A former Department of Justice employee, who faced trial for allegedly hurling a sandwich at a federal officer in Washington, D.C., has been acquitted of all charges. The verdict was delivered on Thursday.
Sean Dunn was accused of hitting a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agent in the chest with a sandwich during an incident in August. The charges against him included assaulting, resisting, opposing, impeding, intimidating, and interfering with a federal officer.
The jury reached their decision after approximately seven hours of deliberation. Upon hearing the not guilty verdict, Dunn embraced his legal team in a moment of relief and gratitude.
Throughout the proceedings, Dunn’s defense argued that the sandwich-throwing incident was a form of protest against then-President Donald Trump’s decision to deploy the National Guard in Washington, D.C., rather than an act of violence.
The incident garnered significant attention when video footage went viral. Many residents of Washington, D.C., who were against the federal occupation, praised Dunn’s actions, viewing him as a symbol of resistance.
Video of the incident quickly went viral, with Dunn being heralded as a hero by residents throughout the city who also opposed Trump’s move to occupy the nation’s capital with federal agents.
Dunn’s legal team did not dispute that Dunn threw the sandwich at a CBP officer outside a nightclub, though they insisted it was done as an “exclamation point” to express his negative feelings about the National Guard’s deployment within the nation’s capital.
FBI and Border Patrol officers speak with Sean Charles Dunn, after he allegedly assaulted law enforcement with a sandwich on Aug. 10, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Andrew Leyden/Getty Images)
“It was a harmless gesture at the end of him exercising his right to speak out,” defense attorney Julia Gatto said during the trial. “He is overwhelmingly not guilty.”
Prosecutors argued that Dunn’s political expressions don’t make him immune from prosecution for assaulting the agent.
FBI and Border Patrol officers arrest Sean Charles Dunn after he allegedly assaulted law enforcement with a sandwich in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 10, 2025. (Andrew Leyden/Getty Images )
Dunn was employed at the Justice Department as an international affairs specialist in its criminal division at the time of the incident.
After Dunn’s arrest, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced his firing in a social media post that referred to him as “an example of the Deep State.”
