Charges: Man Smashed Into Governor's Gate, Wanted To Be Deported

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Authorities say a man crashed his car into the gate of the governor's mansion Monday night in hopes of speaking with the state's top elected official about his possibly being deported for religious purposes.

Forty-two-year-old Wondu Seifu, of St. Paul, is charged with one count of damage to property, according to documents filed in Ramsey County. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 5 years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine.

According to a criminal complaint, Seifu intentionally smashed into the governor's gate on Summit Avenue, causing more than $1,000 worth of damage. He then walked through the gate along the driveway, where he was met by a state trooper.

The trooper pointed his gun at Seifu and told him to put his hands up. Seifu complied. When the trooper began checking Seifu for weapons, he started to weep uncontrollably, the complaint states.

Seifu told the troopers he wanted to speak with Gov. Mark Dayton, claiming he was the victim of organized criminal activity and wanted to be deported to a third-party country for religious purposes.

He explained that he moved to the United States from Ethiopia in 2003, and bought a home in St. Paul that later became a sort of prison, subject to constant "spiritual warfare attacks."

He suspected that his house was under such attacks because the address is equivalent to 666, a biblical reference to the devil.

Seifu also suspected that state and federal governments were taking more than just taxes from his pay checks.

While Seifu told the troopers that he had worked for Delta Air Lines, he said he never considered leaving the country voluntarily, even though he was a naturalized U.S. citizen and had a U.S. passport.