Man who traveled from State College to Washington D.C. for Jan. 6 riot sentenced to prison
A man with ties to State College was sentenced Monday for his involvement in the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Brian Gundersen was convicted in November of obstructing the vote to certify the electoral college and of striking a police officer. He was sentenced Monday by Judge Rudolph Contreras to 18 months in federal prison, according to CBS News Congressional Correspondent Scott MacFarlane, who tweeted the proceedings.
Gundersen was living in State College when he traveled to the rally that preceded the Jan. 6 riot. According to the statement of facts filed by the Department of Justice and agreed to by Gundersen, on Jan. 5, 2021, he posted to Facebook asking if anyone else was going to Washington, D.C. the next day, and suggested “we might be able to bum rush the (W)hite (H)ouse and take it over.”
At the Capitol the following day, Gundersen entered the Senate parliamentarian’s office and left a note, which read “sowwy for the damage” and included a crying emoticon, according to prosecutors. He was forced out of the building and then re-entered before being forced out again, wrote prosecutors.
Gundersen was identified in images at the Capitol by FBI investigators via his Byram Hills High School Jacket, which had his former jersey number on the sleeve.
On Jan. 7, according to DOJ documents, he wrote on Facebook that “i dont want to be arrested, i dont want any problems with the law but for me to condemn my fellow patriots for being mad enough to attack the government would make me a spineless p***y.”
There is only one other person with known ties to Centre County who has been convicted of charges related to Jan. 6. Julian Khater, the former owner of Frutta Bowls in downtown State College, was sentenced in January to 80 months in prison for his involvement. Khater pepper-sprayed at least three police officers during the attack, including Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick, who died after defending the Capitol.
Spring Mills man Terry L. Allen was arrested last month after being accused of assaulting law enforcement officers during the attack.
More than 1,000 people have been charged in connection with Jan. 6.
