California man charged with threat to kill Biden wins slight delay for plea deal talks
A federal judge has agreed to a slight extension of time for a California man accused of threatening to kill President Joe Biden to complete plea deal negotiations or face trial.
U.S. District Judge Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger issued an order Thursday giving Kuachua Xiong until Nov. 15 to reach a plea agreement or prepare to face trial starting Dec. 4.
The deadline for Xiong to reach a deal was Thursday, and a lawyer for the 27-year-old Merced grocery clerk, who is facing charges in Iowa, filed a request asking for an extension through Nov. 20 for his client to decide whether to enter a guilty plea or proceed to trial.
“The parties are negotiating and request additional time to execute the necessary documents,” Federal Defender Mike Maloney wrote in a motion filed in Iowa federal court, adding that the prosecution did not oppose the delay.
The filings Thursday signal plea negotiations are continuing, following an earlier plan for the former Sacramento resident to pursue an insanity defense. He ultimately was found competent to stand trial.
A federal grand jury indicted Xiong in January 2022 on charges of attempting to kill or kidnap Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris; making threats against both of them; threatening to kill or kidnap former President Barack Obama and Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton; making threats against then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other members of Congress; and possessing a firearm in furtherance of crimes of violence.
Xiong was arrested Dec. 21, 2021, and jailed in Iowa after being stopped for speeding on Interstate 80 and found to have an AR-15 rifle, body armor and a GPS device guiding him to the White House, court papers say.
The original order setting the Thursday deadline said that “in order to afford all parties as much notice and opportunity to be as prepared for trial as possible, Defendant is put on notice that a plea of guilty must be entered by November 2, 2023.”
His lawyer’s motion Thursday notes that “there has been no previous extension of this deadline” and that Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Griess “does not resist this motion.”
This story was originally published November 2, 2023 at 10:18 AM.