MAGA rioter claims Trump almost hit her with a golf ball — which led to her ‘positive image’ of him

An accused Capitol rioter claims former president Donald Trump once almost hit her with a golf ball, which led to her developing a positive image of him.

Attorneys for Imelda Acosta, a yoga instructor who goes by "Mariposa Castro" on social media, made the argument in a sentencing memo filed Friday seeking probation for their client. Federal prosecutors are seeking a sentence of 60 days in jail for Acosta.

"In 2006, Ms. Acosta and her husband took a trip to Pebble Beach to play golf," Acosta's attorneys wrote at the start of the sentencing memo. "During one of these golf games they almost got hit by a golf ball of another player. Ms. Acosta turned to look in the direction of the putter and saw it was Trump. They ended up having an amicable conversation together. Ms. Acosta cannot say that this meeting turned her into the Trump fan she later became, but it certainly gave her a positive image of him and she supported him during his run for president."

In their sentencing memo, federal prosecutors wrote that in an interview following her arrest, Acosta "falsely stated that the people being violent were Antifa and Black Lives Matter, not Trump supporters."

"Even weeks later, when speaking with the FBI, she falsely blamed 'Antifa' and 'Black Lives Matter' for the lawlessness of her fellow rioters even though she had personally witnessed extensive violence on the Lower West Terrace, had a close-up view of the mob gathering weapons for its continued attack on law enforcement, and herself gloated at the end of the riot, 'We showed them all,'" prosecutors wrote. "To the extent that Castro feels any remorse for her actions of January 6, 2021, she has not expressed so publicly."

Acosta live-streamed the insurrection, yelling "This is war!" in a Facebook video as she left the Capitol. She allegedly broke into the building by climbing through a window, and pleaded guilty in November to one misdemeanor count of parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building. Her sentencing is set for Feb. 23.

More below from NBC News' Ryan J. Reilly.