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Man who sprayed Ilhan Omar at town hall event pleads guilty

May 8, 2026 | | Print Article

The Minneapolis man who sprayed Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) with apple cider vinegar during a January town hall has pleaded guilty to his role in the attack, which made national headlines.

Anthony James Kazmierczak pleaded guilty to one count of assaulting a United States officer in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis on Thursday and faces a maximum term of 96 months in prison although its unlikely that he will spend that much time behind bars with his attorney John Fossum telling NBC News that the sentence could be four to 14 months and that the three months his client has spent in custody could count toward time served.

The 55-year-old was arrested on January 27 after he charged the podium at Omar’s event, where the “Squad” member called for the resignation or firing of then-DHS Secretary Kristi Noem following the shooting deaths of two left-wing radicals during clashes with federal immigration enforcement officers.

In a video of the incident, the assailant told Omar “she’s not resigning” before spraying the Somalia-born congresswoman with a syringe containing the vinegar, an ingredient commonly used in salad dressings. “You’re splitting Minnesotans apart,” Kazmierczak said at the time.

He had originally pleaded not guilty but changed the plea to guilty, telling the judge that he didn’t agree with the Democrat lawmaker’s politics.

Kazmierczak told U.S. District Judge Joan Ericksen that his recollection of the incident was “fuzzy” and that “I kind of commented on it and then squirted her with the syringe,” saying the substance was vinegar because he “didn’t want anybody to think she was in danger.”

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“I’m ok. I’m a survivor so this small agitator isn’t going to intimidate me from doing my work. I don’t let bullies win. Grateful to my incredible constituents who rallied behind me. Minnesota strong,” Omar wrote in a post to X after she was sprayed.

“This assault is yet another example of a dangerous national trend: people channeling political hatred into criminal acts,” U.S. Attorney for Minnesota Daniel N. Rosen said in a statement. “The Department of Justice and this U.S. Attorney’s Office will not tolerate such behavior.”

“Political violence is a scourge on our democracy,” FBI Minneapolis Division Special Agent in Charge Christopher D. Dotson said in a statement.

“The FBI will not tolerate attacks on elected officials or anyone who serves our nation. Anyone who thinks they can attack an elected official or seek to insert violence into our democratic discourse without consequence will find the FBI and our law enforcement partners in their way,” Dotson added. “Mr. Kazmierczak’s conviction today is a testament to a quick and thorough investigation and underlines the importance of interagency collaboration with Minneapolis Police and other state and local agencies.”

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“That is beyond the range where I would be able to comment on the case,” Fossum said when asked if his Trump-supporting client felt remorse over the incident.

A date for Kazmierczak’s sentencing has not been set.

Chris Donaldson
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