawling investigation stemming from the Capitol riot in January. However, Jessica and Joshua Bustle of Bristow, Va., became the first to plead guilty in federal court who faced only misdemeanor charges as a result of their actions at the Capitol as lawmakers were attempting to certify President Joe Biden’s electoral college victory. Under a deal with prosecutors, the Bustles each pleaded guilty to one of the four misdemeanor charges they faced: parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building. They could get up to six months in jail and a fine of up to $5,000, but will be spared the potential of back-to-back sentences on multiple counts.”

“The arrangement could serve as a template for hundreds of other misdemeanor-only cases filed related to the Jan. 6 events. Defense attorneys say it also suggests that prosecutors will not readily agree to more lenient resolutions in Capitol riot cases, such as deferring the case and dismissing it following a period of good behavior. ‘There’s no guarantee what the sentence will be in this case,’ Judge Thomas Hogan told the Bustles during the afternoon hearing, conducted by video conference. ‘I can give a sentence that’s legal up to the maximum in the statute: six months.’ According to a complaint filed by an FBI agent in March, Jessica Bustle posted on her Facebook page on Jan. 6: ‘Pence is a traitor. We stormed the capital. An unarmed peaceful woman down the hall from us was shot in the neck by cops. It’s insane here….Pray for America!!!!’ In another post, Jessica Bustle – who said she’s opposed to taking the coronavirus vaccine – indicated she and her husband were attending a ‘health freedom’ rally separate from then-President Donald Trump’s rally. They later decided to check out what was happening at the Capitol, she wrote. ‘My husband and I just WALKED right in with tons of other people.'”