The riot in the Capitol had many participants. Half thought they were fighting for a better country. The other half were those who just wanted to harm “some commies.”
Some, like this Chicago police officer, seemingly went there to do both but ended up doing nothing. On January 3, 2021, Karol Chwiesiuk, 32, texted a cousin that he was traveling “to save the nation” and also to harm “some commies.”
Days later, he and his sister Agnieszka Chwiesiuk, 30, were among many sighted within the Capitol during the riot. Karol Chwiesiuk’s true intent is difficult to decipher, though.
He took multiple selfies both inside and outside the grounds. However, the cop and his sister claim they were not there to riot, even though they slipped into the Capitol while mayhem was rampant.
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They did so via a broken door, and Karol was wearing his police sweatshirt. While he was in the Capitol, he spoke briefly to an officer and then told his sister they needed to leave.
“As a police officer,” he said in court, “I honestly believe I had no choice but to enter the Capitol. My presence there could have been beneficial, right?” He said if he had witnessed an attack on police, he would have helped the officers.
The Chwiesiuks opted for a jury trial on their misdemeanor trespassing and disorderly conduct charges. They claimed they did not know they weren’t permitted in the Capitol.
The brother and sister received an identical sentence from U.S. District Judge Ana C. Reyes on Wednesday, January 24, 2024. “I just find it unbelievable,” Reyes told them, “that you two didn’t know you shouldn’t be in the Capitol.”
The jury convicted the siblings of four misdemeanors, and they were sentenced to 90 days of home detention and three years of probation. Karol Chwiesiuk remains on the Chicago force on unpaid leave and is now working as a part-time security officer.
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Prosecutors wanted Reyes to sentence Karol Chwiesiuk to 12 months of incarceration and to order his sister to serve eight months. They sought to enhance the brother’s sentence because of multiple misstatements on the witness stand in his trial.
According to Karol Chwiesiuk’s testimony, he didn’t know what was happening at the Capitol that day, despite advance notices on his phone of protests at the Capitol. Neither did he see signs that anything was wrong that day, despite smashed windows and combat between police and rioters.
Prosecutors also noted that the two were defiant. Records show Agnieszka Chwiesiuk wrote on a fundraising page that her arrest was part “of the January 6th witch hunt” and that the “prosecution is politically motivated.”
Reyes declined the prosecutors’ demand because of his testimony. She would not penalize him for going to trial or testifying. As far as she is concerned, the siblings don’t deserve jail time because neither of them has a criminal record.
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They were also in the Capitol for less than 10 minutes and did not commit any violence or vandalism. “Am I remorseful? To an extent, right?” Karol Chwiesiuk said. His sister did not speak to the judge.
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