A federal judge in Florida has ordered Caroline Wren, a Republican fundraiser involved in organizing President Donald Trump’s Jan. 6, 2021, “Stop the Steal” rally in Washington, to pay $2,000 a day for refusing to hand over records about her role in planning the event, warning that she could face steeper penalties, including jail time, if she keeps defying the court.
U.S. District Judge Donald Middlebrooks issued the contempt ruling on July 9, following Wren’s failure to appear at a virtual hearing meant to explain her ongoing refusal to comply with a subpoena issued as part of a separate civil lawsuit filed four years ago by a half dozen U.S. Capitol Police officers. The officers are suing Trump, his 2024 presidential campaign, Stop the Steal LLC, the Proud Boys, and others, alleging that they conspired to incite the attack on the Capitol that left the plaintiffs injured.
Wren, who served as an intermediary between the Trump White House and rally organizers, helped arrange speakers, manage the rally’s program, and drive turnout for the gathering, according to her deposition before the Jan. 6 committee investigating the Capitol breach, the panel’s final report, and other documents.
The Capitol Police officers argue that Wren’s communications and documents are critical to their claims in the underlying lawsuit pending in Washington, which alleges conspiracy to interfere with civil rights, battery, assault, and other counts. The subpoena seeks records related to the rally’s planning, funding, security, and communications among organizers and Trump’s associates.
According to court filings, after the subpoena was issued by the court in the underlying case, it took the officers more than a year to successfully serve Wren, finally doing so in May 2024. When Wren failed to respond, the officers initiated a separate enforcement action in Florida federal court, leading to an April 29, 2025, court order requiring Wren to produce the requested records by mid-May. Despite repeated court directives and personal service by U.S. Marshals, Wren has not appeared in court, retained counsel, or contacted the plaintiffs’ lawyers.
In his July 9 contempt order, Middlebrooks wrote that Wren’s “pattern of disregard and non-engagement” has delayed proceedings and deprived the officers of the evidence they are entitled to obtain. He imposed the $2,000 daily fine until Wren complies, and he cautioned that if monetary sanctions prove ineffective, the court would “consider additional steps to spur her compliance,” including potential confinement.
Under federal rules, courts can hold individuals in civil contempt for defying subpoenas, imposing escalating fines or even jail time to compel compliance.
Meanwhile, the underlying lawsuit brought against Trump and others remains pending, with recent filings indicating ongoing discovery disputes, motions over evidence, and multiple extensions granted by the court as defendants continue to litigate the claims.
In the underlying lawsuit, the Capitol Police officers allege that Trump and his allies conspired to prevent Congress from certifying the results of the 2020 presidential election through force, intimidation, and threats. They claim that the defendants—including Trump’s campaign, Stop the Steal organizers, and groups such as the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers—spread false claims of election fraud and coordinated efforts to incite violence, culminating in the attack on the Capitol that left officers physically and emotionally injured.
The defendants in the lawsuit have broadly denied any wrongdoing, arguing that their actions were protected by the First Amendment and that they neither incited violence nor conspired to disrupt the certification of the election.
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