A British man diagnosed with mental illness was sentenced Tuesday to about four more months in a U.S. prison for trying to grab a police officer’s gun in a plan to kill presidential candidate Donald Trump at a campaign rally last June in Las Vegas.
Michael Steven Sandford, 20, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge James Mahan to one year and one day in prison with credit for time served and good behavior behind bars.
The sentence was about six months less than prosecutors sought, but the judge said Sandford will be deported when he’s released.
Mahan blamed the June 18 attempt in a crowded Las Vegas strip casino ballroom on Sandford’s mental illness, calling Sandford’s effort a “goofy, crazy stunt” fueled by voices he thought he was hearing.
Sandford choked back tears as he stood wearing an orange jail jumpsuit, flanked by his lawyers while photos of his family were projected onto a large screen. Sandford’s mother, father, grandmother and 4-year-old sister were in the courtroom.
