A man accused of spraying Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) with apple cider vinegar during a January town hall meeting in Minneapolis formally pleaded guilty Thursday as part of a deal expected to reduce the prison time he could have faced if convicted at trial.
Anthony Kazmierczak, 56, appeared in federal court to officially change his plea from not guilty to guilty after reaching a settlement agreement with prosecutors last month, according to an update on the court docket. The plea arrangement is expected to lessen the potential punishment he initially faced, which could have totaled up to eight years in prison.
Kazmierczak had been charged at both the federal and state levels over the Jan. 17 incident, when authorities say he rushed toward Omar during a public town hall event and sprayed her with what investigators later identified as apple cider vinegar.
According to court documents, Kazmierczak also allegedly made threatening remarks about the Minnesota Democrat before the attack. A close associate told investigators that Kazmierczak once said, “Somebody should kill that b****,” referring to Omar.
Before the suspect charged toward her, Omar was in the middle of calling for former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to resign or “face impeachment.” After she said that, he allegedly yelled, “She’s not resigning. You’re splitting Minnesotans apart,” as he pointed at and sprayed Omar, according to the FBI special agent’s accompanying affidavit.
The incident briefly disrupted the event but did not stop it entirely. Omar was not physically injured and continued speaking and answering questions for roughly 30 minutes afterward.
Following the attack, Omar downplayed the physical impact of it and said she would not be intimidated.
“I’m really okay,” Omar said at the time.
Federal investigators identified the substance used in the attack as apple cider vinegar in charging documents filed after the incident.
The case drew national attention amid broader concerns over political violence targeting elected officials in recent years, including three major assassination attempts against President Donald Trump since 2024 and a 35% increase in violent threats against members of Congress from 2024 to 2025, the Washington Examiner previously reported.
In the wake of the attack, Trump dismissed the incident as something Omar could have staged, saying she “probably had herself sprayed.”
DOJ FILES FEDERAL CHARGES AGAINST ILHAN OMAR SUSPECTED ATTACKER
Nonetheless, the DOJ still pursued federal charges against Kazmierczak, accusing him of forcibly assaulting, opposing, impeding, intimidating, and interfering with Omar while she performed her duties as a congresswoman.
Kazmierczak’s sentencing date has not yet been publicly announced.
