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. St Cyr was previously sentenced to 30 months in prison and three years of supervised release for her involvement in the 2021 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.
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. 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.
When Klepper asked St Cyr if she expected the money back, she confirmed she did.
“First insurrection’s free, right?” Klepper responded. “I think that’s in the Constitution."
St Cyr expressed confidence that pardoned rioters would ultimately be cleared of public wrongdoing.
“Oh, I’m gonna get more than that money back,” St Cyr said. “We will be compensated, we will be vindicated, and you will feel like an a*s for this interview someday.”
St Cyr said the aftereffects of the Capitol breach on participants have been severe.
“It’s been devastating,” she said. “People lost their businesses, divorces happened, so it’s been hard to watch.”
Klepper replied: “From what I’m hearing, it sounds like you guys were the victims of January 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. “You’re controlled.”
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.
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.”
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. I am not January 6.”
However, when asked directly by Klepper if she would participate in the event again given the opportunity, St Cyr did not hesitate.
“Absolutely,” she said.
This is not the first time St Cyr has made public statements regarding her role in the 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.
“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.
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. I know it sounds delusional.”
St Cyr’s demands come as hundreds of January 6 defendants seek multi-million-dollar payouts from the federal 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. Despite that, rioters continue to sue the government for compensation under the Federal Tort Claims 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.