WASHINGTON — Federal prosecutors say a judge should sentence a knife-carrying Army veteran who got over the White House fence and inside the executive mansion to almost two years in prison.
Prosecutors filed a court document Monday asking that Omar Gonzalez be sentenced to 21 months in jail. Gonzalez, who has a history of mental health problems, had been set to be sentenced June 8, but Gonzalez’s attorney asked Tuesday in a court document that it be delayed.
‘‘The defendant’s actions needlessly endangered White House occupants, Secret Service officers, and civilians in the vicinity of the crime. Moreover, the defendant was aware for years before the crime that he needed treatment to address his PTSD, paranoia, and hallucinations, but did not make sufficient efforts to consistently obtain that treatment,’’ prosecutors wrote in asking for the sentence, which is the top of a range recommended by federal sentencing guidelines.
Prosecutors also said that on Aug. 25 of last year, about a month before Gonzalez got into the White House, he was stopped outside the home because he was carrying a hatchet tucked into the rear waistband of his pants. He told officers that the hatchet was for camping, agreed to put it in his car and was not arrested.
Gonzalez’s attorney, David Bos, did not immediately return a telephone message Tuesday requesting comment.
After Gonzalez’s arrest for entering the White House on Sept. 19, investigators found hundreds of rounds of ammunition, a machete and several tomahawks in his car. When arrested, he was carrying a folding knife in his pants pocket with a blade more than 3.5 inches long, the sentencing document said.
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Gonzalez told a Secret Service agent after his arrest that he wanted to tell the president that the atmosphere was collapsing.
Gonzalez, 43, who previously lived in Copperas Cove, Texas, pleaded guilty in March to entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds while carrying a deadly or dangerous weapon and assaulting, resisting or impeding a Secret Service officer. President Obama and his daughters had just left the White House when Gonzalez got inside. The first lady was not home.
Gonzalez also recently pleaded guilty to possessing a sawed-off shotgun and eluding police during a July 2014 police chase in Virginia. A search of his car revealed a map of Washington with several places including the White House highlighted. Gonzalez told police that a friend had given him the map and he had no intention of going to the White House, according to the sentencing document.
Gonzalez’ arrest in Washington preceded the disclosure of other serious Secret Service security breaches and ultimately led to Julia Pierson’s resignation as director of the agency after 18 months on the job.
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Related: Secret Service Stunts
UPDATE:
"Army veteran gets 17-month sentence for White House intrusion" by Jessica Gresko Associated Press June 17, 2015
WASHINGTON — An Army veteran with mental health issues who got over the White House fence and inside the executive mansion was sentenced Tuesday to 17 months in prison, and a judge said that means he’s likely to be released before Christmas.
Omar Gonzalez’s arrest in September was an embarrassment to the Secret Service in particular because officers weren’t able to stop him until he was inside the East Room of the home. It was one of several Secret Service security breaches that ultimately led to the resignation of agency director Julia Pierson in October.
Judge Rosemary M. Collyer said in sentencing Gonzalez on Tuesday that the White House is often thought of as ‘‘the most secure place in the world’’ but that Gonzalez’s actions showed it was not, at least on that day. Gonzalez, 43, was found carrying a folding knife in his pants pocket, and investigators found hundreds of rounds of ammunition, a machete, knives, and several tomahawks in his car, which was parked nearby. Gonzalez told a Secret Service agent after his arrest that he wanted to tell the president that the atmosphere was collapsing. President Obama and his daughters had just left the White House when Gonzalez got inside. Michelle Obama was not home.
On Tuesday, Gonzalez said he was ‘‘sorry for my actions’’ and told the judge: ‘‘I never meant to harm anyone.’’ He said he was committed to continuing the mental health treatment he started in jail.
Gonzalez’s lawyer David Bos urged the judge to sentence him to ‘‘time served,’’ and said he deserved leniency because of his Army service. Prosecutors recommended a sentence of 18 months during Tuesday’s hearing. Federal sentencing guidelines suggested a sentence between 12 and 18 months.
In sentencing Gonzalez to 17 months followed by three years’ probation, the judge said his actions were ‘‘a very public crime’’ and she was concerned about deterring others. But she also said she wanted to fashion a sentence long enough to enable him to be transferred from jail in Washington to a prison in California, where his father lives and where Gonzalez intends to live after he is released.
The judge said she wanted him in California when released to be under supervision and get continuing mental health treatment immediately. With credit for good behavior, she said, she expected him to be out of prison in time for Christmas.
Gonzalez has agreed to stay out of Washington while on probation and allow the Secret Service access to his mental health records. He also has to submit to interviews with the Secret Service if the agency deems that necessary, and ‘‘no more guns,’’ “no more knives,’’ “no more tomahawks,’’ the judge told Gonzalez. ‘‘Got it?’’
Gonzalez served in the Army 1997 to 2003 and 2005 to 2012 and was a cavalry scout responsible for ‘‘providing security and patrol,’’ his lawyer said. He was deployed to Iraq 2006 to 2008 and was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder after his return, his lawyer said.
Prosecutors said Gonzalez was aware for years that he ‘‘needed treatment to address his PTSD, paranoia, and hallucinations but did not make sufficient efforts to consistently obtain that treatment.’’
Didn't he go to the VA?
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Related: Secret Service Stunts
UPDATE:
"Army veteran gets 17-month sentence for White House intrusion" by Jessica Gresko Associated Press June 17, 2015
WASHINGTON — An Army veteran with mental health issues who got over the White House fence and inside the executive mansion was sentenced Tuesday to 17 months in prison, and a judge said that means he’s likely to be released before Christmas.
Omar Gonzalez’s arrest in September was an embarrassment to the Secret Service in particular because officers weren’t able to stop him until he was inside the East Room of the home. It was one of several Secret Service security breaches that ultimately led to the resignation of agency director Julia Pierson in October.
Judge Rosemary M. Collyer said in sentencing Gonzalez on Tuesday that the White House is often thought of as ‘‘the most secure place in the world’’ but that Gonzalez’s actions showed it was not, at least on that day. Gonzalez, 43, was found carrying a folding knife in his pants pocket, and investigators found hundreds of rounds of ammunition, a machete, knives, and several tomahawks in his car, which was parked nearby. Gonzalez told a Secret Service agent after his arrest that he wanted to tell the president that the atmosphere was collapsing. President Obama and his daughters had just left the White House when Gonzalez got inside. Michelle Obama was not home.
On Tuesday, Gonzalez said he was ‘‘sorry for my actions’’ and told the judge: ‘‘I never meant to harm anyone.’’ He said he was committed to continuing the mental health treatment he started in jail.
Gonzalez’s lawyer David Bos urged the judge to sentence him to ‘‘time served,’’ and said he deserved leniency because of his Army service. Prosecutors recommended a sentence of 18 months during Tuesday’s hearing. Federal sentencing guidelines suggested a sentence between 12 and 18 months.
In sentencing Gonzalez to 17 months followed by three years’ probation, the judge said his actions were ‘‘a very public crime’’ and she was concerned about deterring others. But she also said she wanted to fashion a sentence long enough to enable him to be transferred from jail in Washington to a prison in California, where his father lives and where Gonzalez intends to live after he is released.
The judge said she wanted him in California when released to be under supervision and get continuing mental health treatment immediately. With credit for good behavior, she said, she expected him to be out of prison in time for Christmas.
Gonzalez has agreed to stay out of Washington while on probation and allow the Secret Service access to his mental health records. He also has to submit to interviews with the Secret Service if the agency deems that necessary, and ‘‘no more guns,’’ “no more knives,’’ “no more tomahawks,’’ the judge told Gonzalez. ‘‘Got it?’’
Gonzalez served in the Army 1997 to 2003 and 2005 to 2012 and was a cavalry scout responsible for ‘‘providing security and patrol,’’ his lawyer said. He was deployed to Iraq 2006 to 2008 and was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder after his return, his lawyer said.
Prosecutors said Gonzalez was aware for years that he ‘‘needed treatment to address his PTSD, paranoia, and hallucinations but did not make sufficient efforts to consistently obtain that treatment.’’
Didn't he go to the VA?
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