Daniel Cvijanovich of Fargo was sentenced Thursday to 19 months in jail for threatening President Bush while serving a sentence for throwing a rock at the federal building.
Cvijanovich denied making the threat, which he said came from jailhouse snitches who wanted lighter sentences, and criticized prosecutors and the judge for upholding what he said was a false accusation.
A federal jury convicted Cvijanovich of the threat charge in an October trial, but acquitted him of two related charges.
"It's obvious to me that the defendant has absolutely no remorse for what he's done," said Brett Shasky, assistant U.S. attorney. "He has not even acknowledged that he did anything wrong in this case. He simply wants to argue the witnesses in the case were liars."
Before the sentence was imposed, Cvijanovich stood and read from a prepared statement criticizing the Secret Service, prosecutors and judge.
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"I am innocent of this charge," Cvijanovich said, and accused a fellow Stutsman County (N.D.) Jail inmate, Kyle White, of fabrications. "He constructed lies that sounded plausible."
U.S. District Judge Ralph Erickson told Cvijanovich that he should accept responsibility for his actions and try to get help or he would be in and out of prison for the rest of his life.
Erickson sentenced the 1998 Fargo South High graduate to three years of supervised release, including a year in a halfway house followed by electronic monitoring by the Secret Service.
The judge also granted the government's request that Cvijanovich receive further mental evaluation to help the Secret Service assess the risk he will pose following his release, but specified the evaluation could not be used in a civil commitment proceeding.
Cvijanovich has some "strange need for fame" that can only be accomplished by violence, Erickson said, noting Cvijanovich has a history of mental problems. "Really, the bottom line is for you to get healthy and to change your attitude," the judge said. "That's the best advice I can give you."
After the hearing in U.S. District Court, a Secret Service agent said the government believed Cvijanovich had a handgun when he showed up for a Bush rally in Fargo in 2005, but did not get past the security perimeter.
Agent John Kelly of the Secret Service said the government still is investigating that incident. According to witnesses, Cvijanovich boasted of once trying to kill Bush.
Readers can reach Forum reporter Patrick Springer at (701) 241-5522
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Threats result in jail time Patrick Springer 20080104
