A grocery store clerk has pleaded guilty for threatening to kill and kidnap Vice President Kamala Harris, in addition to other elected officials, according to court documents recently released.
Kuachua Brillion Xiong of California entered the plea Monday after two years of legal debate about his mental ability to stand trial. The plea was entered before Chief U.S. Magistrate Judge Helen C. Adams, although a U.S. District judge will give final approval.
The 27-year-old was arrested in December 2021 after ammunition, body armor and an AR-15 was found in his vehicle during a traffic stop. His GPS was directing him towards the White House at the time of his arrest. He has been in custody since his arrest.
At the time of his arrest, he was charged with threatening to kill or kidnap Harris, President Biden, Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. He also made threats against former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other members of Congress, as well as possessing a firearm “in furtherance of crimes of violence.”
According to court records, Xiong has pleaded guilty to a single count of making threats against the president and vice president. He conceded that “intended to kill persons in power, including President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and others, and that if he had not been pulled over by law enforcement he would have continued traveling in furtherance of his plan.”
The suspect faces five years in prison in addition to a $250,000 fine. At the time of his arrest, he agreed to surrender ownership of the rifle and ammunition confiscated during his arrest.
Xiong’s federal defender proposed the possibility of an insanity plea, but he was later deemed competent to stand trial and has been directed to attend the hearing in Council Bluffs scheduled for Monday.
Sentencing was set for June 18.
