On Thursday September 11, 1997, Coleman pleaded guilty to the five counts of perjury and signed a public apology. Coleman's plea agreement stated that his claim that the U.S. defense and intelligence agencies authorized him to obtain a false passport was not true, that he lied in his Pan Am testimony in order to bolster his image as an international security and terrorism consultant and to obtain money, and that he wanted revenge against the DEA because the DEA had fired him. Coleman's prosecutors recommended a sentence of time served, five months in prison, and six months of home confinement. Coleman later claimed to have signed the statement under duress.