Photo by Darwyn
A judge has sentenced a California man who spent more than 15 minutes on White House grounds after scaling a fence in March, the first person to do so under the Trump administration.
Jonathan Tuan Tran will be on probation for two years, which includes staying away from the White House, National Mall, and all Trump-owned properties around the globe, according to U.S. Attorney’s Office for D.C. spokesperson William Miller.
After being spotted walking inside of the gates toward the White House, Tran told a secret service agent that he was a friend of the president and he had an appointment, according to court documents. During a search, authorities found two cans of Mace, a Macbook, a U.S. passport, a book written by Trump, and a letter that Tran had written to the president that mentioned “Russian Hackers.”
Tran told officials that he had “information of relevance,” according to court documents. He also said that he’d been followed, third parties had read his phone and emails communications, and he’d “been called schizophrenic.”
President Trump, who was inside of the White House during the security breach, described Tran as a “troubled person” after his arrest. The president added that the situation was “very sad.”
After Tran’s case and following fence-jumping incidents, the Secret Service permanently shut down public access to the sidewalk next to the south fence of the White House in April. Construction on taller White House fence with “pencil point” anti-climb fixtures will begin in 2018.
In July, Tran pleaded guilty to a federal charge of entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds.
As part of his two-year probation, he will receive mental health treatment and submit to interviews by Secret Service agents to assess any threats that he might pose to people and places under their protection.