Weston Sobotka

Case Summary

Weston Sobotka was brought to the attention of the FBI by two colleagues, court documents show. The first tipster sent a screenshot of a text exchange that included a selfie of a person they alleged was Sobotka inside the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. The second tipster alerted the FBI that Sobotka had shown photos to others from when he was inside the Capitol during the riot, court documents indicate. Sobotka's drivers license photo was run through a government database containing digital multimedia from the riot. According to court records, a match was returned showing an individual outside the East Front of the Capitol. Further analysis of U.S. Capitol Police CCTV footage allegedly showed a person inside the Capitol that matched the clothes and appearance of Sobotka from the selfie sent in by the first tipster. A search of Sobotka's social media accounts also allegedly returned a positive match between him and footage from the Capitol riot.

Case History

Sobotka pleaded Guilty to Parading, Demonstrating, or Picketing in a Capitol Building. The other charges are dismissed. Sentenced on 4/18/2023 to 36 Months Probation; 15 Days Incarceration To Be Served Intermittently 1 Weekend Per Month; Restitution Of $500; Special Assessment Of $10; 50 hours of community service. Sobotka 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.