SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — A Utah man who was pardoned for entering the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, alongside rioters is sharing his thoughts about the creation of the “anti-weaponization” fund, intended to compensate people who feel they were wrongfully prosecuted.

The fund was created by the Department of Justice (DOJ) after President Donald Trump reached a settlement with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Trump originally filed the lawsuit against the IRS over the leaking of his tax returns.

The “anti-weaponization” fund will receive $1.776 billion and will be used to compensate those pursuing settlements because they believe they were wrongfully targeted by the government. The DOJ has said that there is no partisan requirement to file a claim and has not specified who the fund is meant for.

Brad Bokowski accepted a plea deal in connection with Jan. 6, 2021, and he was later pardoned by President Trump in 2025. He told ABC4.com, “I think there’s a lot of people who deserve to be reimbursed for their expenses, for all the harms that have happened to them, all the ways that the government tried to destroy, or did, in many cases, their lives.”

Many believe that it will likely be used to compensate people convicted or pardoned for storming the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Bokoski said that he believes the fund is a positive step, “not only for J6ers, but for others who have experienced similar government attacks throughout their lives.”

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche reportedly resisted demands from Republican lawmakers to limit who the fund could go to. The creation of the fund has been unpopular among members of the president’s own party. Multiple lawsuits have been filed to try to block this fund, including by a former prosecutor and two police officers who were working at the Capitol on Jan. 6.

The creation of the fund isn’t the first time Bokoski has thought about pursuing compensation for what he experienced.

“I’ve been trying to claim money for about a year and a half now,” he said. “I’ve employed two attorneys to file a federal tort claim to recoup damages and expenses. It’s been held up in the FBI awaiting Freedom of Information Act requests that the FBI has been blocking.”

He said that his attorneys will be advising him on how to approach the anti-weaponization fund. Any money he may receive will go toward a retirement, but what he really wants is justice, against people who he described as traitors, like Nancy Pelosi.

“I was put in jail, detained, awaiting my detainment. I never thought I was going to be released, thinking I was going to be another one of those J6ers who would be in jail for years with no hearing in sight,” he said. “So, you have that kind of despair and emotion that’s running through your head, as well as hopefulness that the pardon will have some positive impact on your life, and it has, and then maybe to be compensated for those things.”

He also said that he feels like he was targeted by the Biden DOJ and by the media, and that the prosecution coerced him to accept a plea deal.

“If I didn’t accept it, they were going to transfer the misdemeanors to felonies, and I would be spending how many years in jail for walking in a hallway for four minutes and taking pictures after being welcomed by a police officer who said, and I quote, welcome to the people’s house. Feel free to walk around and take some pictures.”

When it comes to those who assaulted officers at the Capitol on Jan. 6, Bokoski said he hopes they received appropriate punishment. “If the government went beyond that, then they should be compensated for that marginal increase in weaponization there,” he said.

Bokoski was in Washington D.C. on Jan. 6 2021 with his son. They went to attend Trump’s rally, and when Trump told the crowd to go march down to the Capitol, they did.

“My son and I looked at each other, said, hey, you want to go check it out? We looked at each other, shrugged our shoulders and said, why not? You know, we’ve flown all this way. So, we walked through the open doorway, took some pictures and left. There was our intent,” he recounted.

The fund will create a commission consisting of give members appointed by the DOJ, with one member chosen “in consultation with congressional leadership,” and they will process claims until Dec. 1, 2028. At this time, it is not entirely clear how the commission will determine who qualifies for compensation. By the end of it, any funds that were not released will return to the federal government.

Something fast is coming to slow, rural stretches of Cache Valley.

Utah Broadband plans to construct 315 miles of fiber-optic infrastructure in several rural areas across northern Utah, including several parts of Cache County.

In a news release, the company said it plans to use $23 million in half-loan, half-grant funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to bring “world-class high-speed internet to underserved rural areas.” The new connections will allow 3,000 homes, businesses, farms, and other users to simultaneously download and upload at 10 gigabits per second, according to the company.

According to spokesperson Abi Breur, Utah Broadband plans to make the lightning-fast connection available in several areas throughout Cache County — including parts of Paradise, Amalga, Petersboro, Cornish, and Trenton — as well as a few places in the bordering Box Elder County, like Beaver Dam and Collinston.

“The communities receiving fiber internet previously did not have access to internet speeds of 100 mbps or higher,” Breur said. “Priority was also given to areas where at least 90% of households lacked reliable high-speed internet access.”

Though the state was not involved in the grant and loan funding that Utah Broadband received from the USDA, the state’s Utah Broadband Center is supportive of the company’s expansion.

“We are really glad … that they applied for these funds and they were awarded. It’s very competitive,” said Rebecca Dilg, the center’s director. “And this helps us out in our effort to make sure that everybody across the state, including Cache County … will have access to high-speed internet.”

The project, according to Utah Broadband’s news release, also marks the company’s first move into Cache County.

“This award represents more than just infrastructure; it’s about bridging the digital divide for our neighbors who have been left behind by the modern economy,” CEO Ben Elkins said in the release. “By bringing multi-gigabit speeds to rural northern Utah, we are ensuring that our rural students, small-business owners and families have the same opportunities as those in the most connected urban centers.”

SALT LAKE CITY — A project to repair light-rail lines near the Salt Lake City-South Salt Lake border could create significant delays across Utah Transit Authority’s TRAX system for about a month.

Delays of 30 minutes or more are expected to begin on Sunday while crews rebuild the 2100 South grade crossing and perform rail replacement and infrastructure upgrades in the area. It’s a section where UTA’s blue, green and red lines all cross, meaning that service will be impacted across most of the system.

All southbound trains will stop at Ballpark Station, and a bus bridge will take riders either to Meadowbrook Station (3900 South) for people planning to continue along the red or blue lines, or to River Trail Station (2340 S. 1070 West) for people traveling along the green line. The bus will also connect riders to any stations between the closure area, such as the Central Pointe and Millcreek stations.

The Meadowbrook and River Trail stations will also serve as the northernmost points for southbound trails, for anyone traveling to Salt Lake City from Draper, South Jordan, or West Valley City, until the project wraps up, which isn’t expected until June 20.

UTA’s TRAX system attracted nearly 40,000 average weekday riders in March, according to agency data.

Garna Meija, KSL

A “full lane closure” of 2100 South at 200 West will begin at 9 p.m. and continue through midnight on May 31, leading to headaches for drivers, as well. Drivers are urged to take alternate routes at that time.

It’s one of a few projects UTA has planned for this summer:

• UTA also plans to rebuild the track at the 600 South intersection in Salt Lake City, which will require a bus bridge for all three lines from July 5-11. That will run between the Ballpark and Gallivan Plaza stations for green and blue-line trains, and the Library Station for red-line trains. Delays of 15 to 30 minutes are possible at the time.
• Crews will also replace worn-down rails between the Fashion Place Station in Midvale and Historic Gardner Station in West Jordan, between July 25 and Aug. 15. That will also create delays of up to 15 to 30 minutes.

S-Line extension construction begins

Meanwhile, construction is also slated to begin next week on the long-awaited extension of the S-Line streetcar in Salt Lake City’s Sugar House neighborhood.

UTA’s plan calls to extend the line’s current terminus at Fairmont Station, 2216 S. McClelland Street, to the western end of the Sugar House Shopping Center near 2227 S. Highland Drive. Salt Lake City leaders signed off on an interlocal agreement in March that finalized planning for the $43.6 million project, setting up construction that will continue into 2027.

“This extension may seem short, but its impact is huge and part of a long-term effort making it easier to choose transit, reduce traffic and support local businesses at the heart of Sugar House,” said Salt Lake City Councilwoman Sarah Young at the time.

The extended service is expected to be available to riders beginning in August 2027.