State

Chicago man, Utah father, enter pleas in Jan. 6 Capitol riot cases

FILE - In this Jan. 6. 2021, file photo, people storm the Capitol in Washington. A blistering internal report by the U.S. Capitol Police describes a multitude of missteps that left the force unprepared for the Jan. 6 insurrection — riot shields that shattered upon impact, expired weapons that couldn’t be used, inadequate training and an intelligence division that had few set standards. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A Utah man and his son, an Illinois resident, have pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Bradley Bokoski, 58, of Eagle Mountain, Utah and Matthew R. Bokoski, 31, of Chicago entered pleas on Thursday, according to documents filed with the U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia, to one count each of unlawful parading, demonstrating or picketing at the Capitol.

Charges of impeding Congress by illegally entering the Capitol will be dropped as part of a plea agreement in each case, according to the U.S. Justice Department.

The misdemeanor charges carry a maximum sentence of six months in prison, five years’ probation and a $5,000 fine. Sentencing was set for Jan. 17.

According to court documents, the Bokoskis traveled to Washington to hear President Donald Trump speak at a rally on Jan. 6, then followed the crowd to the Capitol, which they entered through a breached Senate door.

After the crowd was met by 10 to 15 police officers, both men turned around and left, the complaint said. They were in the building for about five minutes.

A tip to the FBI provide screenshots of Matthew Bokoski’s Facebook page, including one post depicting a group of people inside the Capitol and a caption reading, “I was with my dad and walked right up the capital steps and inside with others,” the complaint said.

The riot delayed the certification of Joe Biden as the winner of the 2020 presidential election, but Congress reconvened hours later to do so.

Both men were arrested in May.