The Latest: Man who flew gyrocopter to Capitol gets 4 months
Prosecutors asked he be sentenced to 10 months in prison, arguing that the former mail carrier from Ruskin, Florida, put countless lives at risk.
The former mail carrier from Ruskin, Florida, was carrying letters for each member of Congress on the topic of campaign finance and the tail of his aircraft had a postal service logo.
In a court document they filed ahead of the sentencing hearing, they argued Hughes' flight "put unsuspecting people in real danger, disrupted operations at the United States Capitol, and demonstrated a profound disrespect for the law and the legitimate rights of others."
Hughes "craved attention" and "violated important public safety laws because he wanted people to pay attention to his political views," prosecutors wrote.
Prosecutors wrote Hughes had "close encounters" with several aircraft and flew "dangerously close" to a commercial flight departing a Washington-area airport.