A Utah man and his son pleaded guilty Wednesday to misdemeanor charges of illegally entering the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 insurrection in Washington, D.C.
Bradley Bokoski, 58, of Eagle Mountain and his 31-year-old son, Matthew R. Bokoski, who lives in Chicago, were arrested in May and charged with one count each of impeding Congress and one count each of unlawfully parading, demonstrating or picketing at the Capitol.
In exchange for pleading guilty to the unlawful parading, demonstrating or picket charges — class B misdemeanors — the other charges were dropped.
The pair are scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 17 and remain out of custody on bond. The charges carry a maximum sentence of six months in prison, five years probation and a fine of $5,000.
According to court documents, the FBI received tips that Matthew Bokoski had posted on Facebook that he and his father had entered the Capitol during the insurrection. The two were seen on surveillance cameras and police body cameras inside the building; the son was wearing a Trump 2020 flag draped on his back.
According to the FBI, the Bokoskis entered the building about five minutes after it was breached by insurrectionists, and remained inside for four to five minutes.
When interviewed by the FBI, both men admitted they had entered the Capitol illegally on Jan. 6. Matthew Bokoski told agents the event was successful because the insurrectionists were able to “shut down” the government.
The riot delayed the certification of President Joe Biden as the winner of the 2020 election, but Congress reconvened hours later to do so.
To date, 10 Utahns have been charged in connection with the Jan. 6 insurrection. Seven have pleaded guilty, and three are awaiting trial.
