Two Men Plead Not Guilty in Ohio Court in Alleged White House UFC-Attack Plot, Outlet Reports

Two men, identified by The Hill as Tycen Proper of Danville, Ohio, and Chandler Scaggs of Chapmanville, West Virginia, pleaded not guilty to federal charges on Thursday in an Ohio federal courtroom tied to an alleged plot involving an assault at the White House using a UFC-related theme. The pleas were entered before U.S. District Judge Edmund Sargus Jr., according to the report.

According to The Hill, Proper, 19, and Scaggs, 21, were among eight people indicted in connection with the alleged plot. The report described the case as proceeding in federal court and indicated the not guilty pleas were formally recorded at the hearing before Judge Sargus.

The Hill’s account frames the matter as part of an ongoing federal prosecution that began with the indictment of multiple defendants. It did not, in the information provided for this drafting task, include the specific counts, statutes, or the government’s detailed factual allegations tied to the indictment.

The courtroom posture at this stage is limited to the defendants’ pleas. A not guilty plea preserves the presumption of innocence and sets the case on a path toward further pretrial proceedings, including motions practice and discovery, followed by trial or other resolution if the case does not settle.

Because no White House posting, Federal Register notice, or Department of Justice court filing was included in the available materials for this draft, this story is written strictly as reporting on what the outlet said occurred in court. The record for what charges were filed and the government’s asserted basis for jurisdiction and venue is not confirmed here.

The next steps in a federal criminal case like this typically include additional hearings scheduled by the court, pretrial motions that can address evidentiary issues or legal arguments, and potentially negotiations among the parties. If additional official materials become available, including DOJ filings or a court docket entry, the specific statutory counts and the government’s theory can be confirmed and incorporated.

Until then, the only confirmed procedural facts reflected in the provided information are that Proper and Scaggs appeared in federal court in Ohio and pleaded not guilty before Judge Edmund Sargus Jr., as reported by The Hill.