A Seattle man pleaded guilty to stalking U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal in King County Superior Court on Thursday.
Brett Forsell pleaded down to misdemeanor stalking rather than the felony charge prosecutors originally filed. He was sentenced to 364 days in King County Jail.
Seattle police arrested Forsell outside Jayapal's house a year ago and jailed him on suspicion of committing a hate crime. He was released four days later because police couldn't say with certainty that he told the congresswoman to go back to India or that he had threatened to kill her.
King County prosecutors later charged Forsell with repeatedly harassing and intimidating Jayapal, who feared the man wanted to hurt or kill her.
Jayapal represents Washington's 7th Congressional District and became the first Indian American woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2016. She was born in India and moved to the U.S. at 16.
Forsell was arrested with a loaded .40-caliber handgun holstered on his waist. Neighbors also reported hearing Forsell's verbal attack and saw him try to erect a tent across the street from Jayapal's house. While in custody, camera footage recorded Forsell saying he was going to keep coming back to Jayapal's house until, in his words, she "goes back to India," according to prosecutors.
According to charging papers, Jayapal told detectives Forsell's behavior scared her because it was reminiscent of the anger and vitriol she experienced Jan. 6, 2021, when insurgents attacked the U.S. Capitol in a failed attempt to stop the certification of President Joe Biden's election.
Forsell was ordered to have no contact with Jayapal and was prohibited from possessing firearms for eight years, among other stipulations.
