Maryland Man Sentenced to Prison for Assaulting Law Enforcement During Jan. 6 Capitol Breach

WASHINGTON - A Maryland man was sentenced to prison today after he was previously convicted of assaulting law enforcement and other offenses during the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol. His actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election.

Adam Ryan Obest, 43, of Thurmont, Maryland, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Amit P. Mehta to 18 months in prison and 36 months of supervised release. Obest was previously found guilty of two felony charges, including civil disorder, assaulting, resisting, or impeding a law enforcement officer, and several misdemeanor offenses.

According to evidence presented at trial, on Jan. 6, 2021, Obest attended the "Stop the Steal" rally in Washington, D.C., and later made his way toward the U.S. Capitol building. Obest eventually arrived on the Lower West Terrace and can be seen in video footage taken from that day holding a large American flag affixed to a metal flagpole. At about 2:23 p.m., Obest approached a line of police officers and was told by one officer at the top of a set of stairs, "Do not come up here."

A few minutes later, Obest engaged in verbal and physical confrontation with police in this area, including one instance where Obest raised the flagpole that he carried above his head and brought the end of it down abruptly toward a line of police officers before another police officer tried to confiscate the flagpole. Obest then engaged directly with a Metropolitan Police Department Officer and attempted to take a baton out of the officer's hand before eventually retreating into the crowd of rioters. At about 2:35 p.m., Obest threw a smoke grenade that he picked up off the ground towards law enforcement.

The FBI arrested Obest on June 13, 2023, in Maryland.

This case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division's Counterterrorism Section. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland.

This case was investigated by the FBI's Baltimore Field Office and the FBI's Washington Field Office, which identified Obest as #422-AFO on its FBI Tip website. Valuable assistance was provided by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS OIG), U.S. Capitol Police, and the Metropolitan Police Department.

In the 47 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,572 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 590 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony. The investigation remains ongoing.

Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.

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