Record at a Glance
- Category
- Jan 6th
- Age in NPR record
- 28
- Location
- Victoria, Minnesota
- Charges
- Parading, Demonstrating, or Picketing in a Capitol Building
- Case status
- Pleaded guilty; Sentenced
- Presidential action
- Pardon
Case Summary
Frank Joseph “Joe” Bratjan, Jr. worked to hide his involvement in the attack on the Capitol, court documents say, with tipsters pointing to deleted social media posts, and moved from New York to Minnesota. The FBI says Bratjan, Jr. was reported by at least four people, three in 2021 and one in 2022. The 2022 tipster pointed investigators to Minnesota, where they said Bratjan, Jr. lived with his mother and worked at a post office. Prosecutors say other tipsters talked about Bratjan’s photos from the Capitol, which they claimed had been deleted. One such tipster gave the FBI a screenshot of an Instagram post, court documents show, in which Bratjan wrote, “we stormed up those steps and into the halls,” of the Capitol. The FBI says they tracked Bratjan through the Capitol via surveillance footage and open source video, looking for a "boxed beard" and red hat. Prosecutors also found an incident that they allege matches up with Bratjan’s mention to a tipster of being tear gassed. Bratjan was arrested in June of 2022.
Case History
Bratjan pleaded Guilty to the single charge. Sentenced on 9/14/2022 to 6 Months Probation; $10 Special Assessment; $1,500 Fine; Restitution of $500; 60 hours community service. Bratjan received a full pardon on January 20, 2025
Sources
- Primary Documentation
NPR Jan. 6 Defendant DatabaseNPR - Primary Documentation
Underlying court recordCourt record linked by NPR
Case summary, charges, procedural updates and image are drawn from the NPR Jan. 6 archive snapshot dated 2026-09-25 unless otherwise indicated.