Wisconsin
Wisconsin man charged with fleeing to Ireland to avoid prison term for Capitol riot role
WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 6: Trump supporters clash with police and security forces as people try to storm the US Capitol on January 6, 2021 in Washington, DC. – Demonstrators breeched security and entered the Capitol as Congress debated the 2020 pres
A Wisconsin man fled to Ireland and sought asylum to avoid a prison sentence for joining a mob’s attack on the U.S. Capitol over three years ago, federal authorities allege in a court filing Tuesday.
The filing charges Paul Kovacik with defying a court order to surrender and serve three months behind bars for participating in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol.
Kovacik, 56, was arrested last month after he voluntarily returned to the U.S. from Ireland. Kovacik is serving his sentence at a federal prison in Chicago and is scheduled to be released from prison on Sept. 8. But a conviction on the new misdemeanor charge could lead to more time behind bars.
Kovacik told authorities that he decided to withdraw his asylum claim and return to the U.S. because he felt homesick, according to a U.S. Marshals Service deputy’s affidavit.
The FBI initially arrested Kovacik in June 2022. A year later, U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton sentenced Kovacik after he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building.
WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 06: WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 06: Crowds gather outside the U.S. Capitol for the “Stop the Steal” rally on January 06, 2021 in Washington, DC. Trump supporters gathered in the nation’s capital today to protest the ratification
Kovacik took videos of rioters’ damage as he moved through the Capitol on Jan. 6. He later uploaded his footage onto his YouTube channel, with titles such as “Treason Against the United States is about to be committed,” according to prosecutors. They said Kovacik’s criminal record included 24 prior convictions.
Walton initially ordered Kovacik to report to prison on Aug. 22, 2023, but the judge agreed to extend that deadline to Nov. 1, 2023, after Kovacik requested more time for his seasonal employment at a theme park in Georgia.
The court issued a warrant for Kovacik’s arrest after he flew to Dublin, Ireland, through Germany on the day that he was supposed to report to prison in Chicago.
Kovacik called himself a “political prisoner” when investigators questioned him after his arrest last month at an arrival gate at Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport, according to the deputy’s affidavit.
WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 06: Protesters gather on the second day of pro-Trump events fueled by President Donald Trump’s continued claims of election fraud in an to overturn the results before Congress finalizes them in a joint session of the 117th Co
Inside his luggage, authorities found documents related to his asylum request, which cited a fear of political persecution, the deputy wrote. The affidavit doesn’t say whether the Irish government acted on Kovacik’s request.
An attorney who represented Kovacik in his Capitol riot case declined to comment on the new charge.
More than 1,400 people have been charged with federal crimes related to the Jan. 6 attack. Several other Capitol riot defendants have become fugitives at different stages of their prosecutions.
Yes
A deal between Democratic Gov. Tony Evers and Republican legislative leaders to give Wisconsin income tax filers a rebate would have excluded about 30% of filers.
That’s because the deal provided rebates up to $300 for individuals and $600 for married joint filers only to residents who paid state income taxes for 2024.
The deal, which failed to pass in the state Senate, also reduced property taxes, increased funding for schools and ended taxes on tips and some overtime pay.
According to the Legislative Fiscal Bureau, about 2.1 million residents would have received the rebates. Based on that and the U.S. Census estimates, 55% of adults would not be eligible for tax rebates based on not having owed taxes or because they did not file a return. Of those who filed, about 26% were not eligible for a rebate, LFB estimated.
This fact brief responds to conversations like this one.
Sources
Wisconsin Legislative Fiscal Bureau, Estimated Distribution of Individual Income Tax Rebate under May 2026 Special Session LRB-6707 and LRB-6710 (“the bill”),
U.S. Census, Age and Sex
Wisconsin Department of Revenue, Individual Income Tax – Filing Requirements
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel collaborated with Wisconsin Watch to develop this fact brief. Wisconsin Watch is a member of the Gigafact program, newsrooms across the U.S. that deliver bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. Read more about our methodology at jsonline.com/FactBriefMethods.
MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) – Wisconsin officials sent out a statewide alert Monday for a missing 69-year-old woman who was last seen on Friday in Stoughton.
Authorities said the family of Pamela Mael last spoke to her around 5:30 p.m. on Friday, May 22.
Mael was last seen in the 800 block of West Main Street, in Stoughton, Wisconsin Department of Justice said in the Silver Alert.
Her family members told the Stoughton Police Department that she has potentially declined cognitively and has been sick for the last two months.
The alert noted Mael’s vehicle was last seen around 3 p.m. Sunday heading south on Highway 14, near Highway 92, outside of Brooklyn. Mael drives a 2005 red Toyota Camry with license plate number AUA5536.
On the driver’s side rear window of Mael’s car, she has a red bear paw sticker that says Ho-Chunk.
Police described Mael as being 5-feet-3-inches tall, weighing about 112 pounds and having brown eyes and brown hair.
Mael has tattoos that are colored black, white or red. The Silver Alert said she has a dream catcher tattoo on her right upper arm, a flower on her left shoulder, a wolf howling at the moon on her left calf, a pair of dice on her left foot and an infinity sign with the names Zachary and Shelby on her left forearm.
Anyone who sees her was asked to call the Stoughton Police Department at 608-873-3374.
Click here to download the WMTV15 News app or our WMTV15 First Alert weather app.
Copyright 2026 WMTV. All rights reserved.
MILWAUKEE – Soccer fans, this is your shot! The 2026 FIFA World Cup is around the corner. While you can catch all the action on FOX6, we also want to highlight our soccer stars here at home.
Look Who Kicks!
What you can do:
We want you to upload a picture of you or your child showing their soccer spirit as part of our Look Who Kicks segments. It could be a picture from the pitch, maybe a fun moment in the stands at a soccer game, or share a snapshot of you in your soccer fan cave!
IMPORTANT: Make sure the picture you share is one you or someone you know snapped. Professional photos will not be accepted.
What’s next:
Once the 2026 FIFA World Cup is underway, check out Look Who Kicks every weekday morning during the 8 a.m. hour of FOX6 WakeUp News.
The Source: Look Who Kicks is a promotion by FOX6.
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