Simone Gold, MD, Pardoned By Trump

Simone Gold, MD, JD, posted on X that she “wept tears of joy” after President Donald Trump granted her “a full and unconditional pardon” on his first day back in office, along with nearly 1,600 other Jan. 6 defendants.

Gold, who was convicted and served time in federal prison for trespassing the U.S. Capitol during the riots, also posted a statement on letterhead from America’s Frontline Doctors, a group she founded in the early days of the COVID pandemic.

“I am a physician serving my patients, my community and my country. I care for people. I am a civil rights attorney defending our constitutional right to free speech. Today I was exonerated from any wrongdoing by the President of the United States,” the statement read.

“Now that this long distraction is behind me, I will get back to the business of serving others with my medical and legal training in the private and public sector,” she continued. “I thank President Donald J. Trump for correcting this historical wrong so that I can continue the work of helping people.”

In a plea deal in U.S. District Court, Gold pleaded guilty to one of five criminal counts against her and was ordered to serve a prison sentence of up to 6 months — which ended up being 60 days — and ordered to pay a $9,500 fine. Her California license was placed on inactive status after she reported to a Miami prison in July 2022.

She was released from a Miami prison 2 weeks early, but faced an internal battle with AFLDS colleagues who accused her of using the organization’s funds to buy a $3.6 million home in Florida and three cars, including a Mercedes Benz and a GMC Denali, for personal use.

During the time she was in the Capitol with rioters, she used a megaphone to give a speech opposing government-imposed lockdowns and vaccine mandates.

At a press conference in front of the Supreme Court building in 2020, she extolled hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for COVID-19, despite compelling evidence of its ineffectiveness and complication risks.

Gold, who was trained as an emergency physician, has a California license and, as of July 2022, a Florida license. She was disciplined with a public reprimand from the Medical Board of California in December of 2023 in connection with her federal conviction.

It could not be determined as of press time whether other physicians involved with the Jan. 6 riots were pardoned or had their sentences commuted.

Jacquelyn Starer, MD, of Ashland, Massachusetts pleaded guilty to 8 counts, including a felony assault charge, and was sentenced to 9 months in prison. She reportedly tried to push past police guards in a hallway to the office of then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). Starer reportedly punched a police officer who tried to hold her back.

She no longer has a license to practice in Massachusetts.

The late Tamara Towers Parry, MD, a former Seattle physician who lost her license in that state after her participation in Jan. 6, had posted videos of herself during the insurrection carrying a QAnon flag, according to media reports.

She had been going through a divorce, was being evicted, and was facing several medical issues. When she appeared outside her home armed with a shotgun as two people tried to serve her paperwork, one of them shot her in the torso and she died at the scene.

She reportedly had never been charged with a crime, despite her involvement.

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