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SALT LAKE CITY — A Utah man and his son have pleaded guilty for their roles in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Bradley James Bokoski, 58, of Eagle Mountain, was arrested by federal agents in May. His son, Matthew Bokoski, was arrested on the same day in Chicago, where he lives. They were each charged with entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds and parading, demonstrating or picketing in a U.S. Capitol building.
Recently unsealed court filings show the father and son each pleaded guilty to the charge of parading, demonstrating, or picketing, which carries a maximum sentence of six months in prison, up to five years of probation and a fine of up to $5,000. Prosecutors agreed to drop the other charges as part of the plea deal.
Court documents said both men admitted that they were in Washington, D.C., to attend the Stop the Steal rally, and investigators say they were inside the Capitol building for about five minutes.
According to the initial charging documents, the FBI received a tip on Jan. 7, 2021, that Matthew Bokoski was seen inside the Capitol building during the riot. The tipster told agents that Matthew Bokoski had posted online about his actions on Facebook and Kik, a messaging app.
On Jan. 11, 2021, the FBI received another tip, along with a screenshot of a photo Matthew Bokoski posted on Facebook, which shows a group of people inside the U.S. Capitol. A post on his Facebook page said, "I was with my dad and walked right up the capital (sic) steps and inside with others," according to the charging documents.
Another post from Matthew Bokoski's Facebook page, dated Jan. 7, 2021, said: "This all happened before I went up to the capital (sic). 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."
Charging documents include photos of both men inside the Capitol. Matthew Bokoski can be seen wearing a red and blue "Trump 2020" flag as a cape, and a red and blue knit beanie with a pom-pom on top.
One photo from a security camera shows Matthew Bokoski near the door of the Senate Parliamentarian office.
Investigators say they interviewed Matthew Bokoski on Jan. 14, 2021, in Chicago. He told interviewing agents that the rally was effective because the rioters were temporarily able to "shut down" the government.
Court has unsealed another father-and-son Jan 6 criminal case
— Scott MacFarlane (@MacFarlaneNews) May 26, 2022
Bradley & Matthew Bokoski
Feds allege Matthew told agents "the January 6, 2021 rally was effective because the participants were able
to "shut down" the government" pic.twitter.com/15XPnXiocI
