In a Washington, D.C., federal courtroom, Sai Kandula, a 20-year-old man from Missouri, pleaded guilty to intentionally crashing a U-Haul into a White House security barrier back in May 2023. Standing before the podium, dressed in an orange jail jumpsuit, Kandula admitted to purposefully colliding with a security bollard in an unsuccessful plot to take control of the White House and establish a dictatorship based on Nazi ideologies.
Kandula has admitted his guilt to a federal charge of willful depredation of federal property and is set to be sentenced on August 23. During Kandula’s plea agreement hearing on Monday, CBS News was in attendance as prosecutors and the judge discussed the potential for a terrorism enhancement during his sentencing. The charge carries a maximum prison term of 10 years and a fine of up to $250,000.
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The crime took place last May outside the White House, specifically at 16th and H Streets, Northwest. When Kandula was apprehended, he was found in possession of a Nazi flag, as stated in court documents. According to the government’s statement of facts, Kandula expressed his intention to “reach the White House, take control, and assume leadership of the country.”
During the court proceedings on Monday, Kandula revealed that he has started taking medication for schizophrenia while he has been in pretrial detention. A defense attorney mentioned that a psychiatric witness will testify about Kandula’s health during the sentencing hearing in August.
According to the Justice Department, the U-Haul crash caused approximately $4,322 worth of damage to the White House.
