WASHINGTON D.C., DC — A former criminal defense attorney who founded a Messianic synagogue in Florida has been sentenced to two months of home confinement for joining the mob that stormed the Capitol. U.S.
District Judge Rudolph Contreras on Thursday also sentenced 56-year-old Michael Stepakoff to one year of probation and ordered him to perform 60 hours of community service. Federal prosecutors had recommended 14 days imprisonment for Stepakoff.
He spent roughly five minutes in the building during the riot on Jan. 6, 2021.
According to court documents from the Department of Justice, Stepakoff was caught on a security camera entering the Capitol and taking pictures with his cell phone. That same day, prosecutors say he posted a series of photos on Facebook that showed him with a crowd outside the building.
The DOJ added that witnesses claimed they had spoken to Stepakoff later in the day and were told by him that he entered the building.
Stepakoff founded Temple New Jerusalem, a Messianic synagogue in Palm Harbor, Florida, and has been its senior rabbi for the past 20 years.
