Michael Short/AP
SAN FRANCISCO – Federal prosecutors have asked a judge to sentence a man to 40 years in prison for breaking into former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's San Francisco home, holding her hostage and attacking her husband with a hammer.
The San Francisco Chronicle reported that prosecutors made the request ahead of David DePape's sentencing hearing, saying he had shown no remorse for the October 2022 attack.
“There is nothing about the defendant’s history and character that warrants leniency,” federal prosecutors wrote in court documents. “The defendant admitted that he knew what he was doing. He was actually proud of it.”
DePape was convicted last year of attempted kidnapping of a federal officer and assault on a federal officer's immediate family. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Friday.
The attack on Paul Pelosi, then 82, captured on police body camera footage just days before the midterm elections shocked the political world.
DePape admitted in trial testimony that he broke into Pelosis' home with the intention of taking the speaker hostage and “breaking her kneecaps” if she lied. He also admitted to hitting Paul Pelosi with a hammer after police showed up at his home, saying his plans to end what he saw as government corruption were falling apart.
Defense attorneys said DePape was motivated by political beliefs and embroiled in conspiracy theories.
Nancy Pelosi was not home at the time of the attack. Paul Pelosi suffered two injuries to his head. Among them was a fracture to his skull, which was repaired with a plate and screws and would be something he would have for the rest of his life. His right arm and hand were also injured.