A Cincinnati man pleaded guilty Tuesday to two charges related to a January incident at Vice President JD Vance's East Walnut Hills home.
A federal indictment alleged William DeFoor used a hammer to smash 14 panes out of three historic windows at Vance's home, and a window on a Secret Service vehicle. The Vance family was not home at the time. Secret Service and Cincinnati Police officers apprehended DeFoor immediately.
Initially, DeFoor faced three counts related to the incident. He changed his plea to guilty in federal court Tuesday in exchange for assurances U.S. attorneys would drop the third count — assaulting, resisting or impeding federal officers — after sentencing.
Outside Cincinnati's federal courthouse downtown, defense attorney Paul Laufman says the elimination of that count is significant.
"The third count was more serious arguably in that it asserted a physical resistance," Laufman says. "But I don't believe the facts ever bore that out."
Laufman also says DeFoor took the plea deal to accept responsibility for what he did.
Laufman has argued since the January incident that DeFoor suffers from significant mental health issues that likely affected his understanding of his actions. He pointed to previous mental health episodes DeFoor had suffered and suggested his client likely wasn't engaging in a political act when he broke the windows.
Laufman says DeFoor has received some treatment for his condition while he's been in federal custody.
"Mental health care in the average correctional setting probably isn't as good as it is in a public setting, but he's under a doctor's care and receiving medication," Laufman says.
U.S. District Judge Douglas R. Cole will determine DeFoor's eventual sentence after a pre-sentencing investigation is complete.
The two counts DeFoor pleaded guilty to each carry a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The plea deal reduces the severity of the charges in a multi-factor set of sentencing guidelines, which could contribute to a lesser sentence for DeFoor.
As part of the plea deal, DeFoor agreed to pay roughly $28,000 in restitution, to remain at least 350 yards from Vance, his family and their residences, and to avoid attempting to contact them.
“Acts of violence directed against our political leaders, their families, or property, have no place in our society and will not be tolerated. Our elected leaders, at all levels of government, must be permitted to carry out their duties free from threats, vandalism, and other forms of violence,” U.S. Attorney Dominick S. Gerace II said in a statement after the plea hearing Tuesday. “Perpetrators like DeFoor, who put that freedom at risk, particularly through violent, destructive actions, will, like here, be vigorously prosecuted.”
According to Laufman, DeFoor will remain in federal custody pending sentencing, which should take place sometime in the next few months.
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