Man who crashed U-Haul into White House barrier pleads guilty

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: CNN Politics

Updated 7:06 PM EDT, Mon May 13, 2024


CNN — A Missouri man pleaded guilty on Monday in an attempted attack on the White House with a rented U-Haul, the Justice Department announced. Sai Varshith Kandula pleaded guilty to one count of willful injury or depredation of property of the United States, according to a Justice Department news release. The charge carries a maximum prison sentence of 10 years.

Kandula, 20, is set to be sentenced August 23. Kandula was born in Chandanagar, India, according to the release, and was a lawful permanent resident of the US with a green card at the time of the attempted attack.

According to prosecutors, Kandula flew to Washington, DC, on May 22, 2023, from St. Louis. He rented a U-Haul after arriving at Dulles International Airport and drove to the White House, where he crashed into barriers protecting the property at the intersection of H Street NW and 16th Street NW just after 9:30 p.m. ET.

Kandula then exited his damaged vehicle and waved a banner with a Nazi swastika on it before being arrested by US Park Police and Secret Service, prosecutors said. The crash caused $4,322 in damage to the National Park Service and more than $50,000 in damage to U-Haul International, according to the release. No agency or White House personnel were injured in the incident, the Secret Service said after the attack.

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/13/politics/man-pleads-guilty-uhaul-crash-white-house/index.html

[Vinca]

1. Now that's a curious story. An Indian man waving a Nazi flag. Not your sharpest tack.

[FakeNoose]

7. He's clearly brainwashed by some group, but he doesn't seem to be MAGA

From the OP link:

Kandula wanted to gain access to the White House to “seize political power” and replace it with a dictatorship backed by the ideology of Nazi Germany, according to prosecutors, and he had been planning the attack for weeks.

He admitted to investigators after his arrest that he would have arranged for President Joe Biden to be killed to accomplish his objective, according to the release.

A month before renting the truck, Kandula had contacted a Virginia security company to request 25 armed guards and an armored convoy, according to prosecutors — an effort that failed along with his attempts to rent other long trucks, including a commercial tractor-trailer truck and a dump truck.

I hope they send this guy to a prison mental hospital and de-program him. Otherwise it's going to be a long 20 years in prison.

[Aristus]

8. Nah. I'm cool with the twenty years.

Play stupid games; win stupid prizes.

Fuck around and find out.

Etc.

Etc.

[GB_RN]

2. Now That's Something You Don't See Everyday...

A Southeast Asian Indian carrying a Nazi flag? Seems a bit…incongruous…if not downright oxymoronic.

I have to wonder what Hitler, Himmler, Mengele, et al, would have to say about that. I mean, I have a pretty good idea about that, as this guy’s not exactly representative of the “Mastet Race” and all, but you never know. After all, Hitler made an exception for the Japanese, calling them “Yellow Aryans”, so as to make the Tripartite Pact acceptable to the rest of the Nazi shitbirds.

[IronLionZion]

3. Not the best thought out plan for overthrowing the government

but then neither was Jan 6.

[Rebl2]

9. Well he

is only 20 or maybe 21 now. Curious how he was able to rent a vehicle and U-Haul. Thought a person had to be 25 to rent a vehicle. Suppose he might have bought a fake ID.

[IronLionZion]

10. College students rent them for moving. I've rented before I was 25

it's a higher fee but it's doable.

[Rebl2]

11. Thanks

Maybe it’s just my state.

[sl8]

4. Press release from U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Columbia:

PRESS RELEASE

Missouri Resident Pleads Guilty to Attempted Attack on the White House with a Rented Truck

Monday, May 13, 2024

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Columbia

WASHINGTON – Sai Varshith Kandula, 20, of St. Louis, Missouri, pleaded guilty today in an attempted attack on the White House, on May 22, 2023, that included driving a U-Haul truck into the fence surrounding the building. Kandula pleaded guilty to a charge of willful injury or depredation of property of the United States.

The plea agreement was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Special Agent in Charge Matthew Stohler of the U.S. Secret Service Washington Field Office, FBI Special Agent in Charge Sanjay Virmani of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Counterterrorism Division, Chief Jessica M. Taylor of the U.S. Park Police, and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

U.S. District Court Judge Dabney L. Friedrich scheduled sentencing for August 23, 2024.. Kandula is an Indian national who was born in Chandanagar, India. At the time of the incident, he was a lawful permanent resident of the U.S. with a green card.

According to court documents, Kandula flew on a commercial flight from St. Louis, Missouri, to Washington D.C. in the afternoon of May 22, 2023, connecting through another airport on a one-way airline ticket. Kandula arrived at Dulles International Airport about 5:20 p.m., and rented a truck at 6:30 p.m. He stopped for food and gas, and then drove to Washington, D.C., where he crashed into the barriers protecting White House and President’s Park at 9:35 p.m. at the intersection of H Street, Northwest and 16th Street, Northwest. Kandula drove onto the sidewalk, sending pedestrians running from the scene. After striking the barriers, the truck backed up in reverse, then lurched forward, striking the metal barriers a second time. The second impact disabled the truck which began smoking from the engine compartment and leaking fluids.

Kandula next exited the vehicle and went to the back of the truck. From a backpack he removed a flag, a three-by-five foot red-and-white banner with a Nazi Swastika in the center, and brandished it. U.S. Park Police and the U.S. Secret Service officers arrested Kandula at the scene and took him into custody.

According to the plea agreement, at the time Kandula crashed the truck into the White House perimeter, he was attempting to gain access to the White House to seize political power. Kandula’s intent was to replace the democratically elected government with a dictatorship fueled by ideology of Nazi Germany and for himself to be put in charge of the United States. Kandula admitted to investigators that he would have arranged for the killing of the U.S. President and others if necessary to achieve his objective. His actions were calculated to influence or affect the conduct of government by intimidation or coercion.

Kandula’s actions caused $4,322 in damage to the National Park Service and over $50,000 in damage to U-Haul International. This amount included costs for repairing the metal bollard barriers to their original condition and ensuring structural soundness, oil and chemical removal, spill cleanup, and disposal of fluids from the crashed U-Haul, and the cost of the destroyed U-Haul truck.

Kandula planned the attack for several weeks. Prior to renting the truck and crashing it on White House grounds, he made several attempts to gain access to vehicles or armed security guards. For example, on April 22, 2023, Kandula requested 25 armed guards and an armored convoy from a security company located in Virginia. On May 4, 2023, Kandula attempted to contact several other companies in an attempt to rent a large commercial tractor-trailer truck, a dump truck, or another large truck. Kandula was unsuccessful in arraigning for security guards or a tractor-trailer truck or dump truck. Kandula had attempted to arrange for the services of these security guards and the use of large vehicles in order to carry out his offense against the U.S. Government.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service, the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division, the U.S. Park Police, and the MPD. It was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex Schneider.

Updated May 13, 2024

[FailureToCommunicate]

5. Knucklehead musta digested too many movies, and right wing radio. And all that by...

the age of twenty.

[JohnnyRingo]

6. The judge: "Since this is your first offense at overthrowing the government......"

I hope not, but I can't help but feel - if only he had some illegal drugs on him, he'd get some real time.