The man who sprayed vinegar on Democratic U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar at Minneapolis City Hall was sentenced to 14 months in prison Thursday after striking a deal with prosecutors. 56 year old verdict Antony Kazmierczak Nearly eight months after the January 27 attack. At the time, Minneapolis-St. Paul is facing an immigration crackdown that has sparked angry protests, arrests and the killing of two U.S. citizens by federal officers.
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Kazmierchak was also sentenced to three years of supervised release, which includes no contact with Omar. U.S. Marshals escorted him from the courtroom after he was sentenced.
“This was not a spur-of-the-moment act,” U.S. District Judge Joan N. Ericksen said before handing down the sentence, noting that Kazmierchak had obtained the tickets to City Hall weeks in advance.
“An attack on a public figure is not a political statement. It is misleading, self-serving, and inconsistent with any concept of a free or democratic society,” Erickson said. Spraying anything at an elected official “is a terrible thing, and you know it when you do it.”
Omar’s attacker apologizes for what he did
Kazmierchak, who has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, was visibly shaking at times as he sat at the defense table. As he stood before Erickson, his tone was calm and stammering, occasionally wiping away tears.
He talked about being a good neighbor and how the trouble he got from insurance companies and prison exacerbated his condition. His attorney, John Fossum, argued that Kazmierchak was not taking mental health medication before the attack, which lowered his inhibitions and contributed to the incident.
“I’ve spent enough time in prison thinking,” Kazmierzak said, his voice barely audible. “I really apologize to her for putting her through this,” he said, referring to Omar.
At an earlier hearing, Kazmierchak was unable to explain his actions, saying only “very vaguely” when Erickson asked him what he remembered.
“I’m sorry if I scared you,” he wrote to Omar after the attack.
Prosecutors cite evidence of advance planning
During the town hall, witnesses saw Kazmierchak jump from the audience, spray Omar with liquid from a syringe, and say she was “dividing Minnesota.” Omar’s security personnel subdued Kazmirchak and handed him over to police, who arrested him.
Omar was not injured and continued to City Hall after his arrest.
Authorities later determined he sprayed her with a mixture of water and apple cider vinegar. He admitted assaulting a U.S. officer.
The government’s sentencing memorandum filed in court by prosecutors said he had texted at least three people saying he planned to do something at a meeting involving Omar “but would not answer their questions about his intentions.”
He also sent messages to neighbors to arrange dog care and asked for contact information for the bail bond company.
The sentencing memorandum said Kazmierchak has long struggled with alcoholism and has a “history of mental and emotional health issues,” as well as a host of health issues related to Parkinson’s disease, which he was diagnosed with in 2022.
Omar, a refugee from Somalia, has long been a target of President Donald Trump’s anti-immigration rhetoric. After Omar was elected to Congress in 2019, Trump said she should “go back” to the country of her birth. He called her “trash” and said she should be investigated.
Kazmierchak criticized former President Joe Biden in a social media post and called Democrats “angry liars.” He wrote that Trump wanted the United States to be “stronger and more prosperous.”
His attack comes as the Minneapolis area is on edge over a crackdown, with protesters regularly facing off against immigration officials and convoys of conservatives who have criticized the protesters.
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Associated Press writer Tim Sullivan contributed to this report through the AP Newsroom.
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