A Florida man who piloted his one-person aircraft through some of the nation's most restricted airspace and landed on the lawn of the U.S. Capitol entered a guilty plea Friday.
Douglas Hughes' plea in federal court in Washington had been expected. Earlier this month, Hughes told The Associated Press he agreed to plead guilty to a felony, operating a gyrocopter without a license.
“I have always accepted that there would be consequences for what I did,” Hughes -- who has called the April 15 stunt a way to call attention to the influence of big money in politics -- told The AP.
The charge carries a potential three years in prison, but prosecutors agreed not to ask for more than 10 months in prison as part of the plea deal, Hughes' attorney Mark Goldstone has said.
Hughes' attorney has said he will ask for probation in the case. Sentencing is set for April 13, after Hughes participates in a civil disobedience march from Philadelphia to Washington called Democracy Spring.
Hughes takes responsibility for his flight but will not express remorse.
"If I have to chose between saying I'm remorseful and spending 90 days in jail., I'll spend the 90 days in jail rather than say I feel remorseful," he said.
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Hughes, who is from Ruskin, Florida, was arrested after flying the bare-bones aircraft from Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, to Washington.
Hughes was a mail carrier at the time, and he was carrying letters for each member of Congress and had a Postal Service logo on the tail section of his gyrocopter. He passed through some of America's most restricted airspace before landing on the West Lawn of the Capitol. The flight “exposed major flaws” in the capital's air defense system, Hughes' lawyer said. Hughes called that an unintentional benefit of his flight.
Hughes was initially charged with offenses that carried a potential of 9.5 years in prison.
He has said he lost his job as a postal worker after the flight and after he resolves his criminal case, he hopes to work as an activist and continue to speak out against money in politics.
