Thread: Right-wing domestic terrorists

• Pennsylvania man arrested after posting YouTube video of father's decapitated head

A Pennsylvania man has been arrested after allegedly killing his father, before displaying his decapitated head in a gruesome YouTube video while spouting right-wing conspiracy theories.

Justin Mohn, 32, is accused of killing his father, Michael Mohn, police told NBC News. While police did not release the victim’s age, public records show him to have been 68.

Mohn was taken into custody about 100 miles away from the crime scene on suspicion of first-degree murder, abuse of a corpse and possessing an instrument of crime with intent, according to a court docket released early Wednesday.

He was arraigned at 4 a.m. and denied bail, Middletown Township Police Capt. Pete Feeney said.

In the YouTube video, which was titled "Mohn's Militia - Call To Arms For American Patriots" and is cited in a police complaint, Mohn is seen wearing gloves and holding his father's head in a plastic bag. Later, the head can be seen in a cooking pot.

Mohn says his father was a federal employee for 20 years and refers to him as a traitor, calling for the death of all federal officials and attacking President Joe Biden's administration, the Black Lives Matter movement, the LGBTQ community and antifa activists. YouTube removed the video, which is more than 14 minutes long, hours after it was posted.

• Jan. 6 rioter who flipped officer over ledge sentenced to more than six years in prison

A rioter who flipped a law enforcement officer over a ledge during the Jan. 6, 2021 attacks on the Capitol was reportedly sentenced to more than six years in prison on Tuesday, according to multiple reports.

New York resident Ralph Celentano, 56, was sentenced to 78 months in federal prison on Tuesday. District Judge Timothy Kelly said that Celentano’s actions on Jan. 6 were “disgraceful” and the attack on the officer was “a truly cowardly and despicable thing to do,” NBC News reported.

Celentano was arrested in 2022 in connection to his role in the Capitol riots and was found guilty last year of multiple misdemeanor and felony charges, including assaulting law enforcement officers. According to the prosecutors, Celentano made his way to the front of the rioters gathered at the Lower West Terrace, where he engaged in several altercations with law enforcement officers during the Capitol riot.

According to court documents, Celentano and other rioters successfully breached the police line. He then spotted a Capitol Police officer with his back turned near a raised platform, and hit the officer in a “football style tackle,” according to the documents. The documents said the officer then flipped over the ledge and fell onto the officers below him.

The government had asked for Celentano to be sentenced to 135 months in prison, three years supervised release, a $2,000 restitution and a $300 special assessment, according to a sentencing memorandum last year.

“Celentano’s conduct on January 6, 2021 demonstrates a violent character and disrespect for law enforcement, which weighs in favor of a lengthy term of incarceration,” the sentencing memo states.

The defendants are due to be sentenced in June and prosecutors are sure to ask for prison terms that span several years or more.

• Ryan Samsel, Jan. 6 defendant who instigated breach, convicted of multiple felonies

The Jan. 6 defendant widely seen as the instigator of the violent breach of Capitol grounds was convicted Friday of multiple felonies for his role in the attack, including the assault of Capitol Police Officer Caroline Edwards, who was briefly knocked unconscious by the force of his charge.

Ryan Samsel and four codefendants, who arrived at the thinly guarded barricades surrounding Capitol grounds even before Donald Trump concluded an address to supporters down the street, were each convicted of participating in the “civil disorder” wrought by the mob and of assaulting one of several police officers who guarded that first line.

U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb issued the verdict three months after presiding over a bench trial of the five men, who also included James Grant, Stephen Randolph, Paul Johnson and Jason Blythe. Samsel, Grant and Randolph were also convicted of obstructing congressional proceedings, a felony charge that is now being scrutinized by the Supreme Court to determine whether it was meant to sweep in conduct alleged against Jan. 6 defendants.

After Samsel and his codefendants toppled the initial barricades, the mob — reinforced by thousands who subsequently left Trump’s rally at the Ellipse — swelled until it overwhelmed police lines and cleared a path to the Capitol building itself, leading to the breach of the building.

The defendants are due to be sentenced in June and prosecutors are sure to ask for prison terms that span several years or more.

Though the verdict represents yet another batch of high-profile Jan. 6 felony convictions, the result was nevertheless mixed. Cobb rejected three charges against each of the defendants related to trespassing and disorderly conduct on the restricted grounds of the Capitol, ruling that the Justice Department had failed to prove the defendants were aware that Vice President Mike Pence and his family were present during the melee.

Cobb joins two other district court judges who have found in recent weeks that prosecutors must prove defendants were aware of the presence of a Secret Service protectee in order to convict Jan. 6 rioters of the trespassing charges, formally known as “entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds.”

Samsel was one of the earliest figures central to the Jan. 6 violence to be arrested and detained in the investigation. He has been incarcerated since January 2021 and has been a figure of great interest to both prosecutors and congressional investigators probing the attack. Videos and surveillance footage of the attack show Samsel approaching the barricades shortly before 1 p.m. on Jan. 6.

Samsel briefly huddled with Joe Biggs, a leader of the Proud Boys, moments before charging the barricades — an encounter that became a significant episode in the seditious conspiracy trial of Biggs and four other Proud Boys leaders. Samsel also briefly spoke with Ray Epps in those same moments, which became fodder for baseless pro-Trump conspiracy theories that Epps was a federal agent seeking to foment unrest at the Capitol.

Samsel initially told federal investigators that Biggs told him he had a gun and wanted Samsel to attack the police, while Epps had sought to calm him down, but he has since backed away from that version of events. Prosecutors indicated in Epps’ recent sentencing that Samsel gave conflicting accounts.

• State Department diplomatic security officer arrested on Jan. 6 charges

A man who worked for the State Department as a diplomatic security officer was arrested by the FBI on Tuesday in Washington in connection with the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Kevin Alstrup faces the same four misdemeanor charges that have typically been given to non-violent Jan. 6 participants who entered the Capitol building during the attack: entering and remaining in a restricted building; disorderly and disruptive conduct; disorderly conduct; and unlawful picketing or parading.

After Alstrup's email address popped up in a Google response to a government search warrant for devices that were inside the Capitol building on Jan. 6, the bureau researched Alstrup and obtained information that he "was employed by the United States Department of State (USDOS) as a Diplomatic Security Officer (DSO)," according to an FBI affidavit. In that role, an FBI special agent wrote, Alstrup would have been "familiar with providing security and protection for high-ranking government officials or sensitive locations, like embassies."

Reached for comment, the State Department said it was aware of Alstrup's arrest, adding that he "was a third-party contractor providing uniformed officer services for the State Department."

The FBI found posts that Alstrup made on social media showing the outside of the Capitol building on Jan. 6, which the FBI said illustrated the "obvious presence of barriers outside the U.S. Capitol building, which marked the restricted area."

Alstrup's supervisor confirmed Alstrup's identification in photos from inside the Capitol, the FBI said. The bureau determined that he spent approximately 28 minutes inside, including in the crypt, a room in the center of the Capitol on the first floor.

During his time inside the building, the FBI said that Alstrup was taking photos of other rioters entering and exiting the building through a broken window and that alarms "audibly and continuously sounded" as a Capitol Police officer told rioters to leave and gestured for them to do so.

After he left the Capitol, Alstrup was picked up on body camera footage from a Metropolitan Police Department officer, the FBI affidavit said.

• Feds arrest man they say intended to act as militia "sniper" at southern border and attack federal agents

A Tennessee militia member who told an undercover federal agent that the U.S. is "being invaded" by migrants was planning to travel to the southern border with a stockpile of weapons and commit acts of violence against federal border agents, according to a criminal complaint.

Paul Faye, of Cunningham, was arrested in Tennessee on Monday by the FBI after a nearly yearlong investigation and charged with selling an unregistered firearm suppressor (silencer). He faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison if convicted on the charge, according to the complaint filed this week by federal prosecutors in Nashville.

Faye will appear in federal court on Feb. 12 for a detention hearing. His arrest was first reported by the online publication Court Watch.

The complaint said Faye attracted the attention of federal investigators when they noticed he had "extensive contact" with Bryan C. Perry, a Tennessee militia member who authorities said was planning a violent conflict with Border Patrol agents before his arrest in 2022.

Perry, of Clarksville, Tennessee, has been charged with conspiring to kill federal agents. Federal investigators said Perry tried to recruit members to his militia to travel to the border to shoot migrants and federal agents. Perry allegedly fired at FBI agents who traveled to Missouri to arrest him in October 2022.

Faye had intended to travel to the border with Perry before Perry's arrest, according to the complaint, which did not identify by name the militia or militias Faye is accused of being associated with.

A public defender representing Faye didn't immediately respond to an email message seeking comment Tuesday afternoon.

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37 months in prison, 24 months of supervised release and to pay restitution of $2,000

• Wisconsin Man Sentenced to Prison for Assaulting Police With Chemical Bear Spray During Jan. 6 Capitol Breach

A Wisconsin man was sentenced to prison on Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024, for his actions during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. His actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election.

Riley Kasper, 25, of Pulaski, Wisconsin, was sentenced to 37 months in prison by U.S. District Court Judge Royce C. Lamberth for assaulting law enforcement officers during a civil disorder, a felony. Judge Lamberth also ordered Kasper to serve 24 months of supervised release and to pay restitution of $2,000.

Kasper’s actions were documented by body-worn cameras from the Metropolitan Police Department, open-source video, and Kasper’s own postings, in which he boasted about his exploits and his assault on multiple officers. Kasper pleaded guilty in the District of Columbia on Sept. 15, 2023, to assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers or employees.

According to court documents, on Jan. 6, 2021, starting at 1:50 p.m., Kasper sprayed an aerosol canister of bear spray toward law enforcement officers who were attempting to secure the Capitol building and grounds. That day, Kasper also communicated on social media with another individual, declaring, among other things:

“I pepper-sprayed 3 cops so bad they got undressed and went home, gently brazed [sic] many others several times. I basically organized my own little militia and we f----ing took over Congress.” He also wrote, “I mean the rest of the crowd gave support, but as you can see in that video it was my group that busted the first gate and kept chasing the cops down and pushing them back into the capital [sic].”

The next day, Kasper communicated with another individual on social media, stating, “You charge that line and start spraying they start running for cover like you’re coming at them with an ak” and “there is definitely something satisfying about pepper spraying cops in riot gear and watching them run from you like a b--- even though they have face masks, billy clubs and full fucking body armor.”

Kasper also wrote a message gloating: “As the day went on there were cops that started taking our advice and leaving, idk if they quit cause they wanted to make it home alive or if their commander let them. But yeah, one dude got pulled into the crowd and slammed on the ground on his back and his club, pepper spray, cuffs, radio everything got ripped from his belt, somehow I took out my baton and got right down in his face and screamed just go back home then stood up offered him a hand to get up and give him his radio back cause I had that lol and he turned and walked away and as far as I know left. I’m pretty sure dude thought he was gonna die that day lol.”

Kasper was arrested on March 16, 2023, in Ashland, Wisconsin.

After his arrest, Kasper was also recorded in a conversation from jail. In the conversation, Kasper described the image of himself holding the can of bear spray against officers as making him look “like a f---in badass.”

• Right-wing extremism linked to all extremist murders in 2023: ADL

Homicides connected to extremism declined in 2023 for the second year in a row, but risks for extremist violence remain high as antisemitism and domestic terror threats have risen, according to new data.

The big picture: Preliminary figures have shown the U.S. ended 2023 with one of the largest annual drops in overall homicides on record, even as the nation's 10 largest cities saw significant surges in hate crimes last year.

• The ADL Center on Extremism's annual Murder and Extremism report also found that right-wing extremism was connected to all extremist-related killings of 2023.
• White supremacists were tied to the overwhelming majority (88%) of extremist-related murders last year.

Details: Extremists were involved in the killing of at least 17 people in 2023 in seven separate incidents — a significant drop from the 27 extremist-related murders from 2022, an Anti-Defamation League (ADL) analysis found.

• That's also another drop from 2021, when the U.S. saw 35 extremist-related murders.
• In 2021, Lyndon McLeod, an adherent of the toxic masculinity subculture of the "manosphere," killed five people in a multi-location shooting rampage in Denver.

The decrease continues a trend of fewer extremist-related killings after a five-year span (2015-2019), during which the number of extremist-related murders ranged from 47 to 79.

Zoom in: The two deadliest incidents in 2023 were extremist-related shooting sprees by white supremacists: the Allen, Texas, mall shooting in May, and the store shooting in Jacksonville, Florida, in August.

• Firearms were used in almost all of the 2023 extremist-related killings (94%).

Yes, but: Last year was the third straight year of spikes in the big cities' overall average number of hate crimes. It came as the Israel-Hamas war sparked jumps in antisemitic and anti-Muslim hate crimes in the last months of 2023.

• A report by the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino, showed overall increases in hate crimes also extended to major cities outside the ten largest ones, including San Francisco and Boston.

What they're saying: "Our data shows that, while extremist killings have decreased, the threat of extremist mass shootings has not," Oren Segal, vice president for the ADL Center on Extremism, said in a statement.

• "The extremist landscape remains complex, and the threat of deadly extremist violence may be even higher this year as many of the issues animating hate and violence can be exacerbated in an election year."

Between the lines: Hate crimes tend to pick up in the months before a presidential election and at the end of the year around religious holidays, Brian Levin, the recently retired director of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism, tells Axios.

• Anti-Jewish hate crimes also have increased dramatically after each news-dominating Middle East conflict in the past 30 years, he said.

What's next: The ADL recommends that the White House should name a senior-level Domestic Terrorism Director at the National Security Council to focus on domestic terrorism and hate-motivated violence.

• It also recommends that federal, state and local officials should ensure that no public employees are involved in violent movements and that those who sympathize with extremists are not in sensitive positions, such as law enforcement.

24 months in prison and 36 months of supervised release

• Arizona Man Sentenced to Prison on Felony Charges for Actions During Jan. 6 Capitol Breach

An Arizona man was sentenced on Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024, on two felony charges related to his conduct during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. His actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election.

Jacob Zerkle, 51, of Bowie, Arizona, was sentenced to 24 months in prison and 36 months of supervised release by U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton. Zerkle pleaded guilty to civil disorder and assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers, both felonies, on Oct. 30, 2023.

According to court documents, Zerkle traveled with his brother from his home in Arizona in order to protest “election integrity” in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, 2021. On the morning of January 6th, Zerkle traveled to the National Mall and joined a vocal group of approximately 75 to 100 individuals that included Proud Boys leaders Joe Biggs, Charles Donohoe, Ethan Nordean, and Zachary Rehl. While former President Trump’s “Stop the Steal” rally was still underway, Zerkle walked with the group east from the Ellipse area adjacent to the White House, past the Washington Monument, to the west front of the U.S. Capitol building.

The group circled the north side of the Capitol, proceeding to the large plaza on the east side before returning to the Peace Circle, though Zerkle split from the group at some point before this. Between 1:00 and 2:00 p.m., Zerkle entered the restricted area of the Capitol grounds via the Pennsylvania Walkway, crossed onto the grass lawn on the northwest portion of Capitol grounds, and joined other rioters. There, he and others watched as rioters began scaling the nearby Northwest Staircase toward the first floor of the Capitol building. During this period, Zerkle joined the crowd in chanting, “Hang ’em high” toward the Capitol building.

Later, at approximately 2 : 00 p.m., Zerkle assaulted a group of Metropolitan Police Department officers who had arrived at the Northwest edge of the grounds as the unit made its way toward the Capitol building to assist and reinforce U.S. Capitol Police (USCP), who were outnumbered by the amassing crowd on the West Plaza of the Capitol.

Court documents say that between 1 : 59 and 2 : 04 p.m., as the officers attempted to navigate through the crowd to the West Plaza, Zerkle, as well as other individuals in the crowd, physically engaged with the officers and intentionally made physical contact with at least three officers, which included placing his hands on the officers and forcibly pushing. Zerkle also yelled at the officers that they were “traitors.” Because of Zerkle’s and other rioters’ conduct, the officers were delayed in responding to the Capitol Building as ordered.

Arthur Reyher, 38, of Brownsburg, Indiana, was sentenced to eight months in prison, three years of supervised release, ordered to pay $2,000 in restitution, and ordered to serve 200 hours of community service. Jessica Reyher was sentenced to 90 days in prison, three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $2,000 in restitution

• Indiana Couple Sentenced on Felony Charge for Actions During Jan. 6 Capitol Breach

An Indiana couple was sentenced today on a felony charge related to their conduct during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Their actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election.

Arthur Reyher, 38, of Brownsburg, Indiana, was sentenced to eight months in prison, three years of supervised release, ordered to pay $2,000 in restitution, and ordered to serve 200 hours of community service. Jessica Reyher was sentenced to 90 days in prison, three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $2,000 in restitution. The couple was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Reggie B. Walton.

Arthur and Jessica Reyher both pleaded guilty to a felony offense of obstruction of law enforcement during a civil disorder on Nov. 6, 2023.

According to court documents, the Reyhers traveled from Brownsburg, Indiana, to Washington, D.C., to attend the "Stop the Steal" rally on Jan. 6, 2021. After watching the former President's speech, the Reyhers marched to the U.S. Capitol building and entered the restricted perimeter at the West Front. Here, the Reyhers witnessed a chaotic scene as tear gas and other chemical irritants filled the air, emergency warning systems blared, bike racks littered the ground, and the line of police officers was under constant attack from a mob of rioters.

Rioters at the West Front eventually overwhelmed police and caused officers to retreat to the Lower West Terrace and escape into the nearest entrance to the Capitol building, a narrow hallway known as the Tunnel, created by the construction of the Inauguration stage and the site of some of the most violent attacks against law enforcement on January 6th. The Lower West Terrace Tunnel was the site of some of the most violent assaults on law enforcement officers on January 6th. Rioters at the Tunnel battled officers for hours as they attempted to storm the Capitol building.

After making it through the crowds on the West Front, the Reyhers made their way to the Tunnel and entered at about 2:43 p.m. Once inside, the two quickly pushed to the front of the crowd of rioters and joined others in aggressively pushing against the established police line.

At about 2:50 p.m., Arthur and Jessica participated in a series of coordinated pushes against the police line in the Tunnel. Court records say that one rioter coordinated the mob's efforts by making "1, 2, 3" gestures with his hand and yelling "PUSH!" Court documents say that Arthur and Jessica combined their body weight with others in the crowd to physically push back against the assembled police line.

Shortly after, police gained ground in the Tunnel and coordinated a counter-push. The mob of rioters fell back, and the Reyhers were expelled from the Tunnel. At approximately 3:04 p.m., Arthur and Jessica reentered the Tunnel and again pushed their way to the front of the pack of rioters. The duo again joined with others and used their body weight to physically push, in unison, against the police line. At about 3:05 p.m., a chemical irritant was sprayed inside the Tunnel, causing the Reyhers to leave. The two then stood outside the Archway entrance and yelled "PUSH!" and patted rioters on the back as they entered the Tunnel.

Shortly thereafter, another individual came out from the Tunnel and yelled several times, "We are almost through!" Arthur Reyher then exclaimed, "PUSH!" and "OUR HOUSE!" At that point, another rioter turned to Arthur and Jessica and said, "Hey guys, are you going in or not? The couple then rushed into the Tunnel for the third time and joined the collective efforts to push against the police line. As the Reyhers thrust their collective body weight into the police line, one officer could be heard screaming in agonizing pain as they were smashed between a shield and a metal door frame. After their third time entering the Tunnel, the Reyhers exited once more.

At about 3:17 p.m., Arthur Reyher stood outside of the Tunnel and again joined rioters in repeatedly pushing in unison against the police line. The pushing continued for several minutes until police were able to expel the rioters from the Tunnel.

• Man who attacked police with hockey stick during Capitol riot gets over 3 years in prison

A former military officer who assaulted police officers with a hockey stick and a sharp metal pole while he stormed the U.S. Capitol was sentenced on Wednesday to more than three years in prison.

Michael Joseph Foy, 33, threw the pole at police and struck officers with the hockey stick as a mob of rioters fought for control of an entrance to the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Then he climbed through a broken window and walked around the building.

Foy, a Marine Corps veteran from Michigan, apologized to the officers whom he assaulted — and “to my country” — before U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan sentenced him to three years and four months of imprisonment. He also thanked the judge for releasing him from pretrial custody in July 2021, allowing him to find a job and improve his mental health.

“You allowed me to build the life that I so desperately needed after I got out of the Marine Corps,” he told the judge before learning his sentence.

Chutkan oversees former President Donald Trump’s election interference case in Washington, D.C. Her handling of the Jan. 6 riot cases is getting added scrutiny as she presides over Trump’s case in the same federal courthouse.

Trump’s trial was originally set to begin next month, but the case has been on hold while Trump appeals his claims of presidential immunity from prosecution. No new trial date has been set.

Chutkan is known for being one of the toughest punishers of Jan. 6 rioters. In Foy’s case, however, she imposed a punishment that was over four years shorter than the prison sentence that prosecutors recommended. She said she was sentencing Foy “with a heavy heart” because she has been impressed with the progress that he has made since his release from jail.

“I want you to build on that,” she said. “I think you can.”

But the judge said she had to punish Foy for the “horrific” violence that he engaged in during the Capitol attack.

“You took an oath to serve your country, and you knew better,” she said. “What you did there on January 6th was not serving your country.”

Chutkan convicted Foy of two felonies — assaulting a police officer and obstruction of an official proceeding — after a “stipulated bench trial,” which means the judge decided the case without a jury and based on facts that both sides agreed to before trial. Such trials allow defendants to maintain appeal rights that are waived by a guilty plea.