Record at a Glance
- Category
- Jan 6th
- Age in NPR record
- 62
- Location
- Richmond, Virginia
- Charges
- Civil Disorder; Obstruction of an Official Proceeding and Aiding and Abetting; Assaulting, Resisting, or Impeding Certain Officers using a Dangerous Weapon (2 counts); Entering and Remaining in a Restricted Building or Grounds; Disorderly and Disruptive Conduct in a Restricted Building or Grounds; Engaging in Physical Violence in a Restricted Building or Grounds; Disorderly Conduct in a Capitol Building; Act of Physical Violence in the Capitol Grounds or Buildings; Parading, Demonstrating, or Picketing in the Capitol Building
- Case status
- Pleaded guilty; Dismissed in part or full; Sentenced
- Presidential action
- Pardon
Case Summary
The FBI was tipped off to the presence of Farhad Azari and his son, Farbod, at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, by a witness claiming to have seen photographs and videos of the two men at the riot. Additional videos referenced in court documents appear to show Azari throwing a water bottle and a flagpole at police officers outside of the Capitol, and later he can allegedly be seen entering the building through a broken window. Court records indicate that more surveillance footage shows Azari inside of the Capitol's Crypt, taking photographs or videos with his phone, and, at times, appearing to calm rioters. Outside, footage of Azari also appears to show him trying to stop further escalations between police and rioters. The FBI later interviewed Azari, who denied that he was there and said that the images could be of any “brown man.”
Case History
Azari pleaded Guilty to two charges: Civil Disorder; Assaulting, Resisting, or Impeding Certain Officers using a Dangerous Weapon. The other charges are dismissed. Sentenced on 6/7/2024 to 30 months incarceration; 24 months of supervised release; restitution of $2,000; special assessment of $200. Azari 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
Case summary, charges, procedural updates and image are drawn from the NPR Jan. 6 archive snapshot dated 2026-09-25 unless otherwise indicated.