Record at a Glance
- Category
- Jan 6th
- Age in NPR record
- 41
- Location
- Palmyra, Pennsylvania
- Charges
- Obstruction of an Official Proceeding; Destruction of Government Property (2 counts); Civil Disorder; Assaulting, Resisting, or Impeding Certain Officers; Entering and Remaining in a Restricted Building or Grounds; Disorderly and Disruptive Conduct in a Restricted Building and Grounds; Disorderly Conduct in a Capitol Building; Act of Physical Violence in the Capitol Grounds or Buildings; Parading, Demonstrating, or Picketing in a Capitol Building
- Case status
- Pleaded not guilty; Convicted; Sentenced
- Presidential action
- Pardon
Case Summary
Leo Brent Bozell IV is the son of a prominent conservative activist and media critic, and allegedly took part in the rioting at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. In an affidavit filed in the case, an FBI special agent stated that Bozell can be seen in footage inside the Capitol, including for a period of time on the floor of the U.S. Senate. At one point, Bozell allegedly went to the Senate gallery and "moved a camera so that the camera was pointing down to the ground of the balcony area. This was done as protesters began to enter the main floor of the U.S. Senate. By pointing the camera to the ground, the camera was unable to record protesters entering the main floor of the U.S. Senate Chamber." Bozell is the son of Leo Brent Bozell III, the founder and president of the nonprofit Media Research Center, which describes its mission as working "to expose and neutralize the propaganda arm of the Left: the national news media." The organization runs the NewsBusters website, which frequently accuses mainstream media organizations — including NPR — of liberal bias.
Case History
Bozell pleaded Not Guilty to all charges. Found Guilty in a Bench trial on 9/8/2023 on all charges. Sentenced on 5/17/2024 to 45 months incarceration; Supervised Release of 24 months; Special assessment of $505; Restitution in the amount of $4,729. Bozell 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.