William D. DeFoor, 26, of Ohio pleaded guilty on September 1 to federal charges stemming from an incident at Vice President JD Vance’s Cincinnati home on January 5. DeFoor admitted to smashing multiple windows at the unoccupied residence and damaging an unmarked Secret Service vehicle using a hammer, according to court documents and the U.S. Department of Justice. The plea agreement requires DeFoor to pay $28,000 in restitution and prohibits him from coming within 350 feet of Vance or his home. He faces up to 10 years in prison on each of two felony counts: engaging in acts of physical violence against government property and causing willful injury to U.S. property. Prosecutors also dropped a charge of resisting arrest as part of the deal.
Key developments
- DeFoor pleaded guilty in Cincinnati federal court to two felony counts related to the January 5 incident.
- The plea deal includes $28,000 in restitution and a 350-foot no-contact order with Vance’s home.
- DeFoor was arrested shortly after midnight on January 5 after Secret Service agents observed him near the property.
Incident details and legal proceedings
DeFoor was detained by Secret Service agents after they saw him approach Vance’s Cincinnati residence around midnight on January 5. According to a court affidavit, he first attempted to break the windows of an unmarked police vehicle before ignoring commands to drop the hammer and smashing windows and security devices at the Vance home. He eventually dropped the tool and attempted to flee but was apprehended by Cincinnati police. Vance and his family were in Washington, D.C., at the time of the incident.
Court records indicate DeFoor has a history of criminal cases involving findings of mental incompetency. His defense attorney previously stated that the assaults were not politically motivated and that DeFoor suffers from mental health issues. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio confirmed DeFoor’s guilty plea in a statement on September 1.
Restitution and sentencing
As part of the plea agreement, DeFoor agreed to pay $28,000 in restitution for damages caused during the incident. The restitution amount reflects the estimated cost of repairs to the Secret Service vehicle and Vance’s home. DeFoor also faces up to 10 years in prison for each of the two felony counts, though the final sentence will be determined by a federal judge at a later date. The charge of resisting arrest was dropped as part of the plea deal.
Broader context and security concerns
The incident occurred amid a reported increase in threats against high-level government officials, according to Secret Service Director Sean Curran. In July, Curran stated that the agency had seen an unprecedented rise in threats throughout the year. “The numbers are numbers that this agency and certainly I have never seen in my 24-year career,” Curran said during a press briefing. “They’re off the charts. I think the threat environment has become very volatile, and that’s just across the board.”
DeFoor’s case marks one of the first incidents in 2024 targeting a high-level government official’s residence. The incident has drawn attention to security protocols for federal officials and the potential risks associated with unoccupied properties. The Secret Service has not publicly commented on whether additional measures have been implemented at Vance’s Cincinnati home following the incident.