WASHINGTON — A Maryland man who took the day off from his job at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to attend the Jan. 6 “Stop the Steal” rally is now charged with assaulting police during the ensuing riot.
Adam Ryan Obest, of Thurmont, Maryland, was arrested Friday on charges of assaulting, resisting or impeding police with a dangerous weapon, civil disorder and entering a restricted building or grounds.
According to charging documents unsealed Tuesday, Obest can be seen in body worn camera footage engaging a line of police at the U.S. Capitol with a flagpole and then attempting to disarm an officer of their baton.
The FBI was first alerted to Obest’s alleged participation in the riot just days after the fact on Jan. 11, 2021, when a tipster informed investigators he had commented on a Facebook post about “busloads of people” going to D.C. An FBI confidential human source then identified Obest in November 2021 as the person pictured in wanted images publicized by the bureau. The source also identified a man resembling Obest who engaged in a verbal altercation with counter-protesters during the Nov. 14, 2020, Million MAGA March in D.C. During the altercation, the man took of his shirt and revealed two tattoos – an American flag on his left shoulder and the word “OBEST” on his right – that Obest also has.
Investigators said Obest was employed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Jan. 6, 2021. According to charging documents, the department’s Office of the Inspector General confirmed to the FBI that Obest had taken that day off work. HHS did not immediately respond to a request to confirm whether Obest was still employed by the agency.
As of Tuesday afternoon, Obest had yet to make an initial appearance before a magistrate judge. According to court records, he was being represented by attorney Samuel C. Moore, of Alexandria, Virginia.
Obest isn't the first current or former federal employee to be charged in connection with the riot. In March 2021, Federico Klein, a State Department appointee of former President Donald Trump, was charged with multiple counts for allegedly joining in the assault on police in the Lower West Terrace Tunnel on Jan. 6. Last month, prosecutors unsealed charges against Jared Wise, an Oregon resident and former FBI supervisor accused of unlawfully entering the Capitol.