Accused Paul Pelosi attacker indicted for assault and attempted kidnapping

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Accused Paul Pelosi Attacker Indicted For Assault And Attempted Kidnapping
David DePape, right, records the nude wedding of Gypsy Taub outside City Hall, © AP/Press Association Images
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By Associated Press Reporter

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.

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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.


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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.

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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is escorted to a vehicle
(Jeff Chiu/AP)

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.

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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.

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