By Macie Goldfarb and Devon M. Sayers, CNN
A former US Army soldier charged with conspiring to “physically eliminate” black and brown people in multiple North Carolina counties now faces up to a decade in prison after pleading guilty to a separate weapons-related charge, officials announced. federal prosecutors.
Noah Edwin Anthony, 23, pleaded guilty to possessing an unregistered short-barreled rifle during his arraignment Tuesday. a pitch of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina, he said.
When the illegal firearm was discovered in March 2022, Anthony was stationed at Fort Bragg in North Carolina as an intelligence analyst, according to records provided by the Army. He was involuntarily separated from the military in February 2023.
Anthony’s attorney, Christopher J. Locascio, declined to comment on the case when contacted by CNN.
The illegal firearm, a 3D-printed rifle with no serial number, was found during a search of Anthony’s room after officers at Fort Bragg found an unregistered weapon. “ghost gun” in his car during a random vehicle check, according to the statement. The ATF Firearms Laboratory later determined that the firearm was less than 16 inches and violated the National Firearms Act.
A more extensive search of his car by Military Police uncovered an American flag emblazoned with a swastika, “Nazi-type patches,” two extended magazines and ammunition, he said.
A search of Anthony’s room also uncovered: white supremacist literature, T-shirts, and patches; chargers for various firearms; and various electronic devices, the prosecution said.
On their electronic devices, investigators found evidence of “a preliminary namesake ‘operation'” intended to “physically remove as many [black and brown people] Hoke, Cumberland, Robeson and Scotland counties by any means necessary,” the statement said.
He has not faced federal charges related to the alleged plot.
Anthony was indicted by a federal grand jury on one count of possession of an illegal firearm related to a weapons violation.
After pleading guilty to the charge, Anthony faces up to 10 years in prison, according to the statement. Sentencing for him is scheduled for July 25, court records show.
Calls to Fort Bragg for comment on the incident have not been returned.
The case was handled by the US Attorney’s Office. Connelly, a spokesperson for the office, told CNN.
Connelly noted that his strong relationships with military colleagues helped solve the case.
The CNN Wire
™ & © 2023 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
CNN’s Elizabeth Wolfe and Haley Britzky contributed to this report.
