3 Beverly Hills residents arrested in connection with Capitol riot: FBI

Three Beverly Hills residents are facing federal charges in Washington, D.C. in connection with the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, officials said.

Gina Bisignano, 52, John Strand, 37, and Simone Gold, 55 are expected to appear in federal court in downtown Los Angeles Tuesday, according to the FBI.

Bisignano, owner of Gina’s Eyelashes and Skincare in Beverly Hills, was arrested Tuesday, while Strand and Gold were taken into custody Monday.

It is unclear if the defendants participated in any violence during the insurrection, nor did officials elaborate on the charges they face.

Bisignano, however, shared her experiences at the Capitol in an interview with the Beverly Hills Courier, in which she said she entered the building with a crowd of people.

Bisignano had attended local pro-Donald Trump rallies and those urging officials to reopen the economy amid the COVID-19 pandemic. She decided she would attend the rally at the Capitol two weeks before the scheduled event.

Bisignano recorded video of the insurrection, and was captured in footage herself. She described the scene as a “war zone,” and said she was near a man who broke windows in the Capitol.

Bisignano told the newspaper she was unarmed and described her role in the riot as a passive one, but she ended up being pepper sprayed and experienced a panic attack.

“I couldn’t breathe. I was having a panic attack. I needed air. Every time I opened my eyes, they were burning. My mouth was burning. Everything was burning, and I couldn’t breathe,” Bisignano said in the interview.

Video reviewed by the newspaper, however, revealed Bisignano encouraged other people to enter the Capitol through broken windows and could be heard yelling, “Come on guys, we need patriots. You guys, it’s the way in.”

In another video reviewed by the newspaper, she is seen with a megaphone yelling, “We need weapons. We need strong, angry patriots to help our boys, they don’t want to leave. We need protection.”

Upon returning to California, Bisignano said people began commenting on her business’s Yelp page with photos of her at the Capitol.

“Having watched Gina at the 01/06/21 riot, I do not feel safe coming here again,” one review read.

Bisignano decided to contact the FBI herself.

“My life is over, I’m going to jail,” she told the Courier. “I’m going to lose my son.”