North Shore Man Posted Videos Of Himself During Capitol Riot: FBI

CHICAGO — A North Shore native faces criminal charges in connection with the Jan. 6 riot at the United States Capitol.

Christian Kulas, 24, of Kenilworth, faces federal misdemeanor charges of unlawful entry on restricted building and grounds and disorderly conduct on U.S. Capitol grounds after a federal judge in D.C. signed a warrant for his arrest.

Kulas, a 2015 graduate of Lake Forest High School and the son of the owners of the Northbrook-based cleaning service Kulas Maids, was arrested Tuesday morning, becoming at least the ninth Illinois man charged in connection with the deadly breach of the Capitol by supporters of former President Donald Trump.

According to the FBI, investigators receive multiple tips implicating Kulas within days of the riot, and interviewed several people during the investigation.

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One witness provided video clips that had been posted to a social media account that the FBI determined belonged to Kulas — although it was registered in his name, it used the screen name of "Radheshyam Bomeesh" and said he was "in the midst of connecting with [infinity]" and identified as a "Yogi," "Spiritual catalyst" and "Alchemist," according to the charging document.

In an affidavit in support of the charges, Special Agent Jacob Schaefer noted that Kulas' mother appeared to have confirmed his identity in a direct message on social media.

Investigators also spoke to one of Kulas' former classmates in Lake Forest, who reviewed the social media videos and was "highly confident" that they depicted him.

The former classmate recognized Kulas' voice saying he was "storming the Capitol" in one of the videos, according to the FBI.

"The FBI has obtained additional video footage from a variety of sources that appears to show Kulas inside the U.S. Capitol Building on January 6, 2021, wearing the same hat and Burberry coat depicted in the videos posted by the Instagram Account," Schaefer said.

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A conviction on the charge of unlawful entry is punishable by anything from probation to one year in federal prison and a maximum fine of $100,000. The disorderly conduct count can be punished by up to 6 months in prison and a maximum fine of $50,000.

After an initial court hearing Tuesday afternoon, Kulas was ordered released into the custody of his mother.

Last year, the Kulases sold a Winnetka home for $5.5 million, one of the village's biggest home sales of the year, and purchased a $4.5 million lakefront property on Sheridan Road in Kenilworth.

The Department of Justice has arrested about 465 people in nearly every state in connection with the Jan. 6 riots.

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