Washington, June 17 (IANS) A US war veteran who jumped the fence of the White House last September and entered its interiors with a knife, has been sentenced to 17 months in jail, media reported.
Omar Gonzalez, 42, pleaded guilty to two federal charges — one count of unlawful entry and one count of assaulting officers — and was sentenced to 17 months in jail and 36 months of supervised release, CNN reported on Tuesday.
Gonzalez jumped the White House fence in September 2014, passed through the front door, overpowered a secret service officer and reached the upper floor rooms before being caught.
As he has been in jail since September, he will receive credit for time served there and will likely be released by December 2015.
Although currently Gonzalez has an extensive stash of weaponry, he will no longer be permitted to have firearms, knives or machetes after his release.
During the 36 months of supervised release, Gonzalez cannot enter the District of Columbia unless he is scheduled to appear in court.
He is also required to complete a psychological evaluation from a US Secret Service psychologist and to allow the access to his medical records.
Judge Rosemary Collyer recommended the Bureau of Prisons to allow Gonzalez to serve his sentence in California where his father resides.
Gonzalez served in Iraq from October 2006 to January 2008 when he had to retire due to disability.
According to his relatives, Gonzalez suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a result of his active service during the war and had paranoid delusions.
For the past few years, Gonzalez had been living out of his truck and driving around the country.