Record at a Glance
- Category
- Jan 6th
- Age in NPR record
- 21
- Location
- Raleigh, North Carolina
- Charges
- Obstruction of an Official Proceeding and Aiding and Abetting; Entering and Remaining in a Restricted Building or Grounds; Disorderly and Disruptive Conduct in a Restricted Building or Grounds; Entering and Remaining on the Floor of Congress; Disorderly Conduct in a Capitol Building; Parading, Demonstrating, or Picketing in a Capitol Building
- Case status
- Pleaded not guilty; Convicted; Sentenced
- Presidential action
- Pardon
Case Summary
On Nov. 18, 2021, the FBI arrested Aiden Bilyard and seized his cell phone. The FBI alleges that Bilyard’s phone records included a group chat between four friends – one of whom was David Worth Bowman. According to the FBI, the four men were texting about attending both the “Million MAGA March” on Nov. 20, 2020, and the “Stop the Steal Rally” on Jan. 6, 2021. In surveillance footage from Jan. 6, Bowman can allegedly be seen entering the Senate floor and rifling through papers on senators’ desks alongside a friend. That day, Bowman texted the group a photo of himself with Anthime “Baked Alaska” Gionet, a far-right social media personality who is also charged in relation to the riot. On Jan. 7, Bowman allegedly texted the group a picture of a letter written by Sen. Mitt Romney to then-Vice President Mike Pence. The background of the photo appears to be the Senate floor. On Jan. 8, court records state that Bowman texted the group: “please delete this group text. It would be so funny if you all deleted this as a funny ironic joke.” In December 2022, the FBI interviewed Bowman at his residence. He told agents that when he and his friend entered the Senate floor, they had no clear agenda: “Like we are in here … like uh … we’re a dog, we caught the car, we don’t know what to do.”
Case History
Bowman pleaded Not Guilty to all charges. Found Guilty on all charges in a Stipulated Bench trial on 2/12/2024. On 10/7/2024, the court vacated the Obstruction conviction. Sentenced on 12/13/2024 to 2 Months Incarceration; 12 Months Of Supervised Release (With Conditions); Restitution of $500; Special Assessment of $80. Bowman received a full pardon on January 20, 2025
Sources
- Primary Documentation
NPR Jan. 6 Defendant DatabaseNPR - Primary Documentation
Underlying court recordCourt record linked by NPR - Supporting Reporting
NPR video evidence pageNPR
Case summary, charges, procedural updates and image are drawn from the NPR Jan. 6 archive snapshot dated 2026-09-25 unless otherwise indicated.