Eagan postal worker sentenced for role in Jan. 6 insurrection

An Eagan man joins a list of Minnesotans sentenced for their role in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

Frank Joseph Bratjan Jr. entered a guilty plea on Sept. 14 to several federal charges and was sentenced the same day to six months of probation. He also owes a $1,500 fine, $500 in restitution, and will carry out 60 hours of community service.

He moved to Minnesota from Syracuse, New York after he was made aware that federal officials were investigating the event, and started working at a post office in Eagan.

Details in a sworn affidavit filed in June 2022 state the FBI was alerted in late January 2022 that Bratjan may have been involved with the riot. According to court documents, "Joe" took a selfie with his cell phone after breaking into the Capitol and sent it to his mother.

The person who reported the selfie said Bratjan was living with his father in New York at the time but decided to move in with his mother in Minnesota because he "became scared."

After the FBI was able to confirm Bratjan's identity, federal officials later learned that three other tips were made about him. One of the tips included an in-person conversation between Bratjan and an employee at a gym. According to the affidavit, Bratjan described his experience to the employee, stating he was tear-gassed while he was at the U.S. Capitol.

Another tip came from one of Bratjan's social media friends, stating they saw him post selfies while he stood inside the Capitol.

All the posts were deleted about a week later, but a screenshot was taken of one of the posts, where Bratjan detailed approaching "the Capitol building with an army of American patriots" and "storming up the steps and into the halls." He included hashtags "stopthesteal," "saveamerica," "trump2020," and "patriotism."

The FBI was able to positively identify Bratjan through his Minnesota driver's license – which listed his mother's address – as well as his YouTube channel and surveillance footage at the U.S, Capitol.

Surveillance video shows Bratjan entering the Capitol through a broken window and wandering inside for about 30 minutes.

More footage taken by others who entered the Capitol also found Bratjan among the crowd, according to court documents.

Nine total — including Bratjan — Minnesotans have been charged in connection to the incident. A father-son duo was sentenced in June.

The states with the most charges are Florida (90), Texas (72) and Pennsylvania (71), as of Monday.