Douglas Hughes said Friday he plans to plead guilty to one felony charge related to his gyrocopter flight to the Capitol in April — but he is not ashamed.
The Florida man flew from Pennsylvania to the Capitol on April 15, to deliver letters to Congress pushing for a campaign finance overhaul. He was immediately arrested for breaching restricted airspace and later indicted on two felony and four misdemeanor charges. After several months of negotiations, Hughes is poised to accept a plea deal this month.
“I’m proud of what I did and I’m not going to be ashamed of accepting a felony conviction,” Hughes said in a phone interview with CQ Roll Call. “Somebody sent me a link to a song on YouTube, the title of which says it all. It says, ‘Have You Been to Jail for Freedom?’ It says it all.”