WASHINGTON — The Texas man accused of scaling a White House fence last fall and making it all the way inside the building pleaded guilty to two charges in federal court Friday.
Omar Gonzalez, an Army veteran from Texas, faced federal and municipal charges including unlawfully entering a restricted building while carrying a deadly weapon for the Sept. 19 intrusion, which prompted a review of the Secret Service amid a series of controversies for the protection agency.
During a 40-minute hearing in federal court, Gonzalez agreed to plead guilty to entering a restricted building and assaulting and impeding law enforcement.
Gonzalez, 43, clad in an orange jumpsuit, spoke only to give brief, tentative responses to the judge.
Psychiatrists had found that Gonzalez was competent to stand trial, but under terms of the agreement will forgo one. Prosecutors and Gonzalez’s attorney agreed to a sentence in the range of 12 to 18 months, but a final decision will not come until a June 8 sentencing hearing.
Under the agreement, Gonzalez also agreed not to enter Washington, other than for court appearances, and to avoid physical or online contact with the Secret Service. He will be evaluated by a Secret Service psychologist, and agreed to be interviewed by agents to assess the threat he poses.
Gonzalez, who had a pocket knife with him when he evaded multiple layers of security and entered the White House, had also been accused of possessing ammunition.
His appearance in court comes amid a new scandal for the famed protection agency, accusations that two top agents drove into a bomb investigation scene on White House grounds after a night out drinking and that a supervisor who wanted them to submit to a sobriety tests was overruled.
President Barack Obama remains confident in the agency and its director, Joseph Clancy, whom he installed in recent months, a White House spokesman said Thursday.
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