PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A woman arrested by the feds for torching two Philadelphia police cars during the civil unrest following the killing of George Floyd pleaded guilty Wednesday in federal court as part of an agreement.
A handcuffed Lore-Elisabeth Blumenthal yelled “I love you” to her family sitting in court as she was escorted in. She pleaded guilty to two counts of civil disorder.
Blumenthal, 35, has been in federal custody since her arrest.
Blumenthal was captured on pictures and video tossing a flaming piece of cardboard into a vandalized police car on May 30, 2020 near City Hall. That car caught fire. She also admitted to taking a burning piece of wood from a barricade used to vandalize that car and throwing it into another patrol car.
Related
“This is another example of an attempt, originally by the Justice Department under [former President Donald] Trump, to demonize political dissent,” said her lawyer, Paul Hetznecker, who called former U.S. Attorney Bill McSwain’s decision to federally charge his client a political one.
“(I think) what’s happened at the Capitol on Jan. 6 with respect to right-wing organizations has influenced the perspective on the way these protests [by] left-wing political, progressive groups were demonized by the federal government, wrongfully.”
Hetznecker added this was a state crime that should have been tried in state court.
Blumenthal was identified through a unique t-shirt she was wearing.
Authorities tracked her specific T-shirt — which read, “KEEP THE IMMIGRANTS, DEPORT THE RACISTS” — to one sold on Etsy, an e-commerce site for selling crafty or handmade items.
Related
A Philadelphia buyer commented on the T-shirt seller’s page. An agent then tracked the buyer’s username — “alleycatlore” — to one on the used clothing marketplace Poshmark.
The account was further traced to a LinkedIn page, then a video advertisement for a massage therapy business. Eventually, authorities identified Blumenthal by matching her peace sign tattoo among the various images.
She will not face the maximum sentence of 10 years in prison because of the agreement, and she is set to be sentenced in June.
“The decision today to remove those mandatories and those arson charges is a just and fair decision given the facts and circumstances of this case,” Hetznecker said.
For more from KYW Newsradio:
- Download the Audacy App
- Listen live
- Listen on your smart speaker
Related
Related podcast: A KYW Newsradio special in the wake of the George Floyd protests.
