Still no charges against former CMSD employee linked to Capitol riots

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - Days after the FBI searched her home; no criminal charges have been filed against a former Cleveland Metropolitan School District occupational therapist suspected of being inside the United States Capitol during last week’s riot.

On Monday, Daniel Ball, the Public Affairs Officer for the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, told 19 News, “At this time, there are no charges filed.”

Christine Priola, 49, who submitted her resignation to CMSD one day after the Capitol siege, was named on social media after the FBI and other agencies posted a series of pictures in an attempt to identify those who made their way inside the building on Wednesday, January 6th.

The school district did not say if the woman in the photo is Priola.

Priola could not be reached at a phone number listed for her on Monday.

On Friday evening, FBI spokesperson Vicki Anderson told 19 News, “We do have law enforcement activity at her residence - at this time, no one is being taken into custody.”

In her letter of resignation filed with CMSD on January 7, Priola listed three reasons for her resignation:

• I will not be taking the coronavirus vaccine in order to return to in-person learning.
• I will be switching paths to expose the global evil of human trafficking and pedophilia, including in our government and children’s services agencies.
• I do not agree with my union dues, which help fund people and groups that support the killing of unborn children.

The Cleveland Board of Education accepted her resignation.

Priola has worked at CMSD since 2010.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office released the following statement shortly after the events unfolded in Washington:

“Prosecutors with the Justice Department and investigators from the U.S. Capitol Police, FBI, ATF, and Metropolitan Police Department have already begun to gather evidence, identify perpetrators, and charge federal crimes where warranted, against individuals involved in the attack on our government. The U.S. Attorney’s Office stands ready to prosecute any individuals from the Northern District who are identified in the course of these investigations. Rest assured that anyone who traveled to Washington, D.C. from the Northern District of Ohio in order to engage in violations of federal law on January 6, 2021, will be held accountable for their actions.”

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