WASHINGTON – Joseph A. Caputo, 23, of Stamford, Conn., pled guilty today to a
federal charge stemming from an incident on Thanksgiving Day 2015 in which he illegally
scaled the White House fence, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips and Brian J. Ebert,
Special Agent in Charge, Washington Field Office, U.S. Secret Service.
Caputo pled guilty to a charge of entering or remaining in a restricted building or
grounds, which carries a statutory maximum of one year in prison, potential financial penalties,
and up to a year of supervised release. The Honorable Christopher R. Cooper scheduled
sentencing for Dec. 6, 2016. At sentencing, the government has agreed to recommend that the
Court impose a period of probation, during which Caputo would be subject to various conditions,
including an order to stay away from the District of Columbia and any facilities, sites or people
under Secret Service protection, and an agreement to submit to interviews by the Secret Service
and undergo a psychiatric evaluation, if requested, by a Secret Service psychologist.
According to the government’s evidence, on Nov. 26, 2015, Thanksgiving Day, an
officer with the U.S. Secret Service’s Uniformed Division witnessed Caputo scaling the White
House fence at about 2:45 p.m. At the time, Caputo had one leg over the fence and was wearing
an American flag around him like a cape. The officer ran towards Caputo, but Caputo made it
over the fence and dropped onto the North Lawn of the White House. The officer called over the
radio to alert other officers, and members of the Uniformed Division ordered Caputo to stop and
get on the ground. Caputo complied with the orders and was immediately taken into custody.
While in custody, Caputo made spontaneous statements to law enforcement, including, “I
love my country” and “I knew I would be locked up.”
In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Phillips and Special Agent in Charge Ebert
commended the work of those who investigated the case from the U.S. Secret Service. They also
expressed appreciation for the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s
Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Ari B. Redbord and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney
Jacqueline Barkett, who are prosecuting the matter.