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Yonnie3

(17,446 posts)
Mon Apr 29, 2019, 12:06 PM Apr 2019

California Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Riot in Charlottesville

Last edited Mon Apr 29, 2019, 12:48 PM - Edit history (1)

From the Altavista Journal (The only source I've found outside of Twitter)

ETA: now covered at WHSV-TV (link below) they apparently know the difference between California and Virginia.

California Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Riot in Charlottesville, California [sic]

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VIRGINIA – Thomas Walter Gillen, a member of the white-supremacist organization known as the Rise Above Movement (RAM), pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Charlottesville to one count of conspiracy to riot in connection with the August 2017 “United the Right” rally in Charlottesville and other purported political rallies in California. United States Attorney Thomas T. Cullen, Colonel Gary T. Settle of the Virginia State Police, and Special Agent in Charge David Archey of the FBI’s Richmond Division made the announcement.

“The First Amendment protects an individual’s or organization’s right to speak, assemble, and espouse political views, but it does not license insensate acts of violence committed under the guise of First Amendment expression,” U.S. Attorney Cullen stated today. “As Mr. Gillen has admitted as part of his guilty plea, he and other members of RAM attended the Unite the Right rally and other purported political demonstrations in California to incite and commit acts of violence, not to exercise their rights to free speech. We are grateful for the commitment of the FBI and the Virginia State Police in bringing these defendants to justice.”

“When the defendant conspired to commit violent acts at the Charlottesville rally, he damaged an entire community,” Special Agent Archey said today. “The FBI and its partners will continue to aggressively investigate these types of violations. We are grateful for the partnership of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Virginia and the Virginia State Police on this case.”

According to plea documents filed during today’s hearing, Gillen, 25, of Redondo Beach, Calif., was a member of RAM, which was a California-based, combat-ready, militant group that represented itself as part of the new nationalist and white supremacy movement. Fellow RAM members Benjamin Drake Daley, Michael Paul Miselis and Cole Evan White were indicted in October 2018, along with Gillen, and charged with violating the federal riots statute.

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http://www.altavistajournal.com/news/article_975e470e-6a91-11e9-894b-33f3b7701e1d.html
WHSV: https://www.whsv.com/content/news/California-man-pleads-guilty-to-riot-conspiracy-in-Unite-the-Right-rally-509213341.html
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