Suspect charged with federal firearms offenses and could face 15 years in prison

A man suspected of an apparent assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump was charged Monday with federal firearms crimes.

Ryan Wesley Routh faces charges of possession of a firearm despite being a convicted felon and possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number.

He appeared briefly in federal court in West Palm Beach.

Additional, more serious charges are possible as the investigation continues and prosecutors seek an indictment.

Despite his cheerful and smiling demeanor before the hearing began, Suspect Routh remained expressionless While the judicial process progressed, almost always responding “Yes, your honor” to the judge’s questions.

Routh entered the courtroom shortly before 10:00 (11 a.m. in Argentina) and sat down alongside a number of other defendants who also appeared in court on Monday. During that time, he looked around the small courtroom at the assembled press and other people who had come to witness the second man in just two months who allegedly tried to threaten Trump.

According to a BBC reporter who was in the courtroom, the brief court hearing in the small federal courthouse in Palm Beach included some rather personal details about suspect Routh, as he was asked a series of questions to determine if he qualified for a public defender.

They asked him how much money he had in his bank account, to which he replied “zero funds”. The North Carolina native told the court he earned about $3,000 a month and had only two assets: Two trucks in Hawaii worth around $1,000 each.

The hearing lasted only about 10 minutes.The 58-year-old was led away dressed in a blue prison jumpsuit and with his hands cuffed in front of him. Routh spoke with a public defender for several minutes before the hearing began, smiling and at times even laughing as the attorney went over the court proceedings.

As the hearing began, the charges were announced: possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obstructed serial number. The first offense is punishable by up to 15 years in prison, and the second, by five years.