Federal prosecutors filed two gun charges against the man suspected of plotting to assassinate former President Donald Trump at his golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sept. 15.
Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, of Hawaii, faces the felony charges of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number, according to unsealed court documents. The first charge carries a maximum penalty of $250,000 in fines, 15 years in prison, and three years of supervised release. The second charge carries a possible five-year sentence, $250,000 in fines, and three years of supervised release.
According to the complaint, a U.S. Secret Service agent walking the perimeter of Trump International spotted the barrel of an SKS-style rifle poking out along the tree line. After the agent fired in the direction of the rifle, a witness spotted a male fleeing the area on foot and then in a Nissan SUV bearing the license plate of a stolen Ford truck, according to the complaint.
