A man already in custody over an attack on the husband of US House of Representatives speaker Nancy Pelosi has been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of assault and attempted kidnapping.
The charges stemming from the October 28 break-in at the Pelosis’ San Francisco home are the same as but supersede those in an earlier federal complaint that was filed on October 31.
The assault stirred up the political world days before the hotly contested midterm elections, the first nationwide election since the January 6 2021 insurrection at the Capitol.
Threats against lawmakers and election officials have been at all-time highs and authorities have issued warning about rising extremism in the US.
David DePape, 42, of Richmond, a San Francisco suburb, was arrested on October 28 inside the Pelosi residence after San Francisco police responded to Paul Pelosi’s emergency call. He told officers that he was sleeping when a man he had never seen before entered his bedroom looking for Nancy Pelosi.
The officers found 82-year-old Paul Pelosi and DePape fighting over a hammer, but DePape gained control and hit Mr Pelosi in the head, according to the six—page indictment.
It says officers later found that a glass door to the back porch had been broken. They recovered a roll of tape, white rope, a second hammer, a pair of rubber and cloth gloves, and zip ties.
DePape’s public defender, Adam Lipson, did not immediately respond to telephone and emailed messages.
He last week entered a not guilty plea to related state charges filed against DePape, a fringe activist drawn to conspiracy theories.
A San Francisco judge ordered DePape held without bail on the state charges of attempted murder, burglary and elder abuse, and he also has been placed on a federal hold in the case.
He was indicted on federal charges including assault upon an immediate family member of a US official with the intent to retaliate against the official on account of the performance of official duties.
A second charge alleges he attempted to kidnap a US official on account of the performance of official duties.
The first charge carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison and the second a maximum 20 years in prison.
