CA Trump Supporter Faces Charges Regarding Homemade Pipe Bombs

NAPA, CA — A Napa man charged Tuesday in federal court for possession of five pipe bombs sent text messages indicating he would go to war to ensure former President Donald Trump stayed in office, an FBI agent wrote in court documents.

Ian Benjamin Rogers, 44, was arrested Jan. 15 as a result of a joint investigation by the FBI, the Napa County Sheriff's Office and the Napa Special Investigations Bureau.

When search warrants were served at Rogers' home and business, investigators found more than 50 guns (several unregistered and/or illegal), over 15,000 rounds of ammunition, and several pounds of gun powder, the Napa County Sheriff's Office said.

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Five homemade pipe bombs — and materials to make more — were found inside a gun safe at Rogers' business, federal prosecutors alleged Wednesday.

Other materials prosecutors said Rogers could have used to manufacture destructive devices included black powder, pipes, endcaps and manuals, including "The Anarchist Cookbook," "U.S. Army Improvised Munitions Handbook," and "Homemade C-4 A Recipe for Survival."

When asked about the explosive devices, Rogers reportedly admitted he made them but told investigators it was "for entertainment purposes only," according to documents recently unsealed in the case.

"Other items found during the search, as well as text messages recovered from Rogers' phone, indicate that the pipe bombs were not just for entertainment purposes," FBI Special Agent Stephanie Minor wrote in a criminal complaint in support of Rogers' arrest.

Rogers is also accused of having two copies of a "U.S. Army Special Forces Guide to Unconventional Warfare" and a "U.S. Army Guerrilla Warfare Handbook," according to Minor, an agent with the FBI's Domestic Terrorism Squad.

Further, a sticker displayed on Rogers' vehicle is commonly used by "ThreePercenters," which Minor said is used by people who ascribe to extreme anti-government, pro-gun beliefs. Their use of "three percent" is a reference to the belief that only 3 percent of the American colonists fought against the British during the American Revolution, Minor wrote.

A "White Privilege, Trumps Everything" card was also found among Rogers' belongings, Minor wrote. Many extreme anti-government militias are populated by white supremacists, Minor wrote, and the numbers "0045" on the card made to resemble a credit card were a reference to former President Donald Trump, the 45th president of the United States.

It is alleged that text messages recovered from Rogers' phone indicated his belief that Trump won the 2020 presidential election, and "his intent to attack Democrats and places associated with Democrats in an effort to ensure Trump remained in office," Minor wrote.

It is alleged that in a text message sent Jan. 10, Rogers wrote: "We can attack Twitter or the democrats you pick." The next day he texted the same person and wrote: "I want to blow up a democrat building bad."

In another text, Rogers is accused of writing: "I hope 45 goes to war if he doesn’t I will."

Rogers in another series of texts is accused of writing: "Let's see what happens then we act," followed by "I'm thinking sac office first target," "Then maybe bird and face offices."

The FBI believes Rogers was referring to the offices of California Gov. Gavin Newsom as his first target, followed by the offices of Twitter ("bird") and Facebook ("face") because both social media platforms had locked Trump's accounts to prevent him from sending messages.

Rogers also reportedly wrote: "Sad it’s come to this but I’m not going down without a fight," and "These commies need to be told what's up."

As for the pipe bombs, a Napa County Sheriff's Office bomb technician examined and tested the devices and concluded "Rogers constructed five improvised explosive devices that were fully operational and could cause great bodily harm or injury if handled improperly," Minor wrote.

In announcing the federal charges, U.S. Attorney David L. Anderson said: "We draw a bright line between lawlessness and our constitutional freedoms. We will prosecute illegal weapons stockpiles regardless of the motivation of the offender."

Rogers remains behind bars at the Napa County jail, where his bail is set at $5 million. He has appeared in Napa County Superior Court on several of the initial arrest charges and remains in local custody awaiting a preliminary hearing.

Federal prosecutors intend to seek a transfer to federal custody in San Francisco for Rogers' appearance on the federal charges, which carry a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.