Man sentenced to 14 months for spraying vinegar on Ilhan Omar

Anthony Kazmierczak leaped from the front row at a January 27 Minneapolis town hall and sprayed Rep. Ilhan Omar from a syringe of water and apple cider vinegar, yelling “You must resign” and that she was “splitting Minnesota apart.” Security subdued and arrested him. Omar continued the event uninjured. On Thursday, Judge Joan N. Ericksen sentenced him to 14 months in prison, three years of supervised release, and a no-contact order after his guilty plea to assaulting a US officer. Prosecutors had requested 8 to 14 months. At sentencing he said, “I’ve spent enough time in jail thinking,” and “I really apologise to her for having put her through that.” He wrote Omar, “I’m sorry if I scared you,” and earlier told the judge, “It’s fuzzy.” Prosecutors said he texted at least three people in ways that indicated premeditation and messaged a neighbor about dog care and bail bonds; Ericksen cited ticket-purchase timing. US Attorney Daniel N. Rosen called the assault “yet another example of a dangerous national trend: people channeling political hatred into criminal acts.” His defense cited alcohol abuse, mental-health concerns and Parkinson’s disease. Contested: none found in record on the core events; outlets differ on age 55 versus 56.