Prosecutors seek 14 months in prison for man who sprayed vinegar at Rep. Ilhan Omar

Sarah Nelson, The Minnesota Star Tribune on Sep 4, 2026

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MINNEAPOLIS — Federal prosecutors are seeking imprisonment for the man who sprayed vinegar through a syringe at Rep. Ilhan Omar while she spoke at a town hall in north Minneapolis.

Anthony James Kazmierczak, 56, is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 17 after pleading guilty in a Minneapolis federal courtroom to assaulting a United States officer during the public event on Jan. 27 at the Urban League headquarters.

Prosecutors are calling for Kazmierczak to spend just over a year in prison, arguing his conduct was a “credible threat of violence” that placed the congresswoman and other attendees in fear of bodily harm. They referenced the recent spate of political violence throughout the country and in Minnesota that made the fear “quite reasonable.”

“But for the mostly benign liquid he squirted on Rep. Omar, the result of his crime could have been significantly worse,” prosecutors wrote in their sentencing recommendation brief.

Federal sentencing guidelines in Kazmierczak’s plea, which are advisory, suggest a prison term range from four months to 14 months — the latter amount that prosecutors are seeking. The sentence will ultimately be up to the judge.

An FBI investigation showed Kazmierczak planned the assault for weeks, obtaining tickets two weeks ahead of time and sending vague texts to his friends that he was planning to do something at the event, which occurred during the height of Operation Metro Surge.

Just prior to the incident, Omar was calling for the abolishment of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the resignation of then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

Kazmierczak, who was sitting in the front row, stood up and quickly approached Omar. He then sprayed the vinegar from a small syringe and shouted: “She’s not resigning. You’re splitting Minnesotans apart.” Kazmierczak was tackled to the ground by a security officer and arrested.

Omar continued the town hall after Kazmierczak’s arrest. As she walked away, she told reporters: “I’ve survived war, and I’m definitely going to survive intimidation and whatever these people think they can throw at me because I’m built that way.”

An analysis of Kazmiercak’s computer showed online searches for Omar, private security details, apple cider vinegar and potential charges for assaulting a public official, the pre-sentencing memo said.

During his plea hearing, Kazmierczak told a judge that his recollection of the night was “fuzzy,” but he remembered announcing to the room that the liquid was vinegar.