Chicago man and father charged in Jan. 6 breach of U.S. Capitol
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A Chicago man, caught on camera wearing a "Trump 2020" flag as a cape, and his father, who is from Utah, have been arrested for entering the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 insurrection.
Matthew Bokoski and his father, Bradley Bokoski, both have been charged with misdemeanor counts of disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds; disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building; entering and remaining in a restricted building; and parading, demonstrating, or picketing in the Capitol.
Bokoski Complaint by Todd Feurer on Scribd
According to the charges, the two entered the Capitol through the Senate Parliamentarian door around 2:45 p.m. as a crowd of hundreds of rioters broke into the building on Jan. 6, 2021, as a joint session of Congress was meeting to certify the vote count for the Electoral College of the 2020 presidential election.
Surveillance cameras recorded both men inside the Capitol, including as Matthew Bokoski had draped a blue "Trump 2020" flag over his shoulders, while wearing a red and blue knit Trump cap.
According to the charges, surveillance video showed the two "moved with a crowd down a corridor where the crowd met with a police line of approximately 10-15 officers," and then turned around and left through the same door they came in, about 5 minutes later.
A tipster later sent the FBI screenshots of comments, videos, and photos Matthew Bokoski had posed on Facebook on the day of the riot, including a comment stating, "I was with my dad and walked right up the capital steps and inside with others."
Federal investigators were able to obtain a search warrant for Matthew Bokoski's Facebook account, which contained photos and videos taken inside the Capitol, as well as a Jan. 7 post in which he wrote, "this all happened before I went up to the capital. So only thing I'm guilty of is trespassing on federal property if you want to get down to it. I kept my distance from police and even thanked them for being out and making sure things don't get insane."
When they were questioned by federal investigators, both men admitted to entering the Capitol and taking photos and videos of themselves while inside. According to the feds, Matthew Bokoski told agents "that the January 6, 2021 rally was effective because the participants were able to 'shut down' the government."
According to court records, Matthew Bokoski made his first court appearance on Wednesday, when a federal judge in Chicago released him on a $4,500 recognizance bond. His future cases will be heard in federal court in D.C. His defense attorney declined to comment.
CBS 2's Tara Molina got in touch with Matthew Bokoski's attorney Thursday. He declined any comment.
Bradley Bokoski is scheduled to make his first court appearance on Friday in federal court in Utah.