A man accused of attacking New York GOP gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin told investigators he had been drinking that day and didn’t know who the congressman was, authorities said as the man was arrested on a federal assault charge Saturday, according to The Associated Press.
David Jakubonis, 43, made an initial court appearance Saturday before a federal magistrate judge in Rochester, New York, on a single count of assaulting a member of Congress with a dangerous weapon. The charge carries a potential maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
He was ordered held until a bail hearing in federal court Wednesday. Prosecutors said he should remain detained as a flight risk and is dangerous, according to a court filing.
Jakubonis was arraigned Friday on a separate state charge of attempted assault in the second degree and was released by a local judge.
The federal criminal complaint filed Saturday alleged that Jakubonis, an Iraq War veteran, told investigators he was drinking whiskey on Thursday before he went onstage as Zeldin addressed a Veterans of Foreign Wars post in the town of Perinton to ask the speaker if he was disrespecting veterans.
Jakubonis “did not know who the speaker was or that the speaker was a political person,” according to the complaint. The complaint added that when Jakubonis watched video of Thursday evening’s incident he told investigators he “must have checked out” and that what was depicted in the video was disgusting.
Zeldin, who is Jewish, was the target of an antisemitic death threat in late June.
According to Zeldin’s campaign, a swastika was spray painted along with the number 187 on one of his campaign signs in Huntington, Long Island.
The number 187 is a reference to Section 187 of California’s penal code which defines the crime of murder. It has become a term used by American gangs and in other countries as slang for murder, including documented uses in Florida, Wisconsin, the UK, Germany and elsewhere. It is also common in hip hop lingo.
Zeldin, who was previously endorsed by former President Donald Trump as a Congressman, would be the first Jewish Republican governor of New York if elected.