Chicago cop who stormed US Capitol with his sister sentenced to probation, home confinement

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Chicago police officer Karol Chwiesiuk has avoided jail time for his role in the January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

Chwiesiuk was sentenced Wednesday to three years of probation, including 90 days of home confinement, and 200 hours of community service. He and his sister Agnes Chwiesiuk were convicted of four misdemeanors last August for their role in the mayhem.

The siblings are some of the few Jan. 6 defendants who rejected plea deals and opted for a jury trial. In another rare move, the sidelined CPD patrolman testified in his own defense, telling the jury he did not vandalize anything and did not hear the alarms blaring when he entered the Capitol.

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The charges carried up to a year in prison, but legal experts said probation was more likely since the charges were misdemeanors and the siblings had no previous criminal record.

A federal judge in Washington, D.C. spared the siblings jail time, but their attorney said the judge told the Chwiesiuks "I have no words to adequately convey how un-American it was."

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Prosecutors had asked for a yearlong prison sentence for Chwiesiuk, and 8 months for his sister Agnes. She was also sentenced to probation on "similar terms" as her brother Wednesday.

Chwiesiuk is still with the Chicago Police Department, but has been on unpaid leave during his trial and sentencing.