Yvonne St Cyr, a Capitol rioter convicted and pardoned for her role in the January 6, 2021 attack, recently appeared on "The Daily Show" to demand a refund from the federal government for restitution payments. She was sentenced to 30 months in prison and claims she should not have had to pay because she did not cause physical damage. The riot caused over $2.7 million in property damage and injured more than 170 police officers. St Cyr also stated she would "absolutely" participate again, citing conspiracy theories about a "shadow government."
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-07,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Why this leaning score
The model judged this article politically coded and scored it -0.45, but 2 quote(s) could not be found in the article and the other 2 are attributed speech rather than the article's own narration, so the score is not published.
Written under an earlier scoring contract, which gave a paragraph
rather than checkable quotes. Re-analysing this article replaces it.
Leaning score withheld for article 63545: no verified evidence · logged 2026-10-07
A January 6 Capitol rioter is demanding a full refund from the federal government for court-ordered restitution payments following her conviction — while maintaining she would “absolutely” participate in the attack again.
Yvonne St Cyr made the claims during an interview with host Jordan Klepper on Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show,” which aired Tuesday.
uncertain
which → demand → Show
St Cyr was previously sentenced to 30 months in prison and three years of supervised release for her involvement in the 2021 insurrection.
asserted
Cyr → sentence → insurrection
The demand comes years after the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol — the first violent breach of the building in more than two centuries — which left more than 170 police officers injured and caused an estimated $2.7 million in direct physical property damage.
“My name is Yvonne St Cyr, and I am waiting on $2,270,” she told Klepper regarding her broadcast appearance, explaining that the sum represented restitution she paid that should now be returned because she did not “break anything” while inside the building.
asserted
she → come → building
Her demands coincide with an $18 million lawsuit filed by a group of pardoned January 6 defendants against the federal government following President Donald Trump’s decision to issue pardons at the start of his second term.
asserted
demands → coincide → term
St Cyr, who was pardoned by Trump on his first day in office in January 2025, told The Washington Post that she personally hoped to receive $10 million in compensation.
asserted
she → pardon → compensation
When Klepper asked St Cyr if she expected the money back, she confirmed she did.
asserted
she → ask → money
“First insurrection’s free, right?” Klepper responded.
asserted
Klepper → ’ → ?
“I think that’s in the Constitution."
asserted
that → think → Constitution
St Cyr expressed confidence that pardoned rioters would ultimately be cleared of public wrongdoing.
asserted
rioters → express → wrongdoing
“Oh, I’m gonna get more than that money back,” St Cyr said.
asserted
Cyr → go → money
“We will be compensated, we will be vindicated, and you will feel like an a*s for this interview someday.”
asserted
you → compensate → interview
St Cyr said the aftereffects of the Capitol breach on participants have been severe.
asserted
aftereffects → say → participants
“It’s been devastating,” she said.
asserted
she → say → ?
“People lost their businesses, divorces happened, so it’s been hard to watch.”
asserted
it → lose → businesses
Klepper replied: “From what I’m hearing, it sounds like you guys were the victims of January 6th.”
asserted
guys → reply → 6th
Throughout the interview, St Cyr referenced several conspiracy theories, alleging that a “shadow government” restricted internet service for participants during the Capitol breach and claiming mind control techniques were actively being directed at the public.
“You don’t think there’s people that control what you do and what you film on this air,” she said.
asserted
she → reference → air
“You’re controlled.”
asserted
You → control → ?
Klepper, in response, said, “I’m not being controlled,” before repeating the sentence at the instruction of a producer as part of a comedic bit during the recording.
asserted
I → say → recording
Reflecting on her personal growth, St Cyr noted that she had gotten caught up in the “moment” during the attack and insisted she was “not the same girl.”
asserted
she → reflect → attack
While standing outside the Capitol building later in the segment, she added, “You realize that we try to control our outside circumstances, but again, I have no control over anything but me, and that’s the one thing I learned.
asserted
I → stand → me
However, when asked directly by Klepper if she would participate in the event again given the opportunity, St Cyr did not hesitate.
asserted
Cyr → ask → opportunity
“Absolutely,” she said.
asserted
she → say → ?
This is not the first time St Cyr has made public statements regarding her role in the attack.
asserted
Cyr → make → attack
Following her original sentencing — where she was ordered to pay restitution to the Architect of the Capitol following convictions on two felony counts of civil disorder and several misdemeanors — she compared her legal situation to biblical figures.
asserted
she → follow → figures
“I understood what Jesus felt like when he was in the garden of Gethsemane praying and felt so alone,” St Cyr said on Facebook at the time, according to local station KTVB.
uncertain
Cyr → understand → KTVB
During a subsequent Facebook Live video, St Cyr said “the spirit” assured her she would not serve prison time, adding that if she did, it would give her “plenty of time to write a book.”
During her 45-minute sentencing hearing, as reported by CBS News, she showed no remorse, telling the court: “I did the right thing.
asserted
I → say → thing
I know it sounds delusional.”
asserted
it → know → ?
St Cyr’s demands come as hundreds of January 6 defendants seek multi-million-dollar payouts from the federal government.
asserted
hundreds → come → government
The Trump administration initially proposed a $1.8 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund” to compensate supporters, but Attorney General Todd Blanche later said those plans were canceled.
asserted
plans → propose → supporters
Despite that, rioters continue to sue the government for compensation under the Federal Tort Claims Act.
uncertain
rioters → continue → Act
According to a lawsuit filed by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, hundreds of defendants are pursuing claims through the government’s permanent Judgment Fund, with attorney Mark McCloskey noting that most clients are seeking between “$1 million and $10 million” for alleged injuries.
uncertain
clients → accord → injuries
The Aporia
