William Dunfee

Case Summary

“We will stand up for our country. We are standing up for our freedoms. We are standing up for our president," William Dunfee told a crowd on open-source video filmed at the East Plaza of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, according to an FBI statement of facts. Court documents state that investigators viewed video and government surveillance footage taken at the Capitol to piece together Dunfee's movements. Dunfee allegedly pushed against a barricade to resist U.S. Capitol police multiple times and entered restricted areas of the U.S. Capitol grounds. Dunfee, a pastor at a church in Ohio, told his congregation in a public video posted on May 30, 2021, “I can tell you, having been there [at the U.S. Capitol], that um, we were surrounded by patriots. Many, many, many, many patriots. And I thank god they showed up to um, just to let it be known, that you know, what the bottom line is this, that um, you are not stealing this election. You’re not going to rob us, deprive us of a democracy, of a republic, without us being heard.” Dunfee was arrested Oct. 5, 2022, in Frazeysburg, Ohio.

Case History

Dunfee pleaded Not Guilty to all charges. Found Guilty on three charges on 1/22/2024 in a Bench trial: Civil Disorder; Obstruction of an Official Proceeding; Entering and Remaining in a Restricted Building or Grounds. The other charges are dismissed. On 8/6/2024, the conviction on Obstruction is vacated and dismissed by the court. Sentenced on 9/19/2024 to 30 months incarceration; 36 months of supervised release; $10,000 fine; $2,000 in restitution:$125 special assessment. Dunfee 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.