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Southern Colorado Man Sentenced to More Than 19 Years for Plotting to Blow Up Synagogue
justice.gov ^ | February 26, 2021 | Department of Justice

Posted on 03/01/2021 5:49:50 PM PST by ransomnote

Defendant planned to carry out act of domestic terrorism

A Colorado man was sentenced today in federal court in Colorado for plotting to blow up a synagogue.

Richard Holzer, 28, was sentenced to over 19 years in prison, followed by 15 years of supervised release. Holzer previously pleaded guilty to federal hate crime and explosives charges for plotting to blow up the Temple Emanuel Synagogue in Pueblo, Colorado, conduct that constituted acts of domestic terrorism. Holzer told undercover FBI agents that he wanted the bombing to send a message to Jewish people that they must leave his town, “otherwise people will die.”

Holzer pleaded guilty to intentionally attempting to obstruct persons in the enjoyment of their free exercise of religious beliefs, through force and the attempted use of explosives and fire, in violation of Title 18, U.S. Code, Section 247, and to attempting to maliciously damage and destroy, by means of fire and explosives, a building used in interstate commerce.

“The Department has combatted hate-based violent extremism and domestic terrorism since our inception,” said Acting Deputy Attorney General John Carlin. “Today there is no higher priority. This sentencing serves as a reminder that these crimes will not be tolerated, and we will hold the individuals who engage in them fully accountable. From our Civil Rights Division, our National Security Division, and the FBI, to the Office for Victims of Crime and our Community Relations Service, the Department of Justice will use every tool at its disposal to identify, disrupt, deter, and prevent hate-based, extremist threats to members of the American public.”

“Today’s sentence is another step forward in our on-going fight against extremism,” said U.S. Attorney Jason Dunn of the District of Colorado. “About two-and-a-half years ago, my first day as U.S. Attorney took me to a vigil for victims from the Pittsburgh Tree of Life Synagogue attack. Today, my last day in the office, we have sentenced the extremist responsible for the attempted bombing of the Temple Emanuel Synagogue in Pueblo. We must remain ever vigilant in this battle and I am confident the Department will continue to lead this fight.”

“Protecting our communities from terrorism, both domestic and international, is a top priority for the FBI. Mr. Holzer targeted a place of worship for violence and destruction to drive people of the Jewish faith from our community," said FBI Denver Special Agent in Charge Michael Schneider. "Today’s sentence demonstrates the commitment by the FBI and our law enforcement partners to ensure that if a crime is motivated by bias against a religion or any other federally protected status, it will be aggressively investigated, and the perpetrators held responsible for their actions. We are grateful for the collaborative efforts of the FBI’s Southern Colorado Joint Terrorism Task Force, Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office, Pueblo Police Department, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office to hold Mr. Holzer accountable for plotting violent acts of hate.”

Holzer, who self-identifies as a Neo-Nazi and white supremacist, admitted that he planned to destroy Temple Emanuel, a synagogue in Pueblo, Colorado, that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The planned bombing, which Holzer declared was “a move for our race,” was born from years of Holzer consuming and promoting white supremacist ideology. Holzer regularly used social media to glorify violence and advocate for white supremacy. After an undercover FBI employee contacted Holzer, he sent pictures of himself holding automatic weapons and said he was “getting ready for RAHOWA,” shorthand for a racial holy war.

Holzer talked to associates for months about attacking Temple Emanuel, and he visited the synagogue to observe Jewish congregants. During a meeting with undercover agents to discuss his plans, Holzer repeatedly expressed his hatred of Jewish people and suggested using explosive devices to destroy the Synagogue. Holzer told the undercover agents that he wanted to “get that place off the map.” Holzer further admitted that he coordinated with the undercover agents to obtain explosives, including pipe bombs.

On the evening of Nov. 1, 2019, Holzer met with undercover agents, who provided Holzer with inert explosive devices that had been fabricated by the FBI, including two pipe bombs and 14 sticks of dynamite. Holzer removed a copy of “Mein Kampf” from his bag and told the undercover agents that the explosives looked “absolutely gorgeous.” Holzer admitted that he planned to detonate the explosives several hours later, in the early hours of Saturday morning, Nov. 2, 2019. After his arrest, Holzer explained that “The event planned for tonight would define me as a person who would die for his people.”

The actions Holzer admitted in the plea agreement meet the federal definition of domestic terrorism, as they involved criminal acts dangerous to human life that were intended to intimidate or coerce a civilian population.

Trial Attorney Michael J. Songer of the Civil Rights Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Julia Martinez prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The FBI conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Pueblo Police Department and Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office.

For more information and resources on the Department’s efforts to combat hate crimes, visit www.justice.gov/hatecrimes.

###

Topic(s): 
Civil Rights
Hate Crimes
Component(s): 
Press Release Number: 
21-185


TOPICS: Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: heritage

1 posted on 03/01/2021 5:49:50 PM PST by ransomnote
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To: ransomnote

2 posted on 03/01/2021 5:56:03 PM PST by IWontSubmit
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To: ransomnote
he coordinated with the undercover agents to obtain explosives, including pipe bombs

Sick dude, to be sure. But one wonders how much of this plan was created and made possible by FBI agents. Agents who seem to have endless time to entrap psychopaths in plans they likely would never have tried on their own, or to investigate a fake noose in Bubba Wallace's garage...but can't issue a single sentence telling us their conclusions on the Las Vegas Mandalay Bay shooting -- the most deadly in U.S. history.

3 posted on 03/01/2021 5:58:09 PM PST by montag813 ("Fallen, fallen, is Babylon the Great")
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To: ransomnote

He’s a California native. What a surprise.

https://heavy.com/news/2019/11/richard-holzer/


4 posted on 03/01/2021 6:12:24 PM PST by familyop
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To: montag813
The mentally challenged kid in the middle is Richard Holzer. I wonder if the two controlling figures flanking him are the undercover FIB agents?


5 posted on 03/01/2021 6:25:03 PM PST by amorphous
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To: All

If there wasn’t an FBI would these crimes even exist?


6 posted on 03/01/2021 6:25:41 PM PST by escapefromboston (Free Assange )
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To: escapefromboston
Holzer met with undercover agents, who provided Holzer with inert explosive devices that had been fabricated by the FBI, including two pipe bombs and 14 sticks of dynamite.
7 posted on 03/01/2021 6:28:26 PM PST by amorphous
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To: amorphous

How do you spot the FBI agent? He’s the one with the explosives.

L


8 posted on 03/01/2021 6:31:24 PM PST by Lurker (Peaceful coexistence with the Left is not possible. Stop pretending that it is. )
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To: amorphous
Bill Ayers ‘Dancing in the Aisles’ Over Obama’s Pardon of FALN Member Oscar López Rivera

Former Weather Underground terrorist group leader Bill Ayers on Tuesday said he was on an airplane “dancing in the aisles” over news that President Obama commuted the sentence of FALN activist Oscar López Rivera, whose group was linked to over 100 bombs placed in U.S. cities in the 1970s and 1980s.

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2017/01/18/bill-ayers-dancing-aisles-obamas-pardon-faln-member-oscar-lopez-rivera/

9 posted on 03/01/2021 6:32:19 PM PST by amorphous
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To: ransomnote

Wannabe terrorist. Glad he got caught before he hurt anyone


10 posted on 03/01/2021 6:33:01 PM PST by Cronos
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To: Lurker
Anyone know how many years Bill Ayers was sentence to? Served?

Life?

Nothing on wiki: Bill Ayers

IIRC, at least one Weather Underground bombing led to someone dying?

11 posted on 03/01/2021 6:38:11 PM PST by amorphous
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To: ransomnote

Mr. Holzer pled guilty.

He will do the entire 20 years.

I hope he hates every moment of his stay in federal prison.


12 posted on 03/01/2021 6:50:54 PM PST by Meatspace
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To: ransomnote

And yet Bill Ayers carried out bombings and skated away to fame and acceptance in academia.


13 posted on 03/01/2021 7:43:24 PM PST by a fool in paradise (Lean on Joe Biden to follow Donald Trump's example and donate his annual salary to charity. )
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To: montag813

What percentage of the klan today are FBI agents?

I’ve read that there are only 2000 members nation wide.

50 states means 40 members each. If there are ringers in “administration” of each, it’s kept alive by the FIB.


14 posted on 03/01/2021 7:46:11 PM PST by a fool in paradise (Lean on Joe Biden to follow Donald Trump's example and donate his annual salary to charity. )
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To: amorphous

They cut him loose.

Deep Throat botched the case because he apparently violated the Weather Underground’s rights.

By Ayers own confession he did it. Guilty as sin yet free as a bird.

By the reasoning that Ayers was freed all charged or investigated in the crooked investigations of Donald Trump should also have been freed.


15 posted on 03/01/2021 7:48:42 PM PST by a fool in paradise (Lean on Joe Biden to follow Donald Trump's example and donate his annual salary to charity. )
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To: ransomnote

“undercover agents... provided Holzer with inert explosive devices...”

Seems the FBI framed somebody. 19 years? Wow.
Berkeley has $800,000 damage from Antifa in 2017. Who was caught and punished? I wish I knew, since Berkeley as trashed.


16 posted on 03/01/2021 9:29:27 PM PST by Falconspeed
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To: ransomnote

Anti-Semites and white supremacists are a wild-eyed, misled cabal actively, but distantly, curated by the far left to serve as a smokescreen; diverting attention away from what’s really going on.

They’ll tell you “It’s the Jooooos,” and typically there may be some suspiciously Jewish surnames in the mix, but it’s NOT “the Jooos,” first and foremost; it’s FAR-left, if not out-and-out communist radicals.

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah... Democrats will clutch their pearls, wring their hands, and exhibit all kinds of benevolent concern over the existence of supremacists and bigots, but when the cameras and mics have left the room, they’re happy to have their own diversionary force working for them to keep the white hot spotlights pointed elsewhere.

Bunch-a effed-in-the-head TOOLS witlessly paving the way for commies to have a smoother ride is all they are.


17 posted on 03/01/2021 10:42:26 PM PST by HKMk23 (The days of my sojourn have been few and evil; I have not attained to the stature of my forebears.)
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To: IWontSubmit

Is there a point to posting your fellow antisemite? Or are you so mentally ill that you don’t realize that Susan Rosenberg is a communist antisemite, and use her to justify mass murder of American Jews?


18 posted on 12/16/2021 11:18:06 PM PST by rmlew ("Mosques are our barracks, minarets our bayonets, domes our helmets, the believers our soldiers." )
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