Madison man pleads guilty to entering US Capitol on Jan. 6

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MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A Madison-area man pleaded guilty Wednesday to a misdemeanor charge in connection with the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.

Brandon Nelson, 29, appeared by video conference in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. on a charge of parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building. He faces a maximum sentence of six months in federal prison and a fine of up to $5,000.

Prosecutors said Nelson traveled from Madison with Abram Markofski, an Army National Guard member from La Crosse, to attend the rally. A mob stormed the Capitol as Congress met to certify the results of the November presidential election in which Joe Biden defeated then-President Donald Trump.

Nelson and Markofski allegedly entered the Capitol through a door in the Senate wing and were in the building for about 90 minutes, the State Journal reported.

Sentencing for Nelson is set for Dec. 10. Markofski pleaded guilty in September to the same charge as Nelson and is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 3.

Both men have agreed to pay $500 in restitution for damage done to the Capitol, estimated at nearly $1.5 million.