The former CEO of a suburban tech company who was arrested after storming the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 has pleaded guilty.
Bradley Rukstales, formerly the chief executive at marketing tech company Cogensia, pleaded guilty Tuesday to parading, demonstrating and picketing in a Capitol building, according to the Chicago Tribune. He faces a maximum of six months in prison and a $5,000 fine.
Rukstales was charged with violent entry and disorderly conduct on Jan 6. after taking part in the U.S. Capitol building siege. Prosecutors said Rukstales threw a chair at officers while inside and refused commands to leave, according to the Tribune.
Schaumburg-based Cogensia initially placed Rukstales on a leave of absence after he was charged, and a day later he was fired by the company's board of directors. He said in a written statement at the time that it was "the single worst personal decision of my life; I have no excuse for my actions and wish that I could take them back.”
Rukstales becomes the first Illinois resident to be found guilty in the Jan. 6 Capitol incident.
Founded in 2002, Cogensia is a data-driven marketing tech firm for restaurant and highway toll-collection companies.
