Sai Varshith Kandula, a 20-year-old from St. Louis, Missouri, has been sentenced to eight years in federal prison for an attempted attack on the White House. The incident occurred on May 22, 2023, when Kandula used a rented truck in an effort to overthrow the U.S. government and establish a dictatorship inspired by Nazi ideology.
The sentencing was announced by several officials including U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Special Agent in Charge William McCool 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 were also involved.
Kandula pleaded guilty on May 13, 2024, to willful injury or depredation of property belonging to the United States before Judge Dabney L. Friedrich at the U.S. District Court. In addition to his prison sentence, Kandula will serve three years of supervised release.
Court documents reveal that Kandula traveled from St. Louis to Washington D.C., arriving at Dulles International Airport before renting a truck and crashing it into barriers near the White House at around 9:35 p.m., causing pedestrians to flee the scene. After striking the barriers twice with his vehicle, which became disabled and began leaking fluids, Kandula exited with a Nazi Swastika flag and was subsequently arrested by law enforcement officers.
According to his plea agreement, Kandula's intent was to gain access to the White House and seize political power by replacing the current government with one based on Nazi Germany's ideology. He admitted he would have arranged for violence against key figures if necessary.
The damage caused by Kandula amounted to $4,322 for repairs and cleanup related to National Park Service property.
Investigations revealed that Kandula had planned this attack for weeks prior and had made attempts to acquire vehicles or armed security guards but was unsuccessful.
The case was investigated by multiple agencies including the U.S. Secret Service and prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex Schneider along with Assistant U.S. Attorney Shehzad Akhtar.