David DePape sentenced to 30 years in Paul Pelosi attack

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — David DePape, the man who broke into former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s San Francisco home and bludgeoned her husband with a hammer, was sentenced on Friday. DePape, 44, was looking for Nancy Pelosi when he broke into the couple’s home on Oct. 28, 2022.

U.S. Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley sentenced DePape to a total of 50 years in prison for attempted kidnapping of a federal official, and assault on a family member of a federal official. He was given the maximum sentence for each count: 20 years for one count, and 30 years for the other. The sentences will run concurrently.

Other than talking quietly with his defense attorneys, DePape did not speak in the courtroom. His supporters in the courtroom gallery included his ex-wife, former nudist activist Gypsy Taub, and his youngest son, Daniel. “My father is a very broken person,” Daniel said.

Prosecutors say DePape was motivated by right-wing conspiracy theories when he went on a violent, twisted crusade against government “lies” and “corruption.” During trial testimony, he admitted that he broke into the home intending to hold Nancy Pelosi hostage and interrogate her with a video camera.

Judge Corley told DePape that she gave him the maximum possible sentence for making an “unprecedented” decision to invade a politicians’ private home. The judge also admonished him for “taunting America” when he told a Bay Area TV station that he wished he had the chance to attack more political targets.

DePape’s impact on future generations considering a career in American politics “sets this crime apart,” the judge said.

Who is David DePape?

The judge said, “You acted on those baseless conspiracy theories. Three months after this incident, you called the TV station and said … I’m so sorry I didn’t get more of them, I should have come better prepared. It sounds like he is taunting his victims. He intentionally taunted America. I have to take that into account. I believe he is presently dangerous. You went into a government official’s home. When someone is considering going into public service, they have to think, ‘am I willing to risk my spouse, my children, my grandchildren?’ Some people who may have been great leaders, are going to say, ‘It’s not worth it. I can’t make that decision for my family, and I am not going to enter into public service.'”

On Friday, prosecutor Laura Vartain asserted that DePape’s actions were “truly an act of domestic terrorism. This is no patriot, this is a domestic terrorist. A lone wolf domestic terrorist.”

During his trial, DePape testified that he struck Paul Pelosi with a hammer after police showed up at the home and he realized that his plan was unraveling. The attack was recorded on two San Francisco Police Department officers’ body-worn cameras.

Vartain implored the judge to hand down a stiff sentence as a deterrent against future potential copy cats who may target political leaders with violence. DePape has shown no remorse for what he did to Mr. Pelosi, and even bragged about the attack, Vartain said.

Federal prosecutors in the case asked for a 40-year accumulative prison sentence. The judge chose 50 years.

Nancy Pelosi said future “copy cats” of DePape were one of her biggest fears. The former U.S. House Speaker’s victim impact letter was read out loud in court Friday by her daughter.

Nancy Pelosi wrote in her letter, “The break-in is having a long lasting impact … a devastating effect on three generations of our family. The near fatal attack with a hammer … echoed the January 6 threats and filled me with fear and deep pain. Our home has always been a sanctuary for our family. Paul was nearly killed in the front entrance to our home. Even now, 18 months later, there are signs of blood and break-in (that) are hard to avoid. Our home remains a crime scene.”

Defense attorney Angela Chuang said DePape was at a “very low point in his life” leading up to his decision to target Nancy Pelosi. In 2022, DePape was living alone in a garage, he spent many days watching videos on YouTube filled with right-wing conspiracy theories, and he was estranged from his family.

“He was socially isolated, he spent every waking hour listening to conspiracy theories. This is someone who, for decades, was becoming more and more unstable. He found out disturbing revelations from his children. His ex-partner convinced them that he had done awful things to him that would strike anyone to their core. These were conditions in which, all of that combined to create a perfect storm,” Chaung told the judge.

David DePape’s creepy conversation with Pelosi detailed in court documents

Paul Pelosi wrote a letter the judge detailing how his injuries still impact his life, and how the night of Oct. 28, 2022 still haunts him. “Ever since the defendant violently broke into my house and woke me up yelling, ‘where’s Nancy?’ my life has been irrevocably changed. The defendant knew I was alone and could have left once he learned that Nancy was in Washington D.C. for work. But he kept me hostage in my own home, saying, ‘I will wait for her.’ He repeatedly said he would ‘take me out.’ The defendant made me ‘take the punishment’ with a vicious assault,” Mr. Pelosi wrote.

DePape’s ex-wife and youngest son were in the courtroom on Friday but they were not allowed to read their prepared statements to the judge.

His son, Daniel, gave KRON4 a copy of his statement. Daniel wrote, “My father spent a lot of time playing with us. He took us to the park almost every day. I wouldn’t be here today in his defense if it wasn’t for all the things our dad did for us. It would be really sad for me to see my father get locked away from a long time.”

The ex-wife, Gypsy Taub, also gave KRON4 a copy of her statement. Taub said she met and fell in love with DePape 25 years ago. They raised three children together. She described him as an “extremely shy young man. My landlord said that he has never met anybody who was as afraid of people as David was. He said that in the past he always felt like he was drowning.”

Taub told KRON4 that she believes the federal trial was a sham, DePape is not guilty, and he suffers from PTSD.

DePape, a Canadian citizen, was living in the U.S. undocumented in 2022. The judge said once he finishes serving his prison sentence he will be deported back to Canada by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials. DePape will get credit for 18 months already served in jail.

FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert Tripp said, “Today’s sentencing of David DePape to a significant prison term sends a clear message that violence and intimidation have no place in our community nor our political discourse. DePape’s attack, fueled by misguided ideology, underscores the dangers posed by extremist beliefs.”

Attorney General Merrick Garland said, “In a democracy, people vote, argue, and debate to achieve the policy outcome they desire.  But the promise of democracy is that people will not employ violence to affect that outcome.”

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