John Matthews
WMAL.com
WASHINGTON — (WMAL) The man who jumped over the White House fence and ran inside the executive mansion with a knife last September finds out Monday how long he’ll be serving time in prison for his stunt.
Federal prosecutors are seeking a sentence of 21 months for Omar J. Gonzalez. His successful eluding of the Secret Service as he made it as far as the East Room, while armed with a knife, led to a review of the agency’s ability to protect the president and his family.
Prosecutors say Gonzalez had hundreds of rounds of ammunition and other weapons in a car he parked nearby.
He said the purpose of his unexpected visit was to tell the president the country’s in bad shape. Obama wasn’t home at the time of the breach.
The prosecution’s sentencing memorandum noted Gonzalez’ previous hallucinations and his three previous encounters with law enforcement, including one incident in which he was stopped near the White House fence in August 2014 with a hatchet in his waistband.
Gonzalez has been in jail since pleading guilty in March.
Copyright 2015 by WMAL.com. All Rights Reserved. (Photo: Courtesy Omar Gonzalez’s Family)
