Malia Obama left the White House in January and is now beginning her life outside of the public eye.
She’s currently working as an intern with the Weinstein Group in Manhattan before she begins college at Harvard. While her presidential father opened some doors for her, it also has attracted some unwanted attention.
Recently, an unwanted visitor showed up at her internship with a marriage proposal. The Secret Service swooped in and had the man removed. This wasn’t his first time trying to get the 18-year-old’s attention, but authorities hope it will be the last.
The suspect, Jair Nilton Cardoso, is a Brooklyn man known to the Secret Service. During the Obama administration, he reportedly attempted to enter the White House several times, but despite repeated warnings to the contrary, he continues to follow the former President’s daughter.
Malia has started working in New York working in films and television. She previously worked on the HBO series “Girls” and the CBS series “Extant.” Because she now works so close to where Cardoso lives, the mentally unbalanced man apparently took it as a sign that the two were meant to be together.
He showed up at her Tribeca office and loudly began proposing marriage to Malia. He was begging for her attention when the Secret Service had him removed from the building. He even brought a sign proclaiming his love.
Two days later, he followed Malia out of a building in the West Village where she also has an internship. The Secret Service reported this activity to local police for help is keeping this man away from the former First Daughter.
The Secret Service also paid a visit to his Brooklyn apartment, explaining that he was not have no further contact with Malia. During this interview, they concluded that he had psychiatric problems and they had his sent to a Brooklyn hospital for evaluation and treatment.
In 2014, the Secret Service actually became quite annoyed with the paparazzi and their hounding of Malia. They worried that posting her picture in the tabloids would attract attention from mentally ill people. Sadly, it looks like that’s exactly what happened.
Malia can take some comfort in the protection she receives her Secret Service detail, thanks in part to a law signed by her father.
Prior to 2013, members of Presidential families received 10 years of Secret Service protection, starting from the date of the President’s succession. President Obama extended this policy indefinitely, allowing for lifelong Secret Service for all immediate members of the Presidential family.
Cardoso will receive psychological treatment, but at this point, he does not face charges. That could change, as the New York Daily News reports that police are considering charging the man with harassment or stalking. Stalking in the first degree is a class D felony; harassment is a class B misdemeanor, and a more likely outcome.