Man charged with spraying Ilhan Omar with vinegar plans to plead guilty to federal charge
Published in News & Features
MINNEAPOLIS — A man charged with assault for spraying U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar with vinegar plans to change his plea to guilty next month.
Anthony James Kazmierczak, a 55-year-old Minneapolis resident, was arrested and charged in federal court after he allegedly sprayed Omar with apple cider vinegar during a town hall event on Jan. 27.
Kazmierczak initially pleaded not guilty on March 20 to one count of assaulting a United States officer. But according to a court filing written by his attorney, John Fossum, the defense and federal prosecutors “reached a settlement” in the case.
Court records show Kazmierczak’s change of plea hearing is now set for May 7, when Fossum said his client would be pleading guilty.
Fossum declined to discuss the terms of the settlement or make additional comments. Kazmierczak has remained in jail since he was arrested in January.
According to the federal charges, Kazmierczak was in the audience of the town hall held at Urban League Twin Cities when he “stood up and quickly approached” Omar at the front of the room.
Just before the altercation, Omar was calling for the elimination of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency and for then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to resign or be impeached. The meeting came amid the height of Operation Metro Surge, when thousands of additional federal agents were sent into Minnesota.
A video of the town hall from Reuters shows Kazmierczak yelling at Omar as he sprays her with liquid from a syringe, which was later determined to be a mixture of apple cider vinegar and water, according to charges.
“She’s not resigning,” Kazmierczak says in the video.
He then points at Omar, a Democrat representing Minneapolis, and is heard saying: “You’re splitting Minnesotans apart.”
Omar continued her town hall after Kazmierczak was tackled and arrested, and was not injured.
She later told reporters as she walked away, “I’ve survived war, and I’m definitely going to survive intimidation and whatever these people think they can throw at me because I’m built that way.”
After Kazmierczak was arrested, an FBI agent interviewed a “close associate,” who alleged that he once said “somebody should kill” Omar.
Kazmierczak is still facing charges in state court, including one felony count of threats of violence and misdemeanor fifth-degree assault.
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(Elliot Hughes of the Minnesota Star Tribune contributed to this story.)
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