A member of the Wisconsin Army National Guard was recently charged over his participation in the storming of the US Capitol, effectively becoming the fourth active service member linked to the violent insurrection.
Documents publicly released by the US Justice Department identifies the offending individual as Abram Markofski, who has since been revealed to be a private first class enlisted in the Wisconsin Army National Guard since 2019.
Maj. Joe Trovato, a spokesperson for the guard, further informed The Washington Post that the infantryman is assigned to the 1st Battalion, 128th Infantry Regiment.
A criminal complaint released by the Justice Department states that Markofski has 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.
Markofski was arrested on Monday alongside an associate identified as Brandon Nelson, who has been charged with the same four offenses by federal prosecutors.
An FBI affidavit that was released with the complaint states that the pair traveled together by vehicle from Madison, Wisconsin, to Washington, DC, on January 5, eventually arriving in the nation’s capital the following day to attend the “Stop the Steal” rally held by former US President Donald Trump near the White House.
As the day progressed, the pair ultimately wound up at the Capitol, where they admitted to spending approximately 40 minutes inside the federal building. While Nelson suggested that they were guided indoors by law enforcement officials, Markofski stated that an officer had urged them to leave the building.
Images obtained by the agency show the pair sporting red baseball caps while walking the grounds. Nelson was identified by an unidentified associate who tipped off investigators, whereas Markofski was tracked down through a search warrant presented to tech giant Google that allowed officials to trace him via an email associated with his phone number.
After their arrest, Nelson and Markofski were released, pending a virtual hearing scheduled for May 10, according to the Military Times, which also noted that the pair are presently barred from entering Washington, DC.
Aside from Markofski, a Virginia National Guard member and two Army Reserve soldiers have been charged in connection to the storming of the US Capitol. The Post reported that all four were part-time service members.
To date, more than 400 individuals have been arrested over ties to the January unrest. The arrestees include dozens of military veterans.