Capitol riot: Wisconsin men get probation
FILE - Protesters gather on the second day of pro-Trump events fueled by President Donald Trump's continued claims of election fraud in an to overturn the results before Congress finalizes them in a joint session of the 117th Congress on Wednesday, J
MADISON, Wis. - A federal judge sentenced two Wisconsin men to probation Friday for joining in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
The Wisconsin State Journal reported that U.S. District Judge John Bates ordered 29-year-old Brandon Nelson of Madison and 24-year-old Abram Markofski of La Crosse each to serve two years on probation and pay $500 in restitution. He also fined Nelson $2,500 and Markofski $1,000.
The men pleaded guilty in September to a misdemeanor charge of parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building. Prosecutors argued they each should spend two weeks in jail, but their attorneys argued they deserved probation since there's no evidence they committed any acts of violence or destruction.
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Both men appeared for a sentencing hearing by video in federal court in Washington, D.C. and said they were sorry.
Marofski's attorney, Jonas Bednarek, added that Marofski already has lost his job at Kwik Trip in La Crosse and the Army National Guard has started stripping him of his security clearances. Nelson's attorney, Jessica Ettinger, said Nelson, a psychiatric technician at Mendota Mental Health Institute, is embarrassed and has cut "toxic politics" out of his life.
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