The Justice Department is seeking a 40-year prison sentence for David DePape on a “terrorism enhancement” charge in connection with the hammer attack on Paul Pelosi at his and his wife, Rep. Nancy Pelosi's, California home.
In a memo filed Friday in the Northern District of California, San Francisco Division, federal prosecutors said they disagreed with the probation office's decision not to apply the terrorism enhancement as DePape had expressed “no remorse.” after he “nearly killed Mr. Pelosi in his attempt” to also kidnap Speaker Emerita.”
“The nature and circumstances of the crime justify statutory maximums on every point. At the heart of both crimes – the attempted kidnapping of a government official and the attack on a government official's family member – is violence aimed at punishing the former chairman of the government. House of Representatives,” wrote U.S. Attorney Ismail Ramsey. “Both crimes are an attack on our democracy and fundamental values.”
“The jury rejected the defendant's claims that he was motivated by anything other than Speaker Emerita's official position, but even accepting his own statements as true, the defendant claimed he went to the Pelosi's house to commit violence against the Speaker Emerita. Ramsey continued. “He wanted to learn a lesson. The violent lessons that the defendant wanted to learn are not allowed in this country, and the sentence this Court imposes must reflect the nature and circumstances of the crime.”
PAUL PELOSI ATTACK ASPECTED DAVID DEPAPE FOUND GUILTY IN FEDERAL TRIAL
David DePape is seen in Berkeley, California, on December 13, 2013. He was convicted of breaking into the San Francisco home of former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi in October 2022, aiming to kidnap her and kidnap her to beat down husband. (Michael Short/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
DePape was convicted last year of attempted kidnapping of a federal official and assault on the immediate family member of a federal official. He will be sentenced on Friday.
The attack on then 82-year-old Paul Pelosi was captured on police body camera footage just days before the 2022 midterm elections.
DePape admitted during the trial that he broke into Pelosi's home with the intention of taking the then-Speaker hostage and “breaking her kneecaps” if she lied to him. He also admitted to beating Paul Pelosi with a gavel after police showed up at the House and said his plan to end what he viewed as government corruption was unraveling.
Defense attorneys said DePape was motivated by his political beliefs and became mired in conspiracy theories.
In this image taken from San Francisco Police body camera video, Paul Pelosi (right) fights for control of a hammer with his attacker David DePape during a brutal attack at the Pelosis' San Francisco home on October 28, 2022. (San Francisco Police via AP, file)
DAVID DEPAPE CRYING ON THE STAND, APOLOGIZING TO PAUL PELOSI FOR THE HAMMER ATTACK
“There is nothing about the defendant's history and characteristics that warrants leniency. The defendant has admitted – and even bragged – that he knew what he was doing when he packed his bags and went to the Pelosi house,” Ramsey wrote. “The government recognizes that the suspect had a difficult relationship with his biological father and subsequently with a romantic partner. To the extent that these relationships are related to the crime at hand, this appears to be due to a degree of isolation. Certainly, isolation may have led the defendant to spend time on YouTube and consume media that led him to adopt the views that motivated his actions. But the defendant's history and characteristics do not excuse the crime at hand, nor do they provide grounds for leniency given the violent extremism committed by the defendant. unleashed in October 2022.”
Paul Pelosi and Nancy Pelosi attend the 2024 Vanity Fair Oscar Party on March 10, 2024 in Beverly Hills, California. (Taylor Hill/Getty Images)
Nancy Pelosi was not home at the time of the October 2022 incident.
From custody, DePape called the KTVU newsroom. In the appeal, also made during the trial, he said he had “an important message for everyone in America – you're welcome.”
Prosecutors said a medical examination at the hospital showed that Paul Pelosi “suffered two skull fractures that required repair during emergency surgery, along with a wound to his arm and hand, which were also treated during surgery by specialized surgeons.”
During the trial, “a neurosurgeon who performed the surgeries testified that one of the skull fractures narrowly missed an artery that, if ruptured, would have caused life-threatening blood loss,” according to the motion.
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Friday's motion states that DePape “planned a violent hostage taking of Chairman Emerita and then nearly killed her husband.” Given that “the defendant planned and incited violence and remained true to his belief that his actions were necessary,” the government recommended that the Court impose a term of 20 years for the attempted kidnapping cases and 30 years for the cases of assault, with twenty years. on count two to run consecutively until count one. Prosecutors said the Court should also impose “a three-year term of supervised release for count one and five years for count 2, and a special assessment of $100 per count.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
