Ryan Wesley Routh, the man accused of attempting to assassinate Donald Trump over the weekend at his Florida golf club, was charged with two gun-related counts in federal court on Monday morning.
Routh, 58, stood before Magistrate Judge Ryon M. McCabe at the federal courthouse in West Plam Beach, shackled and wearing a dark prison uniform where he was charged with possession of a firearm while a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number.
It arrives just one day after law enforcement officials identified Routh as the man who aimed an AK-47-style assault rifle at the former president at Trump National Golf Club while Trump was playing a round of golf.
Possession of a firearm while a convicted felon carries a minimum sentencing of three years and a maximum of 15 years. It carries a maximum fine of up to $10,000.
Possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number carries a maximum sentencing of 365 days in jail and a $1,000 fine. However, if the individual is found to have removed or altered the serial number it is punishable by up to five years in prison with a $5,000 fine.
Judge McCabe has set a detention hearing for September 23 and an arraignment for September 30.
Law enforcement officials say Routh was hiding in bushes, just a few hundred yards away from the former president, when Secret Service agents spotted the butt of the gun through a fence.
They began to shoot toward the suspect, causing him to flee the scene in a vehicle. The gunman left behind the firearm with a scope, two backpacks and a GoPro camera at the golf club.
Local law enforcement officials tracked down the Nissan SUV Routh fled in, thanks to a witness who took a photo of the license plate, and apprehended Routh on I-95. He was then taken into custody.
It is unclear what the motive of the attack may have been but the Federal Bureau of Investigation is treating it as an “attempted assassination.”
Those familiar with the investigation told The New York Times that law enforcement officials discovered the serial number of the firearm was partially scratched which makes it more difficult to determine where it originated. It is being sent to the FBI’s laboratory in Quantico, Virginia for further analysis.
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