CNN
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Rep. Jamal Bowman, a New York Democrat, pleaded guilty Thursday to a misdemeanor charge of falsely triggering a fire alarm in a House office building.
Bowman struck a deal with the Washington, D.C., attorney general’s office in which he pleaded guilty to a single misdemeanor charge.
Under the terms of the deal read aloud in court, Bowman’s sentence will be suspended for three months. During that time, Bowman will be on probation, pay a $1,000 fine and write an apology letter to the U.S. Capitol Police.
If he meets these conditions, prosecutors will drop the charges at his sentencing hearing on January 29.
In late September, shortly before the House was scheduled to vote on a government funding bill, Bowman was caught in a fire alarm pulling tape at the Cannon House office building. The building was subsequently evacuated.
While it’s unclear whether Justice Department prosecutors are re-examining the matter, it’s still possible that Bowman could face federal charges over the incident. A spokeswoman for the US attorney’s office in DC declined to comment.
During Thursday’s hearing, prosecutors said Bowman passed “seven uniformed officers” immediately after the incident but did not tell them what happened.
Outside court, Bowman told reporters the incident was “very embarrassing” but “I’m glad he’s one step closer to putting this behind me.”
“I hate the chaos this has caused,” he lamented, “and the Capitol Police and other resources have to be used to respond to this.”
“I apologize for that,” Bowman said. “I’m glad no one was hurt.”
