They warned him that if he went to trial, he could face life in prison or even execution. Allegedly, Monti's lawyer had heard off-the-record conversations with the prosecutor and the judge that if he pleaded guilty, he would most likely get a long prison sentence instead. Because of the seriousness of the charges, the court required testimony despite his guilty plea, and, according to The New York Times, "Without hesitation, Monti took the witness chair" where he admitted to all the charges. Asked by the judge if he had acted "voluntarily", Monti answered "Yes". His attorney then asked for leniency, citing his upbringing in an extremist and isolationist environment that "fanatically imbued" him to identify Soviet Russia and Communism as the nation's principal enemy. Despite his attorney's appeal for leniency, Monti was sentenced to 25 years in prison and ordered by the judge to pay a fine of $10,000. Prison sentence Monti served his sentence in Leavenworth Penitentiary, Kansas. Shortly after beginning his sentence, he went on a hunger strike and was subsequently put in solitary confinement. His sentence was later extended by 12 months for breaking into the prison kitchen and stealing food. In 1951 he tried, unsuccessfully, to withdraw his guilty plea, insisting he had "no treasonable intent" when he had flown into "enemy territory" and claimed that he had been pressured by his attorneys to plead guilty. He was paroled in 1960. Post-prison life Three years after he was paroled—in 1963, Monti attempted again to have his charges of treason reversed in a Brooklyn Federal Court, claiming he "only went to Germany to assassinate Adolf Hitler and end the war". His reversal attempt was denied. By that time, in 1963, Monti was working as a factory supervisor, making $1.50-an-hour. He remained on parole until January, 1974. He lived out the remainder of his life in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in relative obscurity, until his death on September 11, 2000. He was buried at Sacred Heart Cemetery in Florissant, Missouri, alongside his parents and two of his brothers. References External links Transcript of Court Record 1921 births 2000 deaths Nazi propagandists SS-Untersturmführer American anti-communists American defectors American Waffen-SS personnel Aviators from Missouri People convicted of treason against the United States American people of Italian descent American people of German descent American people convicted of theft American prisoners and detainees Catholics from Missouri Military personnel from St. Louis Prisoners and