DC sandwich thrower Sean Dunn not guilty of assaulting federal agent
FBI and Border Patrol officers speak with Sean Charles Dunn, who allegedly attacked law enforcement officers with a sandwich in the U Street corridor as federal law enforcement was dispatched to the nation’s capital on Aug. 10, 2025, in Washington, D.C.
Andrew Leyden | Getty Images
A federal jury in Washington, D.C., on Thursday found: former Ministry of Justice Deputy attorney Sean Dunn is not guilty of assaulting a federal agent by throwing a Subway sandwich at him in August.
Dunn’s acquittal, after only a few hours of deliberations, was the final charge against the Justice Department in the case.
Prosecutors under D.C. Attorney Jeanine Pirro had previously failed to convene a grand jury in D.C. to indict the 37-year-old on aggravated assault charges.
Pirro’s office later filed misdemeanor charges against him, which were filed in court this week. Jurors began deliberating Wednesday.
Dunn was accused of throwing a sandwich at Customs and Border Protection Officer Greg Lairmore on Aug. 10 in the U Street nightlife corridor in Washington.
Lairmore and other federal officials were deployed to D.C. by President Donald Trump in response to crime that the president claims is rampant in the capital.
“F— you! You fucking fascists! Why are you here? I don’t want you in my city!” Dunn allegedly yelled at a group of federal officers before throwing the sandwich at one of them.
Following his arrest, Dunn was fired by the Justice Department, where he worked in the criminal division’s international affairs division.
A person walks past artwork depicting former Justice Department employee Sean Charles Dunn displayed on a restaurant wall in the Adams Morgan neighborhood of Washington on Aug. 17, 2025.
Tom Brenner | Washington Post | Getty Images
Dunn’s attorney, Sabrina Shroff, said in closing arguments on Wednesday that the shooting was the result of “strong feelings” about immigration enforcement. NBC News reported.
Shroff also told jurors that “you are the ones affected by Trump’s executive orders” that brought federal law enforcement onto the streets of D.C., NBC reported.
“You are the ones affected by the executive orders… there was and continues to be a very large law enforcement presence in the area,” Shroff said.
The defense attorney also said, “The sandwich did not interfere with Officer Lairmore’s duties that night… He could not and certainly did not cause bodily harm one foot from the Subway,” NBC reported.
Shroff also stated that Lairmore received two “joke gifts” from co-workers, a plush sandwich and a patch with the words “Felony Footlong” written on it and featuring a cartoon of Dunn tossing the sandwich.
“If someone attacked you, if someone harassed you, would you keep the memory of the attack? Would you stick it in your daily lunchbox and carry it with you every day?” he asked.
