Bowman pleads guilty, agrees to $1,000 fine for pulling fire alarm

Rep. Jamaal Bowman, the Democrat representing New York’s 16th Congressional District, has agree to a plea deal that will resolve criminal charges following his pulling a fire alarm within the House of Representatives last month.

Axios reported the two-term congressman and the attorney general of the District of Columbia reached an agreement where Bowman will plead guilty, pay a $1,000 fine and issue a formal apology in exchange for having the charges dropped after three months.

“I am responsible for activating a fire alarm, I will be paying the fine issued, and look forward to these charges being ultimately dropped,” said Bowman in a statement.

Bowman pulled the fire alarm in the Cannon House Office Building in late September as when the House was preparing to vote on a government funding measure. Bowman claimed he pulled the alarm by mistake because he believed it would open a locked door to the congressional chamber, while Republicans claimed he was attempting to delay the vote.

Photo by Peter Katz