A North Shore man is now facing charges along with his younger brother in connection with the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, and both are scheduled to plead guilty next month, federal court records show.
The older brother, Mark Kulas Jr., 27, of Lake Forest, was charged in a criminal information made public Monday in U.S. District Court in Washington with one misdemeanor count of “parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building,” which carries a maximum of 6 months behind bars.
He was charged five months after his brother, Christian Kulas, 24, was hit with similar counts alleging he posted video of himself on Instagram storming the Capitol building during the Jan. 6 siege while wearing a designer coat and pro-Trump hat.
Both Mark and Christian Kulas are scheduled to plead guilty Dec. 6 before U.S. District Judge Thomas Hogan, records show.
Mark Kulas, meanwhile, became the 14th person from Illinois to be charged in the Capitol attack, which has has evolved into the largest criminal investigation in the country’s history.
Last week, former Inverness tech executive Bradley Rukstales became the first Illinoisan to be sentenced, with a judge ordering him jailed for 30 days for entering a restricted area and throwing a chair as rioters faced off with police.
Unlike the allegations against his brother, the one-page filed in Mark Kulas’ case does not provide any details of his alleged conduct. His attorney, Rachel Cannon, who also represents Christian, declined to comment on Tuesday.
The Kulases are sons to the wealthy owner of a North Shore maid service, Kulas Maids, and attended Lake Forest High School.
According to a 10-page criminal complaint filed in June, Christian Kulas was captured by others on social media as well as in surveillance images at the Capitol wearing a pricey Burberry coat and a hat with the Trump campaign slogan, “Keep America Great.”
Video clips posted on an Instagram account associated with Kulas showed the throngs of people at a rally where President Donald Trump was speaking as well as rioters ascending the Capitol steps after the president’s speech, the complaint alleged.
In one clip, Kulas allegedly turned the camera around and laughing, captured his own face as he filmed. In another, he could be heard uttering the words, “Storming the Capitol,” the complaint alleged.
The FBI began receiving tips about Kulas’ participation three days after the attack, according to the complaint. An informant who went to middle school and high school with Kulas later identified him from the videos and said it was his voice talking about storming the Capitol.
Zana Weismantel, 22, who said she went to high school with Christian, was one of many people to identify and condemn Kulas on their social media accounts soon after the siege took place. She told the Tribune in June he became the talk of the town once his name and photo hit the internet.
“I do know that a lot of people were fully aware,” she said. “It’s a small town. It traveled really quickly.”
jmeisner@chicagotribune.com
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North Shore man charged along with brother in U.S. Capitol attack - Chicago Tribune
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