WASHINGTON (AP) - A Florida man who piloted a gyrocopter through miles of America's most restricted airspace before landing at the U.S. Capitol is now facing charges that carry up to 9½ years in prison.
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia said Wednesday in a statement that a grand jury has indicted Douglas Hughes on six charges.
Hughes, who took off from Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, was arrested April 15 after he landed on the Capitol's West Lawn. Hughes has said his flight was intended to call attention to the influence of big money in politics.
The charges Hughes now faces include two felonies: operating as an airman without an airman's certificate and violating aircraft registration requirements. Those charges carry a maximum of three years in prison. He is also facing three misdemeanor offenses of violating national defense airspace, each carrying a maximum of one year in prison.