MINNEAPOLIS — Anthony Kazmierczak, 56, was sentenced Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026, to 14 months in federal prison and three years of supervised release — including a no-contact order with Rep. Ilhan Omar — after pleading to assaulting a U.S. officer for spraying diluted apple cider vinegar at the Minnesota Democrat during a Jan. 27 Minneapolis town hall, according to an Associated Press report carried by the Los Angeles Times and KSTP.

Witnesses said Kazmierczak rose from the audience, sprayed liquid from a syringe toward Omar, and said she was “splitting Minnesota apart.” Security tackled him; police took him into custody. Omar was not injured and continued the town hall. Authorities later determined the liquid was a water-and-apple-cider-vinegar mix. He was charged with assaulting a U.S. officer.

U.S. District Judge Joan N. Ericksen imposed the term prosecutors had recommended. U.S. marshals escorted Kazmierczak from the courtroom after the hearing. At an earlier proceeding he struggled to explain the attack, telling the judge his memory was “fuzzy.” He later wrote Omar, “I’m sorry if I scared you,” accepting responsibility, AP reported.

The government sentencing memorandum said he had texted at least three people that he planned to do something involving Omar at the meeting without answering questions about intent, and arranged dog care and bail-bond contacts with a neighbor. Prosecutors also noted a history of alcohol abuse, mental and emotional health concerns, and health issues tied to a 2022 Parkinson’s diagnosis.

The Jan. 27 assault came during Operation Metro Surge, a large immigration enforcement surge in the Twin Cities that brought protests, arrests, and the deaths of two U.S. citizens, AP reported. Whatever the political heat around Omar or that operation, the federal charge that stuck was assault on a U.S. officer — and Thursday’s sentence is the courtroom end of that case.

Sources