National Guard Member Charged for Participating in the Capitol Riot

A Wisconsin National Guard member is being charged for storming the Capitol during the January 6 insurrection.

Abram Markofski and his friend, Brandon Nelson, traveled to Washington D.C. from Wisconsin to attend former President Donald Trump‘s protest against the 2020 presidential election. Once the rally ended, Markofski and Nelson walked to the Capitol and spent nearly 40 minutes inside the building with fellow rioters.

The FBI caught up with Nelson after an acquaintance of his provided a tip to government officials. The person identified Nelson from his driver’s license photo. Several other people who knew Nelson also identified his driver’s license picture, though they were unsure if he was the man seen in photos from that day at the Capitol.

Federal agents identified Markofski after serving a search warrant on Google, where they were able to connect his phone number to an email address linked with his cell phone.

Markofski has been a member of the Army National Guard since 2019. Currently, he serves as a private first class assigned to the 1st Battalion, 128 Infantry Regiment. He is one of almost three dozen current or former military members who have been charged for their roles in the January 6th Capitol attacks.

Nelson and Markofski have been charged with entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, violent entry or disorderly conduct, and parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol Building.

Five people lost their lives during the Capitol riot, including a Capitol police officer.