
An Illinois man has been handed a prison sentence for his involvement in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. William Lewis, a 58-year-old from Burbank, Illinois, will serve 37 months behind bars for assaulting law enforcement officers during the breach of the U.S. Capitol in 2021, according to an announcement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The attack disrupted a joint session of Congress aimed at certifying the 2020 presidential election results.
U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras also prescribed Lewis two years of supervised release and ordered him to pay $3,761 in restitution after pleading guilty to a felony charge of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers. Lewis had journeyed from Burbank to Washington, D.C., to join the 'Stop the Steal' rally and later advanced to the West Plaza, which had already been swarmed by rioters by then. It was at this location where he attacked police officers with Wasp and Hornet Killer spray on multiple occasions and subsequently used a stolen police baton to damage Capitol building windows.
According to the Justice Department, the FBI arrested Lewis in Burbank on November 9, 2023. The bureau had previously identified Lewis as "BOLO AFO #283" on its 'Be on the Lookout' list of individuals involved in assaulting federal officers. The case was a collaborative effort between the FBI’s field offices in Chicago and Washington, with contributions from both the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.
More than four years since the Capitol siege, over 1,583 individuals have faced charges in connection with the events of that day, including upward of 600 for assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The investigation into the riot continues to be active, with authorities still encouraging anyone with information to come forward and contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or through their online tip portal.