Record at a Glance
- Category
- Jan 6th
- Age in NPR record
- 46
- Location
- Gun Barrel City, Texas
- Charges
- Civil Disorder; Entering and Remaining in a Restricted Building or Grounds; Disorderly and Disruptive Conduct in a Restricted Building or Grounds; Engaging in Physical Violence in a Restricted Building or Grounds; Impeding Passage through the Capitol Grounds or Buildings; Act of Physical Violence in the Capitol Grounds or Buildings
- Case status
- Pleaded not guilty; Convicted; Dismissed in part or full
Case Summary
After attending the “Stop the Steal” rally on Jan. 6, 2021, William Patrick Sarsfield, III made his way to a tunnel entrance into the U.S. Capitol that was blocked by police officers, according to an FBI statement of facts. Rioters there screamed things like “Heave ho!,” “Push!” and “Let’s go!” as they collectively pushed against officers, leaving one officer “screaming in agonizing pain as he was smashed,” the FBI claims. The court documents allege Sarsfield entered the tunnel three separate times, corralled other rioters into the tunnel and passed at least two shields forward to help as rioters pushed against the police line. During an interview with FBI agents in June 2022, Sarsfield identified himself in photos taken at the Capitol riot, according to the FBI statement. He was arrested Feb. 14, 2023, in Gun Barrel City, Texas.
Case History
Sarsfield pleaded Not Guilty to all charges. Found Guilty on all charges in a Jury trial on 11/1/2024. Sentencing is set for 3/4/2025. On 1/22/2025, the court grants the government’s motion to dismiss the case with prejudice
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.