An Illinois man has been sentenced to prison for his involvement in the January 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol. William Lewis, aged 58 and a resident of Burbank, Illinois, received a sentence of 37 months in prison followed by 24 months of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $3,761 in restitution by U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras. Lewis had previously pleaded guilty to a felony charge of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers.
Court documents reveal that Lewis traveled from Burbank to Washington, D.C., to attend the "Stop the Steal" rally on January 6. After the rally, he proceeded to the West Plaza where rioters were confronting law enforcement officers from both the United States Capitol Police (USCP) and Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). These officers were attempting to hold defensive lines against advancing rioters.
Lewis used Wasp and Hornet Killer spray against police officers on four separate occasions before throwing the empty can at them. This action forced several MPD officers to leave their positions for medical treatment due to eye injuries.
Following these incidents, Lewis moved to the Lower West Terrace of the Capitol building where he used a stolen police baton to break three window panes near the Lower West Terrace Tunnel.
The FBI arrested Lewis on November 9, 2023, in Burbank. The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia along with assistance from various departments including the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois.
The investigation into this case was conducted by FBI Field Offices in Chicago and Washington with support from USCP and MPD. The FBI identified Lewis as BOLO AFO #283 through its seeking information photos.
Since January 6, over 1,583 individuals across nearly all states have faced charges related to crimes during the Capitol breach; more than 600 have been charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement officials.
Anyone with information can contact authorities at 1-800-CALL-FBI or visit tips.fbi.gov.