Paul Pelosi attack: David DePape sentenced to 30 years

A federal judge on Friday sentenced the man convicted of breaking into House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi’s house and attacking her husband with a hammer in 2022 to 30 years behind bars.

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Authorities announced the sentence in a social media post on Friday.

“David DePape was just sentenced to 30 years in the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons for his violent attack on the spouse of the then-Speaker of the House,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California said.

Prosecutors had asked that DePape face 40 years in prison while his attorneys asked that he be sentenced to 14 years.

A jury convicted DePape, 44, of kidnapping and assault in November. He was sentenced to 20 years for one count and 30 for another, with both sentences set to run concurrently and credit for the 18 months that he has been in custody, The Associated Press reported.

Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley said that in delivering her sentence, she took into account that DePape broke into the home of a public official — an unprecedented act in U.S. history, according to the news agency.

Prosecutors said DePape broke into the then-House speaker’s home while she was in Washington early on Oct. 28, 2022, and attacked Paul Pelosi with a hammer after police officers arrived at the house. The attack, which was captured on police body cameras, left Paul Pelosi with a skull fracture and other injuries.

During his trial, DePape admitted that he broke into the Pelosi house with the goal of taking Nancy Pelosi hostage, KRON-TV reported.

DePape told Paul Pelosi that he was “fighting tyranny,” according to court records. He told investigators that if Nancy Pelosi told him the truth, he would let her go. If she didn’t, he said he would “break her kneecaps” to “show other Members of Congress that there were consequences to their actions,” court records show.

In a statement issued Friday, Nancy Pelosi said her 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 eighteen months, as Mr. Pelosi continues his recovery,” the statement read. “Given the ongoing state court proceedings, Speaker Pelosi and the Pelosi family will not be offering further comment on this matter at this time.”

DePape also faces state charges including attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon and elder abuse.

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