In the thick. The FBI circled Markofski and Nelson for quick reference in federal court.
Markofski. From LaCrosse.
Nelson. From Madison.
Video evidence aplenty. With the Capitol invaders all shooting phone-video of what they perceived as their historic triumph — a second American Revolution – they created their oon breadcrumbs for the FBI to run them down. Images: FBI
1,700-mile “Make America Great Again” roundtrip
MADISON, Wis. – Two buddies who drove to Washington for the January 6 rally that preceded rioting at the U.S. Capitol were arrested for being inside the Capitol. Arrested were:
> Abram Markofski, 24, who lives on the LaCrosse North Side, a member of the Wisconsin National Guard and a Viterbo University student.
> Brandon Nelson, 29, of Madison.
The FBI was tipped anonymously that Nelson was among thousands of Trump supporters who breached the U.S. Capitol building during the d riot to stop Congress from certifying the Biden election. FBI agents tracked Nelson to Madison. He implicated Markofski by admitting to driving overnight with Markofski to Washington. Once there, they visited the Washington Monument, then walked to the White House to listen to Trump. From there, they marched en masse to the Capitol. The two walked up the stairs of the Capitol, near some scaffolding and entered the buildng. Nelson told the FBI that police guided them inside and that they spent about 20 minutes in the rotunda and then followed the crowd around another 20 minutes. In a separate interview, however, Markofski did not characterize police officers as guiding them into the building. Rather, Markovski said, a police officer inside the Capitol told them, “I can’t make you guys leave. However, for your safety, you should leave.” They drove 850 miles back to Wisconsin. An adventure? An Odyssey? Portal to portal it was less than 48 hours. Now, three months later they face federal charges for a role in the insurrection.
What they wore
The FBI matched Markofski and Nekson with open-source video. A confirming detail was Nelson’s recollection of what they wore. Nelson had a gray coat, black corduroys, and a red “Make America Great Again.” Markofski was in a gray and white Northface wind-breaker, blue jeans, and a red USA baseball. Natch, that’s what showed in videos.
Google tracking
The FBI used tracking data from Google and Markofski’s mobile device to establish that he was on Capitol grounds and inside the building. Google can estimates the location of a device using sources including GPS data and information about nearby Wi-Fi access points and Bluetooth beacons. Google assigns a “maps display radius” for each location data point. The process is accurate to within 30 feet. Also, Google’s records of Makowski’s email account show him in area and at least partially within the inside from 2:15 to 3:41 p.m. on January 6, 2021. Video images were consistent with where Google posited their movements.