WASHINGTON — An Ohio man has been sentenced to 30 months in prison for his involvement in the January 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol, which disrupted a joint session of Congress convened to certify the 2020 presidential election results. William Dunfee, 59, of Frazeysburg, Ohio, received his sentence on Thursday after being found guilty of felony and misdemeanor charges earlier this year.
Dunfee was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton, who also imposed 36 months of supervised release, a $10,000 fine, and $2,000 in restitution. He had been convicted of civil disorder, a felony, and entering and remaining in a restricted building, a misdemeanor, following a January bench trial.
Court documents revealed that Dunfee, a pastor, had posted inflammatory rhetoric on social media in the days leading up to the attack, urging his followers to challenge government authority. On the day of the breach, he was filmed encouraging rioters and physically resisting U.S. Capitol Police by pushing a barricade.
Prosecutors credited surveillance footage and social media videos with documenting Dunfee’s role in the events, leading to his conviction. The case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and supported by the Department of Justice’s Counterterrorism Section.
