The attorney for the Stamford man who jumped over the White House fence on Thanksgiving says he hopes to resolve his client's case without going to trial.

Stephen Seeger says he has started negotiations with prosecutors. He is insisting his client was only trying to deliver a message and had no plans to hurt anyone.

Joseph Caputo, 22, wrapped himself in an American flag before scaling the White House fence on Thanksgiving Day. He carried a binder in his mouth, which his attorney says was a rewritten Constitution.

"He's a young, politically conscious American who had some ideas, and his mode of delivery is at issue right now," Seeger says.

Secret Service agents immediately arrested Caputo, but his actions prompted a White House lockdown. Court documents show Caputo left a will with his mother and a suicide note with friends.

Seeger says the note has been misunderstood. He says it listed a range of possible consequences for jumping the fence, including being escorted off the lawn.

"The whole suicide notion is ridiculous," Seeger says. "It couldn't be further from the truth. Joe Caputo is not suicidal."

Caputo pleaded not guilty to illegal entry of restricted grounds in a Washington, D.C. federal court Monday.

The judge allowed him to be released from federal custody but said Caputo must live with his mother in Stamford, wear an electronic monitoring bracelet, and have an 8 p.m. curfew.

Seeger says that will allow him to continue classes at the University of Bridgeport.

"If this had happened 15 years ago, Joe Caputo's conduct would be compared to an individual who was participating in a sit-in, engaging in some passive civil disobedience. One of the important things is Joe Caputo is not the poster child for increased security measures at the White House or anywhere else in this country," Seeger says.

Caputo was also ordered to stay out of Washington except for court appearances and meetings with his attorney.

He must also cooperate with requests for mental health evaluations.