By SDCN Editor
A Richmond, California, man was sentenced Friday to 360 months in prison and five years of supervised release, following his conviction on assault. He attempted kidnapping charges in connection with his Oct. 28, 2022, intrusion into the home of Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi and her husband, Paul Pelosi.
The evidence at trial established that, weeks before the attack, David DePape, 44, targeted Nancy Pelosi, who was then Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives and collected personal information about her, including her home address. DePape kept the information in a computer file he labeled “favorite politicians.” DePape intended to kidnap the then-Speaker, hold her hostage, and break her kneecaps.
On the night of the assault, DePape used public transportation to travel from the East Bay to San Francisco while carrying two backpacks that contained a hammer, sledgehammer, duct tape, rope, zip ties, and electronic items, among other items. After arriving at the Pelosi residence, DePape used the hammer to break the glass door window and enter the home. Then-Speaker Pelosi was not home and her husband, Paul Pelosi, was sleeping on the third floor. DePape roamed the house until he found Pelosi in the third-floor bedroom. He woke Pelosi and, while standing three to four feet from him holding the hammer and restraints, made various threats including, “I will take you out.” Pelosi managed to walk to his bathroom and call 9-1-1, during which he carefully used language to alert the emergency operator to the situation without agitating DePape.
Pelosi convinced DePape to go downstairs to the first floor and continued talking to him. When the police arrived, Pelosi opened the door and the police ordered DePape to drop the hammer he was holding. Instead, DePape struck Pelosi three times with full force, fracturing his skull. The responding officers immediately tackled DePape and took him into custody.
On Nov. 9, 2022, a federal grand jury indicted DePape, charging him with one count of assault upon an immediate family member of a U.S. official with the intent to impede, intimidate, or interfere with the official while engaged in the performance of official duties or with intent retaliate against the official on account of the performance of official duties, and one count of attempted kidnapping of a U.S. official on account of the performance of official duties. A jury convicted DePape of both charges.
“This sentence is a warning: violence against those who serve the public and their families will not be tolerated,” said Attorney General Merrick Garland. “The Justice Department will aggressively prosecute those who target public servants and their families with violence.”
“David DePape, when he planned his attempted kidnapping, claimed he intended to punish the Speaker Emerita and teach Congress as a whole a lesson,” said U.S. Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey for the Northern District of California. “He then violently assaulted Mr. Pelosi. Today’s sentence is a stern reminder to those who pursue violence against public officials and institutions that significant punishment will follow.”
DePape will receive credit for the little over 18 months that he has been in custody since his crime.
