Chicago police officer gets probation for role in January 6

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Karol Chwiesiuk, the Chicago police officer who participated in the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol insurrection, was sentenced Wednesday to three years of probation, with the first three months on home detention.

According to court documents, the officer breached the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 riot, walked around the building, then texted a friend that the whole experience was “epic.”

According to court documents, he was found guilty at trial last year in U.S. District Court in Washington D.C., where he testified under oath that he had no idea what was going on at the Capitol or that he was not allowed to enter.

According to the criminal complaint obtained by the Wisconsin Law Journal, he was charged with violating 18 U.S.C. § 1752(a)(1), Knowingly Entering or Remaining in any Restricted Building or Grounds without Lawful Authority and 40 U.S.C. § 5104(e)(2) Violent Entry and Disorderly Conduct on Capitol Grounds.

According to court documents, since Jan. 6, 2021, the FBI has been investigating and identifying those who were inside of the Capitol without authority and disrupted the proceedings. During that investigation, and pursuant to legal process, the FBI learned that a device associated with his @gmail.com was present near or inside of the Capitol between approximately 2:37 p.m. and 3:24 p.m. (EST) on Jan. 6, 2021.

The FBI said a search of publicly available resources identified the defendant as an employee of the Chicago Police Department (CPD).

After federal agents reviewed geolocation and communication records associated with Chwiesiuk’s email account, they determined the defendant received a “stop the steal” email.

Federal agents looked into Chwiesiuk’s geolocation further to determine when he left Chicago and arrived in Washington, D.C.

Federal agents also reviewed the Chewiesiuk’s text messages (in black and white).

Prosecutors requested a year in prison for Chwiesiuk, alleging that he violated his sworn oath as a police officer both by illegally entering the Capitol and by lying about it on the witness stand.

The judge honored Chicago-based defense attorney Nishay Sanan’s request for probation.

According to court documents, Chwiesiuk’s sister, Agnieszka, was found guilty by the same jury for accompanying Karol Chwiesiuk to the Capitol on Jan. 6. She was given an identical sentence.

WPR reported in January 2022 the six Wisconsinites charged with participating in the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol last year have faced misdemeanor charges and so far have received little or no jail time.

ABC News reported at least 52 active or retired military, law enforcement or government service employees are among the over 400 suspects arrested for their alleged actions at the Capitol on Jan. 6.

Throughout U.S. History, the political divisiveness of the nation has not been immune to the armed forces. According to an exhibit in Quantico, Virginia, many members of the U.S. Marine Corps fought for the Confederacy during the U.S. Civil War (1861-1865).