The Minnesota man who wielded a syringe and sprayed vinegar at Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., pleaded guilty Thursday to a federal charge stemming from the frightening January incident.
Anthony James Kazmierczak, 55, of Minneapolis, was arrested Jan. 27 after he charged a stage where Omar was speaking at a town hall and sprayed apple cider vinegar at her.
Kazmierczak was tackled before he could reach Omar, who was not injured.
Kazmierczak initially pleaded not guilty to one count of assaulting a United States officer. At a hearing before U.S. District Court Judge Joan Ericksen, he changed his plea to guilty before he was remanded back into custody, court records showed.
Kazmierczak faces a maximum term of 96 months in prison. But it’s likelier that he will be on the hook for four to 14 months behind bars, defense lawyer John Fossum told NBC News.
The three months and counting he has been in custody will count toward his time served, Fossum added.
A sentencing date was not immediately set.
Asked whether his client feels any remorse or regret about his actions, Fossum declined to say: “That is beyond the range where I would be able to comment on the case.”
According to an agreement signed by Kazmierczak, Fossum and Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Bejar, Kazmierczak “understands that as a result of this conviction, [he] could experience additional collateral consequences, such as the loss of the right to carry firearms, the right to vote and the right to hold public office.”
The incident occurred while Omar was calling for the resignation of then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem after federal agents killed two Minneapolis residents.
Kazmierczak, a convicted auto theft felon and vocal supporter of President Donald Trump, screamed at Omar and said she was “splitting Minnesotans apart” as he was subdued.
He had previously threatened Omar and told a close associate years ago, “Somebody should kill that b----,” according to an affidavit supporting his arrest.
The incident came during a particularly tense time in Minneapolis, in the days after the slayings of motorist Renée Good on Jan. 7 and nurse Alex Pretti on Jan. 24.
Good and Pretti had been protesting ICE actions against immigrants in Minnesota. While the Trump administration has not admitted any fault in the fatal shootings, Noem was fired as homeland security secretary on March 5.
