(ARLINGTON, Va.) — A Maryland man has been charged with attempted murder after he allegedly showed up at the northern Virginia home of Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought, according to law enforcement sources.
Colin Demarco, 26, is also charged with criminal solicitation to commit murder, carrying a concealed weapon and wearing a mask in public to conceal identity.
In a statement an OMB spokesperson said, “We are grateful for the work of law enforcement in keeping Director Vought and his family safe.”
Demarco was arrested Jan. 16 in Maryland following a monthslong investigation, extradited to Virginia and is being held without bond in the Arlington County Detention Center, police said. His arrest was announced Thursday.
The charges date back to an alleged incident in August when police were dispatched last to an Arlington, Virginia, neighborhood for a report of a suspicious person.
“A witness reported observing a male suspect, who was wearing a surgical mask and rubber gloves, carrying a backpack and appeared to be concealing a firearm under his shirt, on the victim’s porch,” according to an Arlington County Police press release.
A criminal complaint filed in Arlington, Virginia, said Demarco was caught on a doorbell security camera with a mask on.
“Is anyone home,” he allegedly asked, saying he had an appointment, according to the complaint. The family was not home at the time.
Police say a neighbor them the man allegedly had the outline of a gun in his shirt.
The complaint said the U.S. Marshals Service identified Demarco and interviewed him in his home in Rockville, Maryland, four days later.
“Demarco stated the November 2024 election was the lowest point in his life for he feared for impending war and a fascist takeover,” the complaint stated. “He also allegedly “spoke of his admiration for Luigi Mansion [sic] and stated that Mangione was a ‘working class dream,’ and that Mangione had the ‘guts’ to do what others would not.”
Using search warrants, police said investigators recovered digital evidence that showed Demarco obtained Vought’s address, information about firearms and had posted online about soliciting murder within days of the Aug. 10 incident when allegedly he appeared at Vought’s home wearing a mask and gloves.
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