Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi and her husband Paul Pelosi arrive on the red carpet for the Time 100 Gala at Lincoln Center in New York City on April 23, 2019.
Angela Weiss | AFP | Getty Images
The California man accused of viciously attacking Paul Pelosi with a hammer was set to kidnap and assault House Speaker Nancy Pelosi during a break-in at the couple’s San Francisco home, federal prosecutors said Monday in a news report. criminal complaint.
David DePape, 42, has been charged with the federal crimes of attempted kidnapping of a federal official and assaulting an immediate family member of a US official with intent to retaliate against the official. DePape was already charged by the state with attempted murder and other crimes in the attack on 82-year-old Paul Pelosi.
The new federal complaint says evidence shows DePape “was prepared to detain and injure President Pelosi when he entered the Pelosi residence early in the morning” Friday.
DePape was carrying zip ties, duct tape, rope and at least one hammer, authorities said.
When Paul Pelosi told DePape that Nancy Pelosi, who was in Washington, D.C., at the time, “wouldn’t be home for several days,” DePape “reiterated that he would be waiting,” according to the complaint.
“DePape also later explained that by breaking Nancy’s kneecaps, she would then have to be transported to Congress, which would show other members of Congress that actions had consequences,” according to the complaint.
Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, as Speaker of the House is second in the line of presidential succession.
DePape was arrested Friday morning by San Francisco police after officers were found at home battling Paul Pelosi for a hammer.
David Depape is shown in Berkeley, Calif., Friday, Dec. 13, 2013. An intruder attacked and severely beat House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband with a hammer at the couple’s San Francisco home early Friday, Oct. 28, 2022 , when searching for the Democratic leader. Police were called to the home to check on Paul Pelosi when they discovered the 82-year-old and the suspect, Depape, both clutching the hammer, Police Chief William Scott said.
Michael Short | San Francisco Chronicle | PA
When officers ordered the men to drop the hammer, DePape took control of it and punched Pelosi in the head, knocking him out, authorities said.
Police found a roll of duct tape, a white rope, a second hammer, a pair of rubber and cloth gloves and zip ties at the crime scene, the Justice Department said in a news release Monday. .
DePape faces a maximum prison sentence of 30 years if convicted of federal assault and a maximum of 20 years in prison if convicted of attempted kidnapping.
Pelosi remained in the intensive care unit of a San Francisco hospital surrounded by family members on Monday morning, sources told NBC.
On Sunday, law enforcement officials, including FBI agents, obtained Pelosi’s account of the home invasion, a source with knowledge of the investigation told NBC.
Pelosi told police he was sleeping when DePape, whom he did not know, entered his bedroom looking for Nancy Pelosi, authorities said.
Pelosi had full cognitive function and seemed to remember everything about the incident, the source said.
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