US man charged in January 6 riots tried to claim asylum in Ireland

Paul Kovacik fled to Dublin and attempted to claim asylum after he failed to surrender to prison for charges relating to the January 6, 2021 riots at the US Capitol.

Kovacik was arrested in Indiana by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on June 19, 2022 on charges related to his actions at the Capitol on January 6, according to a report filed by the US Marshal Service, dated July 23.

Separate court filings say that on January 6, 2021, Kovacik contributed to the "chaos, disorder, and delaying police from reestablishing security and order." Kovacik, who had 24 prior criminal convictions, uploaded footage - some of which showed rioters kicking down a door and dropping government property off of a balcony - he took from inside the US Capitol to YouTube.

The earlier court filings show several images of Kovacik, wearing a Trump 2020 sweatshirt, inside the Capitol on January 6, 2021.

On March 13, 2023, Kovacik pled guilty to one count of Parading, Demonstrating, or Picketing in a Capitol Building.

Three months later, Judge Reggie B. Walton of the US District Court for the District of Columbia sentenced Kovacik to 90 days imprisonment followed by three years of probation.

Judge Walton permitted Kovacik to self-surrender for his sentence at the behest of the District of Columbia Probation Office.

Kovacik was initially ordered to report to the Bureau of Prisons Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC) – Chicago on August 22, 2023. However, Kovacik filed a motion to delay his self-surrender to no earlier than November 1, 2023. 

According to this week's US Marshal Service report, Kovacik requested the delay in order to allow him to complete his seasonal employment at Six Flags – Georgia and arrange travel to the designated confinement facility by his surrender date.

Kovacik submitted a personal letter to Judge Walton with his motion where he requested a report date after Sunday, October 29, 2023.

On August 21, 2023, Judge Walton granted Kovacik’s request.

The Probation Office delayed Kovacik’s reported date to November 1, 2023, and, on October 2, emailed him a “Notice of Designation and Date to Report” letter on October 2, 2023, advising Kovacik of his updated November 1, 2023, surrender date.

The Probation Office also made numerous attempts via phone, text message, and email to contact Kovacik to ensure he was apprised of his new surrender date and location. The Probation Office was not successful in these attempts.

Additionally, Kovacik did not contact the Probation Office to acknowledge his new surrender date.

Kovacik did not self-surrender in Chicago on November 1, 2023, as ordered. Instead, he fled to Dublin, Ireland, through Munich, Germany, on November 1, 2023.

Based on his failure to self-surrender, the US District Court for the District of Columbia issued an arrest warrant for Kovacik on November 21, 2023.

Following the issuance of the arrest warrant, the United States Marshal Service undertook efforts to track and arrest Kovacik.

On June 19, 2024, Kovacik decided to voluntarily return to the US from Ireland.

According to records obtained by the US Custom and Border Protection (CBP), Kovacik submitted to a preclearance interview in Ireland prior to his departure.

During this interview, Kovacik advised that after arriving in Dublin on November 2, 2023, he claimed asylum and for international protection with the Irish Government.

Kovacik advised that he had remained in Ireland since November 2, 2023, but recently decided to voluntarily withdraw his asylum claim and return to the US because he felt “homesick.”

Kovacik further advised that he left the US because he “did not feel comfortable” and felt “unsafe.”

CBP confirmed an active warrant for Kovacik and coordinated a “Preclearance Alert Event” to execute the warrant upon Kovacik’s arrival in the US.

CBP subsequently released Kovacik to travel to the US via Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.

An accompanying search of Kovacik’s luggage as part of this CBP interaction uncovered official documents relating to Kovacik’s request to the Irish government for asylum.

Government documents in Kovacik’s luggage revealed that on November 2, 2023, Kovacik completed a preliminary interview when he arrived in Ireland for “International Protection at Port of Entry” with the Irish Naturalization and Immigration Service’s International Protection Office.

During this interview, Kovacik stated on official government forms that he came to Ireland “to claim asylum.”

Other government documents uncovered during this search revealed that Kovacik completed official documentation to apply for asylum with the International Protection Office on March 11, 2023.

On the requisite forms, Kovacik annotated that he wished to make an “Application for Declaration” for asylum and claimed, “[A] fear of persecution for reason of: political.”

According to CBP Minneapolis records, CBP promptly arrested Kovacik upon his return to the US based on the CBP “Preclearance Alert Event” and transferred him to the Hennepin County Jail.

Following his arrest, Kovacik claimed to law enforcement that he was a “political prisoner.”

Following a subsequent initial appearance and removal hearing in the District of Minnesota, the US Marshal Service transported Kovacik to the MCC – Chicago to serve his previously imposed sentence.

Kovacik is currently serving his original sentence with an anticipated release date of September 8, 2024.

The court filing concludes that there is probable cause to believe that Kovacik violated a US code which makes it a crime to fail to surrender for service of a sentence pursuant to a court order.

He could be facing more jail time for skipping his original surrender date.