Sister of Chicago police officer charged in Jan. 6 riot now faces similar charges
CHICAGO (WLS) -- A Chicago woman has been charged for allegedly joining the mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol building on January 6, 2021.
Her arrest comes a year-and-a-half after her brother, who is a Chicago police officer, was hit with similar charges.
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Agniewska "Agnes" Chwiesiuk is facing four charges - all misdemeanors - that include entering a restricted building or grounds, disorderly conduct on restricted grounds, disorderly conduct in the Capitol building, and parading or demonstrating in the Capitol building.
Federal authorities say they recovered numerous photos from January 6 of Agnes Chwiesiuk on the Capitol grounds and in the Capitol rotunda.
According to the criminal complaint, the FBI got a search warrant to retrieve them from her brother's cell phone. Her brother, Karol Chwiesiuk, a Chicago police officer, was charged a year and a half ago in the Capitol riot. He is also seen in pictures at the Capitol.
He is awaiting trial and has been relieved of his police powers by the department. When the FBI took him into custody at the family's Northwest Side home, Agnes was also there.
Investigators said: "While agents were arresting Karol, Agniewska spontaneously stated in sum and substance: 'Are you going to arrest me too?' At that time, the agents responded that they were not there to arrest her."
But agents apparently identified her at the home and after looking at the contents of her brother's phone, they determined she was with her brother the entire time at the Capitol - sometimes wearing a mask, but other times her full face visible and identifiable.
The federal charges against Chwiesiuk come on the same day the January 6th committee in Washington recommends criminal prosecution of former President Donald Trump for his alleged part in the riots.
The feds claim Agnes Chwiesiuk first attended the Trump rally then walked with her brother and others down Pennsylvania Avenue to the Capitol. The feds say she then made her way up the West Lawn and into the Capitol through a broken window in a fire door. Most all of her actions according to the feds tracked on pictures and video.
Chwiesiuk is expected to be released with a $10,000 appearance bond.
