A Missouri man’s attempt to overthrow the U.S. government and establish a Nazi-style dictatorship has led to an eight-year federal prison sentence.
At a Glance
- Sai Varshith Kandula sentenced to 8 years for crashing U-Haul into White House barriers
- Kandula planned to establish a Nazi-inspired dictatorship in the U.S.
- He admitted to willingness to kill the President if necessary
- Diagnosed with schizophrenia, facing potential deportation after sentence
- Ordered to pay nearly $57,000 in restitution and serve 3 years supervised release
Nazi-Inspired Attack on the White House
Sai Varshith Kandula, a 20-year-old man from St. Louis, Missouri, has been sentenced to eight years in federal prison for his attempted attack on the White House in May 2023. Kandula, driven by a fascination with Nazi ideology, crashed a rented U-Haul truck into security barriers near the White House, narrowly missing two pedestrians.
Following the crash, Kandula retrieved a Nazi flag from his backpack and waved it, making his extremist motivations clear. The U.S. attorney’s office in Washington, D.C. stated that Kandula “aimed to overthrow the democratically elected government of the United States in order to replace it with a dictatorship fueled by Nazi ideology.”
🇺🇸 MISSOURI MAN SENTENCED FOR WHITE HOUSE ATTACK PLOT
Sai Varsith Kandula, who brandished a Nazi flag after crashing a U-Haul into White House barriers in 2023, was sentenced to 8 years in federal prison.
Kandula, 19 at the time, admitted his goal was to overthrow the… pic.twitter.com/OCS3pBdTIa
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) January 17, 2025
After years of wrongly labeling conservatives as Nazis, it looks like they actually found a real one.
Prosecutors revealed that Kandula had meticulously planned the attack for weeks. He flew from St. Louis to Washington D.C. hours before the incident and rented the U-Haul truck specifically for this purpose. Court records showed that Kandula had attempted to acquire larger vehicles and security equipment to carry out his assault on the U.S. government.
“He wanted to eliminate the democratic process in America and replace the government with a Nazi-style dictatorship,” prosecutors said.
Perhaps most alarming were Kandula’s statements following his arrest. When questioned about his intentions, he reportedly expressed a willingness to “kill the President, if that’s what I have to do” to achieve his goals. This stark admission underscores the severity of the threat he posed.
Mental Health Considerations and Legal Outcome
Kandula’s Defense Attorney, Scott Rosenblum, argued that his client was suffering from schizophrenia and experiencing delusional thoughts at the time of the offense. Two psychologists diagnosed Kandula with schizophrenia and linked his illness directly to his actions.
“He’s amenable to treatment, understands its necessity, and recognizes an illness produced the acts that led to his current circumstances,” Rosenblum stated.
Despite these mental health considerations, U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich sentenced Kandula to eight years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. The judge also ordered Kandula to pay nearly $57,000 in restitution for damages caused during the incident.
Rosenblum expressed disappointment with the sentence, saying, “We were hoping for a further departure from the guidelines and statutory maximum given his mental health issues.”
The case, investigated by the Secret Service, FBI, U.S. Park Police, and the Metropolitan Police Department of D.C., highlights the ongoing threat of domestic extremism and the challenges in addressing it when mental health issues are involved.
Now let’s keep focusing resources on real threats like this – not Republicans.
