Posted on 03/26/2013 6:28:34 AM PDT by Iron Munro
TAMPA — A man who lives on a tree farm in Pasco County recently answered his door wearing body armor, with a .45-caliber handgun strapped to his chest. He alarmed an acquaintance, the FBI alleges, by talking about killing law enforcement officers.
Paul James Szaraz, 47, isn't supposed to have guns. He's a felon with convictions for burglary, carrying a concealed weapon, marijuana possession and drunken driving, records show.
But U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas G. Wilson said in court Monday that investigators found an "enormous" quantity of weapons, ammunition and body armor while searching Szaraz's home north of Moon Lake in Hudson.
FBI spokesman David Couvertier said a SWAT team and Pasco County deputies searched the 12-acre site for hours after arresting Szaraz early Friday. The spokesman did not specify what was found, citing the prosecution by the U.S. Attorney's Office, but said agents were surprised by both the quantity and the types of weapons.
A court record offered a few hints. In an affidavit used to obtain the search warrant, FBI Special Agent Christopher S. Franck said that the acquaintance, who had known Szaraz for a year, had seen six AK-47 rifles and one .50-caliber BMG rifle in his residence.
Weapons were placed strategically by doors and windows "in order to defend his residence," the agent wrote in the affidavit.
The acquaintance reported that Szaraz spoke at length of being a patriot and mistrusting the federal government and law enforcement.
The tipster "became concerned about Szaraz when he started speaking militantly about recruiting/banding others together in order to kill law enforcement when they come to take their weapons away and put them all in FEMA camps," the affidavit states.
Agent Franck said Szaraz espouses beliefs characteristic of sovereign citizen extremists, a movement the FBI categorizes as domestic terrorism. Oklahoma City bombing accomplice Terry Nichols considered himself a sovereign citizen. Subscribers reject the authority of the government and its laws.
There is cause, Franck wrote, to believe Szaraz has "conspired with other associates to commit violent acts against law enforcement personnel."
The acquaintance initially spoke with Pasco sheriff's Detective Anthony Capo, who provided a recording device and cash for the purchase of a $1,200 AK-47 from Szaraz. The FBI stepped in.
Wilson presided over what was to be a bail hearing on a weapons charge Monday until it was discovered that Szaraz had not yet hired an attorney. Nor had he completed paperwork to qualify for a public defender. He asked Wilson to delay the hearing.
"It's sort of your call because you're the one that's sitting in jail," the judge responded.
Szaraz sat alone at the defense table, his long hair touching the middle of his back. He was calm, polite and articulate as he addressed the judge.
But when he began talking openly about the facts of his case, the judge interrupted, cautioning that anything the defendant said could be used against him.
Szaraz paused, then launched into a verbal attack on the credibility of the acquaintance-turned-FBI witness.
Court documents don't name the acquaintance but call him a former Marine. He has at least a loose tie to the neighborhood: He told investigators that he heard automatic gunfire coming from Szaraz's property at 14232 King Richards Trail "several times."
Szaraz said the man has made false statements about him.
"He's a junkie," Szaraz said. "That's your witness.
"I can't believe I'm sitting here," he said.
The judge reminded Szaraz that he was a felon and that an "enormous" number of weapons had been found at his home.
Szaraz said he wasn't using them.
"You can't have them," the judge shot back. "It's as simple as that."
The hearing was rescheduled for April 2.
I’d like them to define “enormous number” of weapons. Does that include kitchen knives as well? Four Ak’s and a .50 is “enormous”?
Funny, I just heard that one again the other day. Some folks are in for a huge shock.
More kudos to the author: "assault weapon" wasn't used either.
Soon to be an all too common and most likely punishable offense.
That said, are these people REALLY that clueless? A peek into an average rural granddad's gun cabinet would set these clowns reeling.
Liberals have been fighting laws in some states that bar convicted felons from regaining their voting rights, claiming it is a violation of their constitutional rights.
But no one has shown any interest in allowing the restoration of 2nd amendment rights.
My personal belief is that once a law breaker has served all of their prison time and parole, and made all required restitution, laws that prevent them from regaining the rights of full citizenship keep them as outcasts and probably contribute to recidivism.
On the one hand, society wants them to become good citizens. On the other hand, society tells them they cannot be full citizens.
It seems there should be a path to restoration of all rights for those who truly leave thier life of crime behind and have fully completed their legally required penance and punishhment.
There is more compassion shown for illegal criminals than for American citizens who have made a mistake, served thier time, and turned their lives around.
Look up Lewis v. United States (1980) “This Court has recognized repeatedly that a legislature constitutionally may prohibit a convicted felon from engaging in activities far more fundamental than the possession of a firearm.”
BTTT!
Something I have been saying for YEARS! If they are so dangerous that they should not have access to a gun, then keep them locked up!
But, once they have paid their debt to society, then they should get ALL of their rights back! If they fail to live up to their constitutional duty to leave others-be, then put them back in jail! DUH!
I agree, this guy, if he can afford it or can get an action group to support him, should appeal this to the highest court and demand that he still has a Constitutional right to protect himself and his loved ones! PERIOD!
ISzaraz needs to kiss that "acquaintance's a$$
Of course not - because there are no "FEMA Camps".
You might be referring to the new "Affordable Health Care Act Re-Habilitation Centers", where those burdened with outdated beliefs causing anti-social behavioral problems can be brought back into the mainstream through the use of the most up to date and progressive techniques of re-education and behavior modification.
Judges are going to be saying that to millions of us soon, if this democrap continues. You can't have them because you're a felon. And you're a felon because you have what you can't have.
Motto "Arbeit Macht Frei" Sorry, "Work will make you free" complete with showers for the new arrivals.
Then I really wouldn’t want to say what our family has. Would make local law enforcement blush. And our neighbor up the road has more.
Be careful what you say and post on social media. Just because you are in a "room" full of like-minded souls, always assume that your words will be read by the authorities.
100% agree. I actually sweat over some of the stuff I have posted here on FR in the past. But the cat is out of the bag, so to speak. When I started posting here we were all living in a different country. Things change. Learn from my mistakes.
“You can’t have them,” the judge shot back. “It’s as simple as that.”
—
so the Judge opined as he gently caressed his P40 in his holster strapped to his left thigh.. in his right hand, his Ping putter slowly spun..
there is no out of bounds except when the left chooses to use it to their advantage.
To learn a lesson from this, forget for a moment he is a felon. I expect he told the acquaintance IF the govn. came to take his weapons, he wouldn't turn them over which means he would fight them. Freepers say they aren't giving up their guns so that's close to the same thing. However, saying it in “real life” to an acquaintance who doesn't know you well, is foolish. Also, going to the door dressed like Rambo, is foolish. He shouldn't have answered the door.
I was in my Walmart yesterday to get a target to use with my Walther pellet gun (the kind of target that captures the pellets) and the shelves for ammo were bare except for a few boxes of whatever. I asked the clerk if she had any 22 lr hollow points, and she laughed.
I got the metal target thingy, plus some zombie paper targets to attach to the unit. Practicing hitting a target with any type gun is good practice. This pellet gun also fires BBs, and I was looking for the BB target (with picture of zombies on it) that captures the BBs on the target, then the BBs slowly slide down the target to the bottom to be collected and used again. They didn't have that so will get one from Amazon.
But but but how did he have guns? Didn’t he know they were illegal for him to own?
This doesn’t make sense... a criminal that doesn’t care about laws? Hellyousay!!!
Look at it this way....
If laws worked Barack Obama would still be an illegal alien from Indochina with a bogus Connecticut Social Security card, working as a Community Organizer in Chicago and scamming little old black ladies out of their government handouts.
Instead, he's an illegal alien from Indochina with a bogus Connecticut Social Security card, working as a an American President in Washington, DC and scamming little old white ladies out of their savings.
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