Record at a Glance
- Category
- Jan 6th
- Age in NPR record
- 45
- Location
- Hamburg, New York
- Charges
- Entering and Remaining in a Restricted Building or Grounds; Disorderly and Disruptive Conduct in a Restricted Building or Grounds; Disorderly Conduct in a Capitol Building; Parading, Demonstrating, or Picketing in a Capitol Building
- Case status
- Pleaded guilty; Dismissed in part or full; Sentenced
- Presidential action
- Pardon
Case Summary
In an interview with the FBI, William Michael Sywak said he and his son traveled to Washington, D.C., together to "see the protests" on Jan. 6, 2021, but he denied going inside the U.S. Capitol building. However, law enforcement later placed Sywak inside the Capitol that day through surveillance footage, a YouTube video and Google location records, court documents indicate. During the interview, FBI agents showed Sywak a photo of himself on the U.S. Capitol grounds and he confirmed to the agents that it was him, saying he was surprised his hair looked so neat, since he had been wearing a beanie.
Case History
Sywak pleaded Guilty to one charge: Parading, Demonstrating, or Picketing in a Capitol Building. The other charges are dismissed. Sentenced 6/9/2022 to 24 months probation; 4 months of home confinement/location monitoring; $500 restitution; $10 assessment; 60 hours community service. Sywak 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.