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Trump supporters participate in a rally Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021 in Washington, D.C.
John Minchillo / AP
Trump supporters participate in a rally Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021 in Washington, D.C.
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They came from the city, the suburbs and deep Downstate, and from many walks of life; a tech CEO, an HVAC repairman, a Chicago police officer, a real estate agent, a community activist and more.

Some are accused of conducting themselves like brawlers, others allegedly wandered around like tourists. All have come under the federal hammer.

So far, 35 people from Illinois have been charged as part of the ongoing investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol, which prosecutors have described as one of the largest criminal investigations in American history.

Here are Illinois’ accused and convicted, listed by date of arrest:

 

Bradley Rukstales, 53, Inverness

Bradley Rukstales, 53, pleaded guilty in August to willfully and knowingly parading, demonstrating and picketing inside the Capitol, a misdemeanor that carries a maximum penalty of six months imprisonment and a $5,000 fine.
Bradley Rukstales, 53, pleaded guilty in August to willfully and knowingly parading, demonstrating and picketing inside the Capitol, a misdemeanor that carries a maximum penalty of six months imprisonment and a $5,000 fine.

Arrested: Jan. 6, 2021

Charge: “Knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority; or knowingly, with intent to impede government business or official functions, engaging in disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds; and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds,” according to the Department of Justice.

The former tech CEO was detained by police at the Capitol after he threw a chair in the direction of officers, though he denied trying to strike anyone. Rukstales was president and CEO of the Schaumburg-based tech company Cogensia, but was terminated following his arrest.

Plea: Guilty in September 2021, to willfully and knowingly parading, demonstrating and picketing inside the Capitol, a misdemeanor.

Sentence: 30 days behind bars.

“I have come to realize the weight of my actions, and immensely regret following others into the Capitol,” he said after his sentencing. “As a patriotic citizen, I hope and pray that the people of our nation will move forward united by the many commonalities we share.”

 

Kevin James Lyons, 40, Chicago

Arrested: Jan. 13, 2021

Charges: Three felony counts for entering the U.S. Capitol, a restricted building, with the intent to disrupt official business and for engaging in disorderly conduct once inside. Lyons has pleaded not guilty.

The resident of the Gladstone Park neighborhood was identified through an Instagram photo showing the sign outside the office of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. He allegedly told FBI agents that he entered the building through its rear doors, and provided links to videos he took inside.

“Hello Nice FBI Lady,” Lyons emailed a special agent on Jan. 9, 2021, according to court documents. “Here are the links to the videos. Looks like Podium Guy is in one of them, less the podium. Let me know if you need anything else.”

“Podium Guy” was an apparent reference to Adam Johnson, 36, who was charged with participating in the riot after he was allegedly caught on camera carrying the House speaker’s lectern.

 

Mathew Capsel, Marseilles

A screenshot from TikTok allegedly shows Mathew Capsel, of Marseilles, outside the Capitol during the insurrection. He's accused of assaulting National Guard troops trying to turn back the mob.
A screenshot from TikTok allegedly shows Mathew Capsel, of Marseilles, outside the Capitol during the insurrection. He’s accused of assaulting National Guard troops trying to turn back the mob.

Arrested: Jan. 26, 2021

Charge: Entering restricted grounds, resisting a government officer and attempting to obstruct a law enforcement officer.

The Downstate man was identified by a former neighbor who tipped federal agents to Capsel’s Facebook account, which carried the name of “Mateo Q Capsel.” That led investigators to a TikTok account that allegedly showed Capsel fighting National Guardsmen outside the Capitol, according to court documents.

“In this video, Capsel, identifiable by the tattoos on his face and neck, and wearing (a distinctive) hat, shirt, and necklace, is fighting against National Guardsmen until he is pepper sprayed, as shown in the last screenshot,” court documents say.

Sentence: 18 months in prison.

 

Jason Gerding, 50, and Christina Gerding, 46, Quincy

This photo was allegedly posted on social media accounts of Jason Gerding and Christina Gerding, of Quincy, who are accused of illegally entering the Capitol during the Jan. 6 riot.
This photo was allegedly posted on social media accounts of Jason Gerding and Christina Gerding, of Quincy, who are accused of illegally entering the Capitol during the Jan. 6 riot.

Arrested: Jan. 28, 2021

Charge: Entering a restricted building, disorderly conduct in a Capitol building and parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building. They have pleaded not guilty.

The couple, who investigators say appear to be adherents of the QAnon conspiracy movement, were identified after a tipster led agents to Jason Gerding’s Twitter account. A photo on the site showed them wearing Trump 2020 shirts and triumphantly clasping hands in the Capitol rotunda, according to court documents.

“Well since they let us inside, opened the door for us I think we’ll be just fine,” Christina Gerding allegedly responded to a Facebook critic calling for her arrest.

 

Thomas Adams Jr., 39, and Roy Nelson Franklin, 65, of Springfield

Thomas Adams Jr., of Springfield, holds a Trump flag inside the Senate chamber during the Jan. 6 siege of the U.S. Capitol. According to the court document, Adams confirmed he is shown in this photograph holding the flag.
Thomas Adams Jr., of Springfield, holds a Trump flag inside the Senate chamber during the Jan. 6 siege of the U.S. Capitol. According to the court document, Adams confirmed he is shown in this photograph holding the flag.

Arrested: Adams was arrested on April 13, 2021. Franklin was arrested in December 2021.

Charge: Obstructing an official proceeding, entering a restricted building and disorderly conduct in the Capitol. Adams and Franklin have pleaded not guilty.

Adams, who has worked in lawn care, was identified via an interview he gave to the Insider media outlet. He allegedly told an FBI agent that he entered the building through an open door and didn’t realize it was a violent takeover until he walked over broken glass.

“I think everything was great until it went from peaceful to everyone acting like a bunch of 12-year-olds destroying things,” he told Insider.

Franklin also was quoted in the same report. When agents searched his home in 2021, Franklin was overheard telling someone in the home, “I admit I was there, and I am proud of the fact that I was there, and stood up for a cause that I believed in. I have no problem with that. It was not about Trump; it was about stealing the election,” according to a criminal complaint.

 

Bruce Harrison, 58, and Douglas Wangler, 53, Danville

Prosecutors say this image shows Douglas Wangler, 53, of Danville, standing near a bust of Abraham Lincoln in the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection.
Prosecutors say this image shows Douglas Wangler, 53, of Danville, standing near a bust of Abraham Lincoln in the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection.

Arrested: May 28, 2021

Charge: Entering a restricted building and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.

The friends traveled to Washington to attend the rally for Trump and entered the Capitol through a breached door. According to court records, they did not participate in violence — Wangler said he told a man pounding on a window to “knock that (expletive) off” — and even asked a police officer for directions to the bathroom. A tipster identified them through a video sent over Facebook Messenger.

Plea: Guilty to parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building.

Sentence: Received two years of probation and were ordered to pay $500 restitution.

“I wish I had just taken a picture and headed back to the hotel,” Harrison told the judge at his sentencing. “It was not worth it.”

 

Christian Kulas, 24, Kenilworth, and Mark Kulas Jr., 27, Lake Forest

Arrested: June 8, 2021 (Christian Kulas); Mark Kulas charged Nov. 19, 2021

Plea: Guilty to parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building and await sentencing.

Court documents say tipsters contacted the FBI days after the incursion to say Christian Kulas was at the Capitol, and that he was seen on social media posts and surveillance images wearing a Burberry coat and a hat adorned with Trump’s campaign slogan, “Keep America Great.”

Kulas’ older brother Mark accompanied him, and though Christian Kulas cheered rioters trying to breach a police line to open a door, there was no evidence the brothers assisted, court documents said.

Sentence: Six months each of probation, including 60 days on home detention.

 

Karol Chwiesiuk, 29, Chicago and Agnieszka Chwiesiuk, 29, Chicago

A photo allegedly sent by Chicago police Officer Karol Chwiesiuk shows him inside the office of Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley after breaching the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.
A photo allegedly sent by Chicago police Officer Karol Chwiesiuk shows him inside the office of Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley after breaching the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.

Arrested: June 11, 2021 (Karol Chwiesiuk); Dec. 19, 2022 (Agnieszka Chwiesiuk)

Charge: Entering or remaining in a restricted building and violent entry and disorderly conduct in a Capitol building. The siblings have each pleaded not guilty.

Investigators said they focused on the Chicago police officer after discovering that a device with a Google account associated with Chwiesiuk was in or near the Capitol on Jan. 6. They went on to find a selfie he allegedly took in the office of Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley; he wore a hoodie with the Chicago Police Department logo on it, court documents said.

“We inside the capital lmfao,” Chwiesiuk allegedly texted a friend.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot said the officer’s alleged actions were “a total disgrace to the badge.”

His sister was identified as the woman seen wearing a red knit cap with white and blue stripes and a face mask with upside-down American flags, accompanying Chwiesiuk as he entered the U.S. Capitol through a broken-out Senate wing door.

 

Shane Jason Woods, 43, Auburn

Federal prosecutors say this still image shows Shane Jason Woods, 43 of Auburn, Illinois, tripping a U.S. Capitol Police officer after she was sprayed with bear mace during the Jan. 6 riot.
Federal prosecutors say this still image shows Shane Jason Woods, 43 of Auburn, Illinois, tripping a U.S. Capitol Police officer after she was sprayed with bear mace during the Jan. 6 riot.

Arrested: June 24, 2021

Charge: Assault on a law enforcement officer and engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds.

Prosecutors allege Woods, who apparently runs a heating and air conditioning company, joined a large and belligerent crowd that had congregated on the lower west terrace of the Capitol. When someone in the crowd sprayed police with bear mace and an officer tried to pursue that person, a bystander’s video showed that Woods ran forward and tripped her, according to the criminal complaint.

Woods was captured on another video tackling a cameraman from behind, the complaint said.

“In YouTube Video #3, a publicly available video I reviewed during the course of this investigation, an individual who … appears to be Woods can also be observed walking closely around a cameraman dressed in bluejeans and a blue jacket,” an FBI agent wrote in an affidavit. “Soon after, Woods is observed running into and tackling this same cameraman as the cameraman is facing away from Woods.”

Plea: Guilty to scuffling with a police officer.

Woods’s sentencing was put on hold after he was charged in Sangamon County in November 2021 with making a drunken suicide attempt on a downstate highway. But instead of killing himself, he took the life of a 35-year-old woman who was born and raised in Skokie.

 

John Schubert, 71, and Amy Schubert, 61, Crest Hill

Federal prosecutors say Amy Schubert, 61, of Crest Hill, is shown in these images from video taken inside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Prosecutors alleged Schubert was identified in part by the Joliet plumbers and pipefitters union jacket she was wearing.
Federal prosecutors say Amy Schubert, 61, of Crest Hill, is shown in these images from video taken inside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Prosecutors alleged Schubert was identified in part by the Joliet plumbers and pipefitters union jacket she was wearing.
Federal prosecutors say John Schubert, 71, of Crest Hill, is shown in a photo allegedly taken by his wife, Amy, after breaching the U.S. Capitol during the Jan 6, 2021, insurrection.
Federal prosecutors say John Schubert, 71, of Crest Hill, is shown in a photo allegedly taken by his wife, Amy, after breaching the U.S. Capitol during the Jan 6, 2021, insurrection.

Arrested: July 26, 2021.

Plea: Guilty to parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building and are awaiting sentencing.

An anonymous tip guided FBI agents to a YouTube video showing a woman inside the Capitol who wore a jacket with “Plumbers & Pipefitters Local Union 422 Joliet IL” on its back. Agents searched for Google accounts associated with Joliet’s 815 area code and found one associated with Amy Schubert, according to court documents. That led to the discovery of photos and videos allegedly shot by Schubert, showing her husband inside the Capitol.

Sentence: Probation and community service. They must also pay a total of $4,500 in fines and restitution.

 

Marcos Gleffe, 38, Elk Grove Village

Arrested: Sept. 2, 2021

Charge: Entering a restricted building, disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds and parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building. Gleffe has pleaded not guilty.

A tipster allegedly provided FBI agents with Facebook images showing Gleffe outside the Capitol. Investigators used cellphone data to learn he had been inside for about 14 minutes, and confirmed that with footage captured by surveillance cameras, according to court documents.

Gleffe allegedly told agents that police did not stop him from entering the building, and that he did not enter any of the building’s inner rooms.

“At the conclusion of the interview, Gleffe stated he made ‘the biggest mistake going through the door’ and ‘would not do it again if I could go back,'” the criminal complaint said.

 

David Wiersma, Posen, and Dawn Frankowski, Naperville

According to prosecutors, Dawn Frankowski, of Naperville, stands outside President Donald Trump's
According to prosecutors, Dawn Frankowski, of Naperville, stands outside President Donald Trump’s “Save America” rally on Jan. 6, 2021, shortly before she allegedly followed a violent mob into the U.S. Capitol.

Arrested: Sept. 21, 2021

Charge: Entering and remaining in a restricted building and disorderly conduct in a Capitol building.

An ex-co-worker who said he had worked with Wiersma at PCI Energy Center in Lake Bluff allegedly tipped off FBI agents that Wiersma posted on Facebook that he had entered the Capitol. Investigators found other videos and photos that allegedly showed him and Frankowski, with whom he had traveled to Washington, inside the building, according to court documents.

Frankowski told FBI agents she drove to the Washington, D.C., area with Wiersma and a third man, according to the complaint. The three of them went to the “Save America Rally,” but when the crowd marched to the Capitol building, the third person in their group stayed behind, the complaint said.

“Spent about 30 minutes inside and got out before the swat team went in,” a Facebook post allegedly tied to Wiersma reads.

Sentence: 18 months of probation for both Wiersma and Frankowski, plus community service and restitution.

 

Lawrence Ligas, 62, Chicago

Lawrence Ligas, 62, of Chicago, was arrested on Dec. 1, 2021, after he was accused of being part of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., according to a federal complaint. Federal investigators believed he was captured on footage from inside the Capitol.
Lawrence Ligas, 62, of Chicago, was arrested on Dec. 1, 2021, after he was accused of being part of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., according to a federal complaint. Federal investigators believed he was captured on footage from inside the Capitol.

Arrested: Dec. 1, 2021

Charge: Entering a restricted building, disorderly conduct in a Capitol building and parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building. Ligas has pleaded not guilty.

Ligas, a well-known political operative on Chicago’s Northwest Side, came on the federal radar after investigators learned he was quoted by name in an NPR article about the incursion. Agents found that a device associated with his Gmail account was inside the Capitol on Jan. 6, and he also allegedly appeared in video footage shot there, court documents say.

“We’re not moving on,” Ligas told NPR. ” … We are not Republicans. We are the MAGA party. We are patriots.”

 

James Robert Elliott, 24, Aurora

Arrested: Dec. 20, 2021

Charge: Civil disorder, assault of a federal officer, entering restricted grounds with a dangerous weapon and carrying out an act of violence on Capitol grounds.

Elliott, whom prosecutors describe as a member of the far-right Proud Boys, was captured in online videos and body-worn camera footage among a large group of rioters trying to break through a police line outside the Capitol, prosecutors said in court.

Elliott was allegedly seen in the footage carrying an American flag on a pole that he swung at police, landing at least one glancing blow on an officer’s head.

“Patriots, what is your occupation?” Elliott allegedly shouted at others in the crowd, rewording a catchphrase from the movie “300.”

Plea: Guilty. His sentencing is set for Feb. 10.

 

Anthony Carollo, 23, Lockport; his brother, Jeremiah Carollo, 45, Glen Carbon and their cousin, Cody Vollan, 31, Lockport

Surveillance footage allegedly captured Anthony Carollo, 23, his brother Jeremiah Carollo, 45, and their cousin, Cody Vollan, 31, walking through the historic U.S. Capitol rotunda during the riot on Jan. 6, 2021. The three were arrested in Illinois on Jan. 19, 2022, and charged with illegal entry of a restricted building.
Surveillance footage allegedly captured Anthony Carollo, 23, his brother Jeremiah Carollo, 45, and their cousin, Cody Vollan, 31, walking through the historic U.S. Capitol rotunda during the riot on Jan. 6, 2021. The three were arrested in Illinois on Jan. 19, 2022, and charged with illegal entry of a restricted building.

Arrested: Jan. 19, 2022

Charge: Misdemeanor counts of unlawfully entering a restricted government building and disorderly conduct on U.S. Capitol grounds.

A criminal complaint included photos of the three men allegedly standing amid the mob outside the Capitol and later entering through a door, filing past a man in a gas mask and bicycle helmet. Another photo shows the defendants walking single-file through the Capitol rotunda.

Sentence: One year of probation for Vollan and Anthony Carollo. Jeremiah Carollo received 21 days behind bars.

 

Christopher Logsdon, 48, and Tina Logsdon, 41, Sesser

Summons Served: Jan. 24, 2022

Charge: Misdemeanor counts of unlawfully entering a restricted government building and disorderly conduct on U.S. Capitol grounds.

Court records show the Logsdons entered the Capitol through a side door and spent about 30 minutes walking around the Crypt lobby and up a flight of stairs to a visitor’s center before leaving through the Rotunda door. At one point, Christopher Logsdon recorded a video of himself saying, “Welcome to the Capitol, folks. We just stormed it,” according to court records.

Sentence: Three years each of probation, with 14 days in jail.

 

Leticia Vilhena Ferreira, 32, Indian Head Park

Surveillance images allegedly show Leticia Vilhena Ferreira, a Brazilian national living in Indian Head Park, breaching the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot. Ferreira was charged with misdemeanor disorderly conduct and trespassing in a restricted government building.
Surveillance images allegedly show Leticia Vilhena Ferreira, a Brazilian national living in Indian Head Park, breaching the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot. Ferreira was charged with misdemeanor disorderly conduct and trespassing in a restricted government building.

Arrested: Feb. 16, 2022

Charge: Misdemeanor counts of unlawfully entering a restricted government building and disorderly conduct on U.S. Capitol grounds.

In an interview with the FBI at her suburban home, Ferreira told agents she is a citizen of Brazil and present in the U.S. on a work visa and therefore was not able to vote.

“However, Ferreira followed the news of the 2020 election and wanted to travel to Washington, D.C. to see President Donald Trump speak,” the complaint stated.

The day after the riot, Ferreira and her friend, who was also in the crowd that day, exchanged worried text messages about the fallout, according to the complaint. Ferreira texted that she’d been walking with a man and his two sons and never noticed in the moment that people were breaking through barriers and fighting with the police.

“I’m so irresponsible” Ferreira texted. “Yesterday it felt amazing.”

Plea: Guilty.

Sentence: In addition to 14 days in custody, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan in Washington gave Ferreira three years of probation and ordered her to perform 60 hours of community service and pay $500 in restitution, according to the U.S. attorney’s office.

 

Athanasios Zoyganeles, 44, formerly of Chicago

Surveillance images allegedly show Athanasios Zoyganeles, 44, in the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot and taking video on his cellphone.
Surveillance images allegedly show Athanasios Zoyganeles, 44, in the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot and taking video on his cellphone.

Arrested: Feb. 22, 2022

Charge: Misdemeanor counts of unlawfully entering a restricted government building and disorderly conduct on U.S. Capitol grounds.

According to the charges, Zoyganeles had planned on traveling to Washington for weeks before the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, messaging one friend in December 2020 he was “down for whatever.”

“It’s time we take this country back,” Zoyganeles wrote, according to the complaint.

About 10 days after the attack, a tipster gave the FBI a screenshot of Zoyganeles’ Facebook profile and said he had posted a “very creepy video of him in the Capitol saying ‘Nazis, where are you??’ ” the complaint alleged.

The tipster said Zoyganeles was also part of a group going into offices and going through books and files, according to the complaint. Zoyganeles took down the video later that day.

The FBI used phone records to determine that Zoyganeles’ phone was in the vicinity of the Capitol on Jan. 6.

Zoyganeles pleaded guilty in 2021 and will be sentenced on Jan. 26.

 

Matthew Bokoski, 31, Chicago

Matthew Bokoski, 31, of Chicago, above, is allegedly seen in surveillance images after he entered the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, wearing a
Matthew Bokoski, 31, of Chicago, above, is allegedly seen in surveillance images after he entered the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, wearing a “Trump 2020” flag as a cape. Authorities say his father, Bradley James Bokoski, 58, of Utah, is shown in the foreground. He was charged in the same complaint and arrested Wednesday near his home in Utah.

Arrested: May 2022

Charge: Misdemeanor counts of disorderly conduct and unlawfully entering a restricted government building.

A criminal complaint alleged Bokoski entered the Capitol with his father while wearing a “Trump 2020? flag as a cape and left after a few.

Plea: Guilty. His sentencing is set for Jan. 17.

 

Trudy Castle, 57 and her sister, Kimberly DiFrancesco, 55, Elmhurst

According to federal court records, Kimberly DiFrancesco, 55, of Elmhurst, left, and Trudy Castle, 57, of Chicago, are shown in the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection.
According to federal court records, Kimberly DiFrancesco, 55, of Elmhurst, left, and Trudy Castle, 57, of Chicago, are shown in the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection.

Arrested: June 2022

Charge: Misdemeanor counts of disorderly conduct and unlawfully entering a restricted government building.

According to the complaint, Castle and DiFrancesco were both seen on surveillance footage entering the Capitol building through a Senate wing door shortly after it had been breached by the unruly mob.

Images included in the complaint allegedly showed the two as they walked through the building to the elevator bank near the visitors center. In one of the images, Castle, dressed in a white jacket and red and blue “Trump” hat with a pom-pom, could be seen walking past chairs from an earlier clash with police that had been strewn on the floor.

Plea: Guilty. They were sentenced to 30 months each of probation.

 

Daniel Leyden, 55, Chicago and Joseph Leyden, 56, La Grange

Arrested: Aug. 23, 2022

Charge: Interfering with a law enforcement officer during a civil disorder, a felony, as well as four related misdemeanors. Daniel Leyden was also charged with a felony for assaulting, resisting or impeding law enforcement officers with a dangerous weapon.

According to a criminal complaint, Daniel Leyden and other rioters repeatedly lifted and pushed a metal barricade that ultimately toppled and pinned an officer and the barricade was also used to attack other officers, including one who was knocked unconscious and suffered a concussion.

His brother was accused of lunging at police and pushing an officer.

They have each pleaded not guilty.

 

Tyng Jing Yang, 60, Hoffman Estates

Tyng Jing Yang, left, 60, of Hoffman Estates, poses with Garrett Miller, of Richardson, Texas, inside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Miller was previously charged.
Tyng Jing Yang, left, 60, of Hoffman Estates, poses with Garrett Miller, of Richardson, Texas, inside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Miller was previously charged.

Arrested: November 2022

Charge: Interfering with law enforcement officers during a civil disorder and four related misdemeanor offenses. Yang has pleaded not guilty.

According to the charges, surveillance cameras captured Yang as he entered the Capitol through building’s upper west terrace doors and made his way up a flight of stairs and into a lobby area outside the rotunda.

He then entered the rotunda, where he took selfies and posed for photos, according to the charges.

“When law enforcement officers attempted to clear the crowd, Yang forcibly interfered by physically grabbing hold of an officer’s baton,” the charges stated. “The officer had been using the baton to push back against others in the mob.”

 

James “Mac” McNamara, 61, Chicago

Federal prosecutors say James McNamara, 61, of Chicago, used a railing to ram the doors of the U.S. Capitol where rioters were attempting to break into the building on Jan. 6, 2021.
Federal prosecutors say James McNamara, 61, of Chicago, used a railing to ram the doors of the U.S. Capitol where rioters were attempting to break into the building on Jan. 6, 2021.

Arrested: Dec. 1, 2022

Charge: Assault of a federal law enforcement officer, destruction of government property, and civil disorder.

McNamara earned the online moniker #Railmixer after being seen allegedly using a metal railing to ram the doors of the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 riot.

McNamara’s case is pending in U.S. District Court in Washington.

 

Joseph Pavlik, 65, Chicago

Circled in yellow, Joseph Pavlik, 65, a retired Chicago Fire Department firefighter, was charged with storming the U.S. Capitol with a right-wing militia group on Jan. 6, 2021, while wearing gas masks and carrying chemical irritants.
U.S. DIstrict Court records
Circled in yellow, Joseph Pavlik, 65, a retired Chicago Fire Department firefighter, was charged with storming the U.S. Capitol with a right-wing militia group on Jan. 6, 2021, while wearing gas masks and carrying chemical irritants.

Arrested: Jan. 31, 2023

Pavlik, a retired Chicago Fire Department firefighter, was charged with storming the Capitol with a far-right militia group affiliated with the Three Percenters. According to the charges, Pavlik’s group tried to fight its way through a line of police officers holding ground in a tunnel to an area where some lawmakers had taken shelter.

According to the criminal complaint, Pavlik made numerous right-wing statements in the weeks leading up to the Capitol attack claiming that the election had been stolen from then-President Donald Trump and calling for violent action.

“These aren’t Americans they are indoctrinated socialists that hate America and hate Americans,” he allegedly posted on Facebook in December 2020. “We need to be much more brutal than punching and kicking. This is not some simple street disagreement.”

Pavlik was charged with obstruction of law enforcement, knowingly entering restricted grounds and disorderly conduct.

He pleaded guilty in August 2023 and was sentenced to two months in jail.

 

Quinn Keen, 35, Manteno

Arrested: April 6, 2023

Keen was among a large mass of people on the Capitol grounds that confronted U.S, Capitol Police and other officers who had formed a protective line to stop further advances, according to a criminal complaint.

During the confrontation, Keen threw what is believed to be a metal coffee mug at officers on the line, then threw the contents of a water bottle at them, followed by the bottle itself, the complaint alleged.

As a Metropolitan Police Officer moved forward and leaned down, Keen kicked and shoved the officer, the charges alleged.

A relative of Keen’s later told the FBI that Keen had been living out of his car and he “had previously lived on the streets and under a bridge,” according to the charges.

Keen has pleaded not guilty.

 

Joseph Bierbrodt, 54, Sheridan

U.S. Capitol attack
Surveillance images allegedly captured Illinois Army National Guard 1st Sgt. Joseph Beirbrodt, left, age 54, of Sheridan, breaking into the U.S. Capitol through a Senate fire door on Jan. 6, 2021, and assaulting police officers trying to keep the mob from overrunning the building. Also charged was his brother, William "Marty" Bierbrodt., of St. Cloud, Florida.
U.S. District Court records
Surveillance images allegedly captured Illinois Army National Guard 1st Sgt. Joseph Beirbrodt, left, age 54, of Sheridan, breaking into the U.S. Capitol through a Senate fire door on Jan. 6, 2021, and assaulting police officers trying to keep the mob from overrunning the building. Also charged was his brother, William “Marty” Bierbrodt., of St. Cloud, Florida.

Arrested: July 26, 2023

Bierbrodt, a retired Illinois Army National Guard sergeant, was charged along with his older brother William, of St. Cloud, Fla., with breaking into the U.S. Capitol through a Senate fire door and assaulting police officers trying to keep the mob from overrunning the building.

According to the complaint, surveillance images captured Bierbrodt and his brother, who had a distinctive long beard and was using a cane and scooter to move around because of a foot injury, as they approached a fire door on the Senate wing of the Capitol.

William Bierbrodt used his cane to smash through the window and reached through the broken glass to unlatch the door, the complaint stated.

Joseph Bierbrodt, dressed in a red hat, American flag face covering and dark sunglasses, was seen rushing through the door despite the presence of police in full riot gear on the other side trying to keep it from opening, the complaint alleged.

Once inside, Joseph Bierbrodt assaulted one of the officers and slammed him into a wall, according to the complaint. As they moved deeper into the hallway, the brothers were met by another line of riot police and pepper sprayed, causing them to retreat, according to the complaint.

Joseph Bierbrodt was photographed removing his face covering and trying to wash the spray from his eyes, according to the complaint. He then retreated back down the steps to where his brother had left his scooter and was again seen on surveillance images trying to wash his face, which was stained with blood from an apparent injury suffered in the melee.

Bierbrodt has pleaded not guilty.

 

Robin Reierson, 68, Schiller Park

Robin Lee Reierson
A photo from a federal court filing by the U.S. attorney's office allegedly shows Robin Lee Reierson, a welder for Argonne National Laboratory, who is accused of participating in violence during the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection.
U.S. Attorney's Office
A photo from a federal court filing by the U.S. attorney’s office allegedly shows Robin Lee Reierson, a welder for Argonne National Laboratory, who is accused of participating in violence during the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection.

Arrested: Aug 2023

Reierson, a longtime Argonne National Laboratory welder, was accused of shoving Washington, D.C., police officers and trying to disarm one during the attack on the U.S. Capitol.

He faces seven federal counts including civil disorder, assaulting, resisting or impeding a police officer, entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct and acts of physical violence on Capitol grounds.

He faces up to five years in prison on the felony charge of assaulting a police officer.

The criminal complaint included still photos from Metropolitan police body-worn camera footage of a man wearing a black motorcycle helmet shoving against officers trying to maintain a security blockade outside the Capitol.

While rioters tried to push past a metal barricade manned by police on the Capitol’s lower west terrace, the helmeted man whom authorities identified as Reierson “used his back and body to push on the metal barrier,” according to the complaint.

Reierson, authorities said, also pushed officers using both hands and by lowering his shoulder into them and attempted to disarm an officer of his baton.

Reierson’s case is pending.

 

Nhi Ngoc Mai Le, 26, Lake in the Hills

Nhi Ngoc Mai Le
Federal prosecutors say this court record photo shows Nhi Ngoc Mai Le, of Lake in the Hills, the 41st Illinoisan to be arrested in the investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
U.S. District Court records
Federal prosecutors say this court record photo shows Nhi Ngoc Mai Le, of Lake in the Hills, the 41st Illinoisan to be arrested in the investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Arrested: Sept. 12, 2023

According to court records, Nhi Ngoc Mai Le, 26, discussed her opposition to communism in Vietnam and her plans to “(contribute) a small part … to save America,” which she called her “second home and paradise” in social media posts written in Vietnamese in the days preceding the attack.

A criminal complaint quotes a Facebook post in which Le wrote that “a free country is under attack by underground forces” before saying she planned to travel to Georgia for a rally with then-President Donald Trump and then on to Washington, D.C.

The complaint cites video footage from the U.S. Capitol that shows Le sitting on a railing outside the building and encouraging rioters to enter the Capitol. She is later seen inside the building.

It also details Facebook messages and videos sent between Le and others in which Le allegedly said she had climbed a wall to access the Capitol, went inside the building and had been pepper-sprayed. According to the complaint, the videos Le sent in the chats show her inside the Capitol.

The complaint also details Le’s Facebook posts calling on viewers to remember Jan. 6 as a historic day.

“Proud to be a Trump Supporter, remember today’s historic event January 6th,” Le wrote. “It was a pleasure to meet so many very enthusiastic brothers from all over the United States.”

Le pleaded guilty in 2023 and is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 26, 2024.

 

William Lewis, 57, Burbank

William Lewis
William Lewis, 57, of Burbank, was charged with dousing police with hornet spray and breaking windows with a baton during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack at the U.S. Capitol.
U.S. District Court records
William Lewis, 57, of Burbank, was charged with dousing police with hornet spray and breaking windows with a baton during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack at the U.S. Capitol.

Arrested: Nov. 9, 2023

Lewis was arrested on charges he doused police with hornet spray and used a baton to break out windows during the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

He was charged in a criminal complaint with with felony counts of assaulting law enforcement officers and civil disorder, as well as misdemeanor offenses of destruction of government property, entering restricted grounds and engaging in physical violence on the Capitol grounds.

According to the charges, surveillance images showed Lewis, dressed in all black with a U.S. Army star logo and American flag on his sleeves, in the middle of a violent mob fighting with police outside the Capitol.

Body camera footage from several Capitol police officers showed Lewis holding up a black and yellow canister of No-Pest Wasp and Hornet Killer and deploying the contents toward the police line, the complaint alleged.

Lewis’ case is pending.

Justin LaGesse and Theodore Middendorf, McLeansboro

Arrested: Nov. 9, 2023

According to court records, LaGesse and Middendorf illegally entered the U.S. Capitol building via a broken window next to the Senate Wing Door and made their way towards the Crypt while carrying their flags on their shoulders.

The two then entered the Crypt and continued south into the House of Representatives side of the Capitol. At about 3:01 p.m., the men passed by the House Wing Door emergency exit while Middendorf appeared to have recorded the events with his cell phone, according to the charges. From there, the two made their way to the Hall of Columns and eventually exited the Capitol via the South Door.

After leaving, LaGesse and Middendorf approached a line of police officers standing behind a bicycle rack barricade. The charges allege LaGesse called the officers “(expletive) traitors” and “(expletive) communist scum.”

The two later used their flagpoles to strike a large window near the Capitol’s north entrance numerous times, damaging it in several places, according to the complaint. After failing to shatter the window, Middendorf allegedly struck another window with his flagpole.

The charges allege the damage to the windows was approximately $41,000.

The case is pending.