WASHINGTON (AP) – A man who flew a gyrocopter through some of America’s most restricted airspace before landing outside the U.S. Capitol earlier this year will plead guilty to a felony in connection with the incident, his lawyer said Thursday.
Attorney Mark Goldstone said in an email that his client Douglas Hughes is expected to plead guilty to operating a gyrocopter without a license, a felony, on Nov. 20 in federal court in Washington.
In the email to The Associated Press, Goldstone said Hughes faces three years in prison and the government and Hughes’ defense lawyers agreed that sentencing guidelines don’t apply.
Hughes was arrested April 15 after flying the bare-bones aircraft from Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, to Washington. He said his flight was an act of civil disobedience intended to call attention to the influence of big money in politics.
“Doug Hughes will continue to be a strong voice for campaign finance reform and getting excessive money out of politics and allowing all citizens-regardless of the size of their bank accounts a voice in our democracy,” Goldstone said in an email Thursday.