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Minnesota Neo-Nazis Indicted After Undercover Terror Investigation

Posted By Bill Morlin On April 30, 2012 @ 2:34 pm In Neo-Nazi | 14 Comments

Two Minnesota men who talked of starting a new white supremacy group, to be called the “Aryan Liberation Movement,” have been arrested by terrorism task force agents on federal firearms and drug charges after a three-year undercover investigation into alleged plans to commit violence against minorities and the government.

Samuel James Johnson, 31, of Austin, Minn., and Joseph Benjamin Thomas, 42, of Mendota Heights, Minn., were arrested last week.

Thomas, a former Neo-Nazi National Socialist Movement [1] (NSM). leader, was indicted on one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and four counts of distribution of the drug between Feb. 1 and March 13.

Johnson, who has a criminal record in Minnesota going back to 1999, was indicted on four counts of being an armed career criminal in possession of a firearm and two counts of being an armed career criminal in possession of ammunition. If convicted, Johnson faces a minimum, mandatory term of 15 years in prison under provisions of the federal armed career criminal law.

Although the case ended with firearms and drug charges, it didn’t start that way, according to details provided in a nine-page search warrant affidavit filed by a special agents assigned to the FBI’s Minneapolis Joint Terrorism Task Force.

In August 2010, the task force began an investigation of Johnson, who had involvement with other white supremacists as Minnesota leader of the NSM. As the investigation progressed, the FBI learned Johnson “was planning to recruit and train other white supremacists with a goal of committing acts of violence against the United States government and minority individuals,” the affidavit says.

“In furtherance of this plan, Johnson started his own organization that he entitled the ‘Aryan Liberation Movement’ (ALM)” after leaving the NSM, the affidavit says.

It further alleges that Johnson, who had a felony record, “actively scouted for a training compound in both Illinois and Minnesota” while he continued illegally acquiring firearms.

Thomas, meanwhile, first came to the attention of the FBI in early 2010 when he hosted NSM meetings and discussed forming the ALM with Johnson, the affidavit says. “One of ALM’s goals was to conduct attacks against the United States government and minority individuals.”

By May 2011, an FBI agent working in an undercover capacity had infiltrated the group and purchased an AP9 semi-automatic handgun, a pistol-grip shotgun, a laser sight and hundreds of rounds of ammunition from Thomas, the court document says. The following month, the undercover agent learned Thomas had attempted to buy explosives to “conduct attacks on left-wing individuals,” who aren’t identified in the court document.

As the investigation continued, the undercover agent learned in July 2011 that Thomas had purchased $700 worth of cocaine and was involved in a marijuana and cocaine drug sales operation. By February of this year, the drug operation had expanded to included methamphetamine, documented with the undercover agent’s 28-gram purchase of meth from Thomas.

At some point, agents got court authorization to attach a hidden global positioning system tracking device on Thomas’ vehicle and used that to track him to his drug supplier, the affidavit says.

The affidavit also details three other undercover purchases of meth in February and March. During one of those meetings, Thomas told the agent “about a stockpile of firearms in north Minnesota that had been stolen.” Some of those weapons were turned over to federal authorities by another man, but it’s not clear from the court document if all were recovered.


14 Comments (Open | Close)

14 Comments To "Minnesota Neo-Nazis Indicted After Undercover Terror Investigation"

#1 Comment By Aron On April 30, 2012 @ 3:01 pm

More Neo-Nazi übermenschen. Truly, the idiocy of these dinks never cease to amaze.

#2 Comment By Matthew Bright On April 30, 2012 @ 7:41 pm

Nazis on meth. What a comforting thought.

#3 Comment By Ruslan Amirkhanov On April 30, 2012 @ 8:09 pm

Be glad that American home-grown terrorists are such morons. If that weren’t the case, we would have suffered thousands of casualties by now, instead of a few hundred.

#4 Comment By Jason Smith On April 30, 2012 @ 11:10 pm

Well, if you go over to the Council of Conservative Citizens website they just have different stories. Their stories are about Black mob attacks and white people being attacked. That never gets reported here.

#5 Comment By Aron On May 1, 2012 @ 7:58 am

Jason,

Except when it was reported upon last week. Try again, stupid!

#6 Comment By Robert Pinkerton On May 1, 2012 @ 8:02 am

Nazis on methamphetamine might not be that new a story: I have been told by World War Two generation veteran relatives, that the German army in that war issued methamphetamine regularly and normally to its troops in combat. Although I think that is plausible, I wonder how accurate it is. Does anyone here know?

#7 Comment By Aron On May 1, 2012 @ 9:54 am

Robert,

While I don’t have the time at the moment to provide evidence, I can tell you that your relatives were correct. Methamphetamine use was very common and accepted throughout the Wehrmacht.

(I’ll get you corroboration as soon as time allows.)

#8 Comment By Erika On May 1, 2012 @ 12:12 pm

Jason, if you were in the wrong place at the wrong time these wantabe terrorist fools could have killed you regardless of ideology. just be glad they are off the street.

#9 Comment By Tyrone Mixon On May 3, 2012 @ 3:52 pm

@Jason go over to racism daily dot com or cynical Afrikan and see some stories that Amren nor C of CC will post. Not only will they not post them, they say the stories are made up.

We know only negroes commit crimes because they are all negrowee and stuff.

#10 Comment By Sheila On May 3, 2012 @ 9:57 pm

Welcome to Arizona with JD Ready and Russell Pearce to thank…..and a quick shout out to Jan and John/Jon

#11 Comment By Mr Kurt Alleyne On May 3, 2012 @ 10:20 pm

Happy to hear that these Individuals are currently Detained. I wonder what the Ayrian Brotherhood are chattering about from the Max Security Schu’s where they them-selves are currently Detained. I’ll bet they aren’t greatly Impressed one bit.

Me,Personally as an Avdocate of Human Rights am happy to see the continuing battle to remove such Criminally Minded Individuals from your / our streets.

I often wonder how many of them know the Significance if the Swastika that many of these Individuals wear.

#12 Comment By lori Peasley On June 27, 2012 @ 2:20 pm

What a total shock to see this information for have I got an almost scary related story, but I cannot get law enforcement to listen to let alone help me.

#13 Comment By jessica breault On April 7, 2013 @ 4:44 am

Joseph thomas is not some white power jerk, he is a nice person whom my 3children (that are mexican americans)and my-self love and miss more each day..all is he is guilty of is having poor choice in so called friends aka The FBI agents he belived to be friends, and not slime balls or liers like joes brother and I both seen in them from day one as martty and I are not as Good in trusting people like my joe is.. please do not beive ALL these lies and hateful fairy tails the FBI wants us to belive in..with out eveidence to even bring him to court.. what a was the cost of this 3year undercover investagation that went NOWHERE

#14 Comment By jessica breault On April 7, 2013 @ 4:45 am

SHAMEFULL WAST OF TAXPAYER money!!!


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URLs in this post:

[1] National Socialist Movement: http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/intelligence-files/groups/national-socialist-movement