A Ohio pastor who wore his company jacket as he pushed against a police line on January 6 was arrested on Wednesday by the FBI and charged with felony and misdemeanor charges, the Justice Department said.
William Dunfee, a 57 year old church pastor, is the man seen on video filmed by another Jan. 6 rioter telling officers that the mob was going to take over Capitol steps. He was previously identified as a sleuth by online sleuths prior to his arrest this week. According to a FBI affidavit, Dunfee told other rioters they were taking our house.
This election has been stolen right out of our noses and it is time for the American people to rise up. Today is the day that these elected officials realize that we are no longer playing games, according to the affidavit and video. We will stand up for our country. We are standing up for our freedoms. We are standing up for our president. Today is the day these elected officials, these senators, and these congressmen understand that we are not going to allow this to continue any longer. Dunfee said that elected officials needed to fear us before he said rioters were going to our house. Mister police officers, we want you to understand something. We want Donald Trump and we are taking our house if Donald Trump is not coming. Dunfee said they are taking their house.
Dunfee and others then pushed the metal barricade into police officers and broke through, video shows and the FBI affidavit says. Dunfee then proceeded with the mob to the eastern steps of the U.S. Capitol. He is not charged with entering the building.
Dunfee said that when another rioter announced they had stopped Congress' certification of the election, they told a crowd Mission accomplished. Dunfee was easy to identify because of his company jacket. After seeing the video this summer, NBC News found the company and quickly identified him as a business partner at Cross Builders LLC in Ohio. The FBI received several tips about Dunfee, including screenshots of comments from members of his church.
The FBI pointed out on the Facebook page of New Beginnings Ministries Warsaw, where Dunfee is a pastor, that he talked about his plans before the Jan. 6 attack. From November 4th to 6th we are heading to D.C. Who is going to be with us? Dunfee says something in the video. In another video after the Jan. 6 attack, Dunfee complained about how rioters were portrayed.
We are not going to stand back and let an election be stolen. That we are going to hold our legislators accountable, and so on and so forth. We are all deemed what we are? Dunfee made a statement in the video.
I can tell you that we were surrounded by patriots when we were there at the U.S. Capitol. Many, many, many patriots. I thank God they showed up to let it be known, that you know, what the bottom line is, that you are not stealing this election. You are not going to rob us, deprive us of a democracy, of a republic, without us being heard. Dunfee faces felony charges of interfering with a law enforcement officer during a civil disorder and obstruction of an official proceeding.