A man who pointed a laser pointer at 'Marine One,' the private helicopter carrying U.S. President Donald Trump, was indicted on September 22 (local time).
According to the indictment reported by the New York Times and other outlets, Jacob Samuel Winkler, 33, aimed a red laser beam at Marine One as it was taking off from a sidewalk near the White House on September 20. This act was detected by agents from the Secret Service, who are responsible for presidential security, and Winkler was arrested at the scene.
Winkler has been charged with aiming a laser pointer at an aircraft, a felony punishable by up to five years in prison. If convicted, he could also face a criminal fine of up to 250,000 dollars (approximately 350 million won), and separately, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) may impose a civil penalty of up to 32,000 dollars.
Prosecutors stated that Winkler's actions posed a risk of causing the pilot to temporarily lose vision and spatial orientation, and increased the risk of an in-air collision with other helicopters, as Marine One was flying at low altitude at the time.
In a statement, Washington, D.C. federal prosecutor Jeannine Pirro said, "This act endangered both Marine One and its occupants, and those responsible will be identified and prosecuted to the fullest extent permitted by law."
During the investigation, Winkler admitted to pointing the laser at Marine One, but claimed he was unaware it was illegal and stated that he often points lasers at various objects. It is not known whether the laser was noticed from inside the helicopter at the time. President Trump, who was aboard the helicopter, traveled to Virginia to deliver a speech at the conservative think tank, the American Cornerstone Institute.
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