Standing before a judge in orange jail clothes with the word
"detainee" across his back, Michael Steven Sandford acknowledged that
he has been treated in the past for mental illness. Court documents say
Sandford previously told a federal agent that he drove from California to Las
Vegas with a plan to kill Trump.
"I
plead guilty, your honor," Sandford told U.S. District Judge James Mahan
when asked for his plea to being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm
and disrupting an official function. "I tried to take a gun from a policeman
to shoot someone with, and I'm pleading guilty," he said.
Sandford
didn't get the gun before he was arrested, and no shots were fired. The judge
said he was satisfied that Sandford was fit to enter the plea, even though the
defendant said he had taken the anti-psychotic medication risperidone.
Sentencing
was set for Dec. 13 and Sandford was ordered to remain in federal custody.
Under terms of his plea agreement, Sandford could face between 18 and 27 months
in a U.S. prison for his two felony convictions. He will get credit for time
served, accepting responsibility for the crime and avoiding trial, which had
been set to start Oct. 3. He won't be able to appeal.
Sandford
could have faced up to 20 years in prison if convicted of both charges at a
trial, and up to 30 years on the three charges he initially faced. One charge
of being an illegal alien knowingly in possession of a firearm will be dropped,
prosecutor Nicholas Dickinson said.
Sandford
is "almost certain" to be deported and banned from returning to the
U.S., according to the plea agreement in which he acknowledges he overstayed
his tourist visa and was in the U.S. illegally for almost 10 months at the time
of his arrest.
Sanford's
pleas came after he met in custody last week with his mother, Lynne Sandford of
Dorking, England, and a lawyer who arrived with her from London. Assistant
Federal Public Defender Brenda Weksler also was involved in the meetings in Las
Vegas. She declined to comment, and said Lynne Sandford and family attorney
Saimo Chahal returned to England before Tuesday's hearing.
Chahal
said earlier that a psychiatrist she enlisted to review the case determined
that Sandford was delusional at the time of the attempted attack. Sandford also
suffers seizures, obsession-compulsion, anxiety and autism spectrum disorders,
Chahal said.
"Michael
was not in control at the time of the events and needs help," the attorney
said in an email to The Associated Press before the hearing. "He is
desperate to return to the U.K. to be near his family as he has no ties with
the U.S.A."
Court
documents say Sandford acknowledged telling the Las Vegas police officer that
he wanted a Trump autograph and then grabbing for the officer's gun with both
hands. Sandford told a federal agent that he arrived in Las Vegas two days
before the campaign rally, rented a 9mm pistol and fired 20 shots at a paper
target at a Las Vegas gun range the day before Trump's appearance, according to
court documents.
Sandford
told the agent it was the first time he had ever fired a gun. It wasn't clear
if Trump recognized a threat before officers escorted Sandford out of the
1,500-seat theater at the Treasure Island hotel-casino. But the candidate, now
the Republican presidential nominee, noticed the commotion.
"We
love you police. Thank you. Thank you, officers," Trump said as Sandford
was ushered away. In a statement following Sandford's pleas, U.S. Attorney
Daniel Bogden said "attentiveness and quick action" by security
officers prevented a shooting in the crowded auditorium.
"The
result was that no one was injured," Bogden said.
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