BISMARCK, NORTH DAKOTA—A North Dakota man pleaded guilty on November 30 to stealing a forklift to assassinate President Donald Trump.
President Trump was scheduled to give a tax reform speech at the Andover Oil Refinery in Mandan, North Dakota on September 6, 2017.
The Bismarck Tribune reported that before Trump’s arrival, Gregory Lee Leingang, 42, from Bismarck, stole a forklift and entered the motorcade route.
“The intent was to basically try to get to the limo, flip the limo and get to the President and he wanted to kill the President,” U.S. Assistant State Attorney Brandi Sasse Russell told the Bismarck Tribune.
Leingang obtained the forklift from a gated area of the refinery. He confessed during questioning by authorities and the Secret Service.
Leingang’s public defender, Michelle Monteiro, informed the court that Leingang was suffering from “a serious psychiatric crisis” during the incident. He confessed to setting fires at a maintenance facility at the Bismarck Municipal Ballpark and was sentenced to 10 years. He confessed in court that he was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and bipolar disorder, and has not been on his meds.
He was indicted on two criminal counts on October 2017 accusing him of entering a restricted area while using a dangerous weapon and attempting to damage government property. A sentencing date was initially scheduled for February 15. U.S. Daniel L. Hovland, Chief Judge for the U.S. District Court delayed the hearing until February 19, 2019.
