Federal prosecutors press for 40 year prison term for Pelosi attacker, defense requests 14 years

Federal prosecutors are pressing U.S. District Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley to impose a 40 year sentence on David Depape ahead of a sentencing hearing set for May 17.

Depape was convicted by a federal jury in November 2023 of attempting to kidnap then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi and violently assaulting her husband. He broke into the Pelosi home, in San Francisco’s Pacific Heights neighborhood, in the early hours of October 28, 2022. When police arrived he hit Paul Pelosi with a hammer three times, fracturing his skull, before he was subdued.

“The nature and circumstances of the offense warrant statutory maximums on each count,” wrote government attorneys in their sentencing memorandum to the court.

“The core of both crimes – the attempted kidnapping of a public official and the assault on the family member of a public official – is violence aimed at punishing the former Speaker of the House of Representatives. Both crimes are an assault on our democracy and fundamental values.

“The jury rejected the defendant’s contentions that he was motivated by something other than the Speaker Emerita’s official position, but even taking his own statements as true for a moment, the defendant claimed that he went to the Pelosi’s home to inflict violence on the Speaker Emerita. He wanted to teach a lesson.

“The violent lessons that the defendant wanted to teach are not permitted in this country, and the sentence that this Court imposes must reflect the nature and circumstances of the offense.”

For their part, defense attorneys are asking the court to impose a sentence of 14 years. In a sentencing memorandum they excoriate Depape’s ex-partner, Gypsy Taub, who they say cut him off from his family, abused and manipulated him for years, and left him susceptible to conspiracy theories about political figures.

They also request that the court order that Depape’s federal sentence be concurrent to any state term imposed.

“Ms. Taub was also the person who brought Mr. DePape into the world of conspiracy theories—a terrifying world in which Satanic pedophile cults have infiltrated the highest levels of political and cultural institutions for decades,” reads the defense submission.

Sentencing is presently set for May 17, however Judge Corley has previously made clear that this may be adjusted if preparations for Depape’s state trial impede the ability of his federal attorneys to properly consult with him beforehand.

Depape’s state trial is scheduled to begin on May 22 in San Francisco Superior Court before Judge Harry Dorfman.