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- A Chicago-area tech CEO was fired in January after participating in the Capitol riot.
- Bradley Rukstales pled guilty to parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol.
- He apologized for his actions in a statement and said he accepts the court’s decision.
A former Chicago-area tech CEO was sentenced to prison on Friday for his participation in the January 6 insurrection during which a pro-Trump mob breached the Capitol.
Bradley Rukstales of Inverness, Illinois, was initially charged on four counts, including entering and remaining in a restricted building, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building, violent entry and disorderly conduct in a Capitol, and parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol.
As a result of a plea agreement entered in August, he pled guilty to the fourth count and the other three were dropped.
Rukstales was sentenced to 30 days in prison and was ordered to pay $500 in restitution to the Department of the Treasury, according to US District Court records.
Prior to the Capitol riot, Rukstales was the chief executive of Cognesia, a marketing data firm based in the Chicago suburb of Schaumburg. The company fired him on January 7, the day after the riot, saying his actions did not align with their values.
Rukstales also issued a statement on January 7 apologizing for his actions at the Capitol.
“In a moment of extremely poor judgment following the Jan. 6 rally in Washington, I followed hundreds of others through an open set of doors to the Capitol building to see what was taking place inside,” he said. “My decision to enter the Capitol was wrong, and I am deeply regretful to have done so.”
He also issued another statement following his sentencing.
“I am sorry for my actions that day and accept the court’s decision,” he wrote. “As a patriotic citizen, I hope and pray that the people of our nation will move forward united by the many commonalities we share.”
According to court documents, prosecutors said Rukstales was part of a group that followed police who were retreating down a stair way in the Capitol, with surveillance footage showing chairs tumbling down teh stairs behind them.
As the police tried to regroup into a defensive line, Rukstales “descended the stairwell, picked up one of the chairs at the bottom of the stairwell, and threw it in the direction of where the officers had retreated,” according to prosecutors. They added police were “dozens of feet away” at that point and that they were not in danger of being hit by the chair.
Nearly 700 people have been charged in relation to the Capitol insurrection.
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