Connecticut man pleads guilty to scaling White House fence

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Connecticut man pleaded guilty on Monday to climbing over the White House fence on Thanksgiving Day last year draped in a U.S. flag, federal prosecutors said.

Joseph Caputo, 23, of Stamford, pleaded guilty to entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds, the U.S. Attorney's Office said in a statement.

Caputo scaled the White House fence on Nov. 26 while wearing a U.S. flag like a cape. He was apprehended by Secret Service officers and told them, "I knew I would be locked up," the statement said.

President Barack Obama was in the White House at the time. The incident triggered a lockdown of the presidential mansion.

Sentencing is set for Dec. 6. Caputo faces up to a year in prison, a possible fine and a year of supervised release.

Prosecutors have recommended that he be put on probation, be ordered to stay away from the U.S. capital and any place or person under Secret Service protection and undergo a psychiatric evaluation.

(Reporting by Ian Simpson; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)

---

Serious News for Serious Traders! Try StreetInsider.com Premium Free!

---

You May Also Be Interested In

• Saudi pipeline outage threatens loss of 4% of global oil supply
• Republican senator's TV interview passes muster with FCC's Carr even though Democratic candidate's does not
• Turkey detains 26 people after raids targeting LGBTQ+ groups