Michigan Neo-Nazis Train For Race War, 2 Sentenced: Officials

MICHIGAN — Four Michigan members of a national white supremacist group that advocates for violence against the government pleaded guilty to gang membership and weapons charges, state officials said.

Justen Watkins, Thomas Denton and Tristan Webb all plead guilty conspiracy to train with firearms for a civil disorder, felony firearm and gang membership. A fourth man, Alfred Gorman, pleaded guilty to gang membership.

Denton was sentenced to two years for felony firearm and between nine months and four years for the conspiracy charge, which will run concurrently. Gorman was also sentenced to four years of probation, state officials said.

The Tuscola County Circuit Court has yet to schedule a sentencing date for Webb, and Watkins was scheduled to be sentenced on June 13 in Washtenaw County, officials said.

"Securing these convictions on the conspiracy to train for civil disorder holds significance for many reasons," Nessel said. "They reiterate this office's commitment to protecting Michigan residents, they create a historic precedent in our state's court system, and they convey the real danger domestic terrorism poses here and around the country."

The white supremacist group, known as "The Base," is a small militant neo-Nazi organization that formed in 2018. The group embraces "Hitlerian ideology coupled with a mission to prepare for an impending race war," according to the Anti-Defamation League.

The group also "openly advocates for violence and criminal acts against the U.S." and trains for a race war to establish a white ethno-nationalist rule in parts of the U.S., Nessel said.

"The group sees non-white people as enemies of the white race and envisions a coming race war, which will be sparked by 'non-European races,'" the ADL said.

Watkins and Gorman were arrested in connection to a December 2019 incident in which a Dexter family was terrorized at their home after police said the men shined a light in their home, took photos of their property and posted the images online, officials said.

Watkins was charged with conspiring to train for a civil disorder, a first in Michigan's history, officials said. Officials believe Watkins, from Bad Axe, was the leader of the group.

Police said the two men targeted the house because they thought it belonged to Daniel Harper, a podcaster who speaks out against white supremacists. The home was not Harper's, but instead belonged to a Dexter family.

That investigation led officials to Denton and Webb, who entered two former and vacant Michigan Department of Corrections sites in the city of Caro. The men were assessing whether the property could be used as "hate camps," officials said.

"I appreciate the thorough work done by our team and partner agencies to secure these convictions," Nessel said. "Let them send the message that in Michigan, we will not hesitate to prosecute those who commit crimes in the name of overthrowing our government or perpetuating racist ideologies."