Arrests in Four States of Racially Motivated Violent Extremists Targeting Journalists and Activists

justice.gov ^ | February 26, 2020 | DOJ

[ransomnote]

Defendants Created and Coordinated Nationwide Delivery of Threatening Posters

Four racially motivated violent extremists from across the U.S. were arrested and charged today in U.S District Court in Seattle with a conspiracy to threaten and intimidate journalists and activists, the Department of Justice announced. Today’s arrests and searches by the FBI and local law enforcement are being coordinated by the Department of Justice’s National Security Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Offices in Seattle, Tampa, Houston, and Phoenix. 

“These defendants from across the country allegedly conspired on the internet to intimidate journalists and activists with whom they disagreed,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers.  “This is not how America works. The Department of Justice will not tolerate this type of behavior.”

“These defendants sought to spread fear and terror with threats delivered to the doorstep of those who are critical of their activities,” said U.S. Attorney Brian T. Moran for the Western District of Washington.  “As Attorney General William Barr has made clear, rooting out anti-Semitic hate and threats of violence and vigorously prosecuting those responsible are top priorities for the Department of Justice.”

“The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida and FBI-Tampa have been focused on identifying and eradicating the threat posed by the Atomwaffen Division both locally and nationally,” said U.S. Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez for the Middle District of Florida.  “Today’s arrests send a powerful message that the Department of Justice will not tolerate criminal conduct based on hateful ideology.  We will continue to work with our partners here in the Middle District of Florida, and elsewhere, to devote our resources to investigate and prosecute those who aim to threaten and terrorize our communities.”  

The defendants charged in the conspiracy include:

     Cameron Brandon Shea, 24, of Redmond, Washington;

     Kaleb Cole, 24, of Montgomery, Texas;

     Taylor Ashley Parker-Dipeppe, 20, of Spring Hill, Florida, and

     Johnny Roman Garza, 20, of Queen Creek, Arizona.

According to the criminal complaint, the defendants conspired via an encrypted online chat group to identify journalists and others they wanted to intimidate.  The group focused primarily on those who are Jewish or journalists of color.  Defendants Cole and Shea created the posters, which included Nazi symbols, masked figures with guns and Molotov cocktails, and threatening language.  The posters were delivered to Atomwaffen members electronically and the coconspirators printed and delivered or mailed the posters to journalists or activists the group was targeting.  In the Seattle area, the posters were mailed to a TV journalist who had reported on Atomwaffen and to two individuals associated with the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).  In Tampa, the group targeted a journalist,but delivered the poster to the wrong address.  In Phoenix, the poster was delivered to a magazine journalist.

“Today’s announcement serves as a warning to anyone who intends to use violence as intimidation or coercion to further their ideology that the FBI remains steadfast in our commitment to protect Americans from domestic terrorism,” said Assistant Director for Counterterrorism Jill Sanborn.  “These nationwide arrests are the result of the robust partnerships among the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Forces in Tampa, Seattle, Houston, and Phoenix and we appreciate their collective efforts.”

“The FBI recognizes all citizen's First Amendment-protected rights.  However the subjects arrested today crossed the line from protected ideas and speech to action in order to intimidate and coerce individuals who they perceived as a threat to their ideology of hate,” said Raymond Duda, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Seattle.

“Today's takedown is proof the FBI in Tampa and our Joint Terrorism Task Force will work tirelessly to ensure communities are rid of hate inspired groups whose goal is to fuel intimidation and violence,” said FBI Tampa Special Agent in Charge Michael McPherson.

Shea will make his initial appearance on the complaint at the federal courthouse in Seattle at 2 p.m. today.  Those arrested in other districts will make their appearances in federal court in those districts and will appear in Seattle on a future date.

The charges contained in the complaint are only allegations.  A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Forces in Seattle, Tampa, Houston and Phoenix.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Woods with assistance from U.S. Attorneys Offices in the Middle District of Florida, Southern District of Texas, District of Arizona, and Central District of California.

Attachment(s): 

Download shea_et_al_complaint.pdf

Topic(s): 

Counterterrorism

National Security

Component(s): 

National Security Division (NSD)

USAO - Florida, Middle

USAO - Washington, Western

Press Release Number: 

20-232

[cgbg]

These folks talked about doing stuff and got arrested.

These folks _did_ stuff and did not get arrested:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3819971/posts

Just Us, not Justice.

[Nuke From Orbit]

yet nothing happens to Antifa and the now growing Bernie Bros that attack people.

Does this strike anyone as odd?

[lgjhn23]

Whadda bout Calypso Louie?
When they gonna go get him and his ilk?
Oh, wait...they’re of the “protected” class and armed to the teeth.
One of our agents might get hurt or even killed. /s

[Bratch]

Hmm.

I wonder how much this scheme was drawn up and executed by embedded feds?

[unread]

"yet nothing happens to Antifa and the now growing Bernie Bros that attack people.
Does this strike anyone as odd?

Odd..? Not really.. Isn't that pretty much what happens in every Communist country.? The criminals rule the streets and the people live behind walls and iron bars...

[from occupied ga]

Oddly enough I don’t see any antifa getting arrested for actual violent acts rather than just mailing posters

[Crim]

White supremacist Johnny Roman Garza.

Wait whut?

[Wallace T.]

Note that each of the four men arrested came from different states, as disparate as Florida and Washington State. If they met online somehow, the question arises: how did they get the resources to travel and obtain weapons? Entrapment and framing are Federal LEO standard operating procedures. Plus one of the men has a Hispanic surname. Unless he was European Spanish, this does not fit into the white supremacist theme.

The whole arrest looks like the Deep State in action.

[Vigilanteman]

Do remember that the invented the term “white Hispanic” to cover the guy who shot St. Trayvon Martin rather than allow his head to be beaten into the concrete.

[Crim]

Correct.

[ronnie raygun]

And Antifa roams free to attack and nothing is done

[Steve_Seattle]

"According to the criminal complaint, the defendants conspired via an encrypted online chat group to identify journalists and others they wanted to intimidate."

If "intimidation" is a crime, what about the nationwide intimidation, doxing, and outright violence that the left has been engaging in via Antifa, BLM, and innumerable other individuals and groups for the last several years?

Just yesterday, I was reading an article in the College Fix or FrontPage in which a pro-Israeli Jewish student has been harassed, mobbed, doxed, and flyers with his image and the phrase "white supremacist" have been posted on the campus he attends. The local police are trying to arrest HIM, and college officials are condoning the harassment!

[Bob434]

[[said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers. “This is not how America works.]]

Nope- according to the left- if you aren’t a democrat- you have no ‘right’ to talk about anything- but if your are a democrat- you can join antifa- wear maSks, and beat the hell out of people and not get aRRESTED- ACCORDIGN TO THE LEFT, that IS HOW aMERICA wORKS

According to my keyboard, ThIs Is How My Cp LOcKS Key WorKS lol

[beef]

So,the era of the thought crime has arrived.

[cgbg]

If Bernie can’t secure the nomination and Milwaukee turns into a flaming inferno, the Just Us Department will sit around and say “Gee, who could have seen that coming. Let’s set up a Commission to study what happened.”

_That_ is how the Swamp operates.

[Steve Van Doorn]

Here is more. The poster said, "death to pigs" "you've been visited by your local NAZI"

This guys where screwing with the Anti-Defamation League

I think there is more to this story
https://www.fox13news.com/news/neo-nazi-extremist-accused-of-threatening-journalist-arrested-in-spring-hill-as-part-of-nationwide-operation

[Maris Crane]

I seem to recall the nuns telling us that the LAW punished the DEED, GOD punishes the thought.

Makes you wonder just WHO some in LE think they are.

[Major Matt Mason]

This is the FBI trying to justify their claim that "white supremacists" (like Johnny Garza - LOL!) are the biggest danger in this country.

[jimjohn]

the case smells of a complete setup.
If they are reporting 4, there were probably at least 6. At least one snitched, leaving the other 4 to wonder which one. The plot was probably initiated by the snitch who, if true, should probably be promptly and vigorously doxed.