Maryland Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Offense For Illegally Entering White House Grounds

            WASHINGTON – Dominic Adesanya, 23, formerly of Bel Air, Md., pled guilty today to a federal charge stemming from an incident last fall in which he illegally entered the grounds of the White House, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Vincent H. Cohen, Jr., and Kathy A. Michalko, Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Field Office, U.S. Secret Service.

            Adesanya pled guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to a charge of entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds. He has been in custody since his arrest on the White House grounds on Oct. 22, 2014. The charge carries a statutory maximum of a year in prison and a potential fine. Magistrate Judge Deborah A. Robinson scheduled sentencing for July 2, 2015. She agreed to release Adesanya with a number of conditions, including an order that he stay out of the District of Columbia except for court appearances, probation meetings, and medical appointments, and stay away from facilities under the protection of the U.S. Secret Service. However, Adesanya remains in custody because he is being held in two other cases filed last year in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, including one that charges him with unlawful entry in a July 27, 2014 incident at the White House complex.

            The plea agreement recommends that Adesanya be placed on one year of supervised release, with a number of conditions. He would be prohibited from entering the District of Columbia while he is under supervision, except for court appearances. He also would be required to participate in a psychiatric evaluation if deemed necessary by the Secret Service, and submit to interviews with the Secret Service to assist in determining potential current and future risks.

            According to a statement of offense submitted to the Court, on Oct. 22, 2014, at about 7:15 p.m., Adesanya climbed over the White House fence. A member of the U.S. Secret Service’s Uniform Division repeatedly ordered him to stop and get off the fence. Adesanya did not comply, running toward the north doors of the White House. He failed to comply with orders to stop, and he was arrested after struggling with two dogs released by the Secret Service.

            This case was investigated by the Secret Service’s Washington Field Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David J. Mudd of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.