The man who attacked former Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband with a hammer in their San Francisco home has been sentenced to 30 years in prison.
David DePape, 44, was found guilty in November of attempted kidnapping of a federal official and assault on the immediate family member of a federal official.
Aaron Bennett, a spokesperson for Ms Pelosi, issued a statement on behalf of the Pelosi family after the sentencing, saying that “the Pelosi family couldn’t be prouder of their pop and his tremendous courage in saving his own life on the night of the attack and in testifying in this case.”
“Speaker Pelosi and her family are immensely grateful to all who have sent love and prayers over the last 18 months, as Mr Pelosi continues his recovery,” he added.
Prosecutors had argued for a sentence of 40 years. DePape’s public defense attorneys argued for 14 years, noting that he faced hardship and didn’t have any previous criminal history.
On Friday in a California federal court, DePape was handed a sentence of 20 years for one count and 30 years for another – they will be served at the same time. He has been credited for the 18 months he has already spent in custody.
As he testified at trial, DePape admitted he broke into the Pelosis’ San Francisco home around 2am on October 28, 2022, and that he was set to take the then-speaker hostage and “break her kneecaps” if she lied to him. He also admitted to striking Paul Pelosi, 82 at the time, with a hammer after police appeared at the residence. He said his plan to put a stop to what he saw as government corruption was coming apart.
As Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley handed down the sentences, DePape was silent, sometimes looking down where he stood. The judge noted that he entered the home of a public official.
“He actually went to the home, that is completely, completely unprecedented,” she said.
The attack was captured on police body camera video, taking place just days before the 2022 midterms.
In a letter to the judge, Mr Pelosi outlined the attack, writing about how he was “awakened by a large violent man holding a hammer and zip ties” yelling “where’s Nancy?”
Mr Pelosi said he was followed by DePape even after he became aware that Ms Pelosi was in Washington, DC.
“He kept me hostage in my own home saying he would wait for her,” he wrote.
“He threatened me, saying he would tie me up and wait for my wife. He repeatedly said that he could ‘take me out’,” he added.
After convincing DePape to go downstairs, Mr Pelosi faced the blows of the hammer, leaving him unconscious in front of the police officers who responded after the then 82-year-old made an emergency call from a bathroom in the home.
“When I awoke in a pool of my own blood, I had severe head, arm and hand injuries,” Mr Pelosi wrote.
Defense attorneys said DePape was pushed on by his political beliefs and not by a will to obstruct the official work of a congresswoman, arguing that this made the charges invalid.
One of the lawyers noted that he had been interested in conspiracy theories. The Canadian who moved to the US more than two decades ago said at trial that he was convinced that the media lied about former president Donald Trump.
He also shared the baseless QAnon conspiracy theory online, which falsely argues that the people in charge of the US government are pedophiles who worship the devil.
DePape told the jury that he was planning on wearing an inflatable unicorn costume when recording his planned interrogation of the speaker.
In addition to the federal charges, DePape has also been charged in state court with assault with a deadly weapon, elder abuse, residential burglary and other felonies. Jury selection is set to begin on Wednesday.
“My head injuries continue to affect my life. My hair grew back – but I have bumps on my head from the hammer blows and a metal plate from skull surgery. The dizziness has not gone away,” Mr Pelosi wrote, noting that Ms Pelosi remains under 24-hour security even though she hasn’t been speaker since January last year.
“We cannot fully remove the stain on the floor in the front entryway where I bled,” he wrote, adding that he doesn’t address the attack with family and avoids media reports about it.
In her letter to the judge, Ms Pelosi noted that Mr Pelosi has fainted on multiple occasions, can’t be exposed to bright light during extended periods and mostly “remains seated”.
“Once you are attacked in such a public and political manner with such threatening language, you always have to fear a copycat,” she wrote.
“When I encourage people – especially women – to consider running for office, physical threats to the family should not even be a factor, but they are,” Ms Pelosi added.
The Associated Press contributed to this report