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---
category: "Extremism & Violent Networks"
tags:
- Person
- TerrorgramCollective
- NeoNazi
- Accelerationism
- FederalCase
- NewJersey
- USA
- InfrastructureSabotage
summary: "Andrew Takhistov is an East Brunswick, New Jersey Terrorgram Collective member arrested July 10, 2024, charged with soliciting destruction of two PSE&G electrical substations in New Jersey after conducting reconnaissance with an undercover FBI employee and receiving tactical advice from a Russian contact."
created: 2026-05-22
updated: 2026-05-22
born: 2005
location: "East Brunswick, New Jersey"
---
[[Andrew Takhistov]] (born approximately 2005-2006, [[East Brunswick, New Jersey]]) was charged in the [[District of New Jersey]] in July 2024 with one count of soliciting another individual to engage in criminal conduct involving the destruction of [[Public Service Enterprise Group]] (PSE&G) electrical substations. He was 18 years old at arrest and had been communicating with undercover FBI employees for several months about infrastructure sabotage and had stated an intent to travel to Ukraine to join the [[Russian Volunteer Corps]].[^1]
### Operational Planning and Evidence
In May 2024, Takhistov informed an undercover FBI employee that he was planning to travel to Ukraine to join the Russian Volunteer Corps, which he described as openly National Socialist and specialized in assassinations, attacks on power grids, and infrastructure sabotage. The combination of white nationalist ideology and interest in a pro-Russian paramilitary formation reflected a documented crossover between the far-right accelerationist Telegram ecosystem and Russian irregular networks.
On two occasions in June and July 2024, Takhistov and the undercover employee drove to two different electrical substations in [[North Brunswick, New Jersey|North Brunswick]] and [[New Brunswick, New Jersey]], where Takhistov provided instruction on how to conduct attacks on electrical substations. On July 5, 2024, he directed the undercover employee to photograph the substations so that he could transmit the images to what he described as a "Russian friend" for additional tactical advice on the most effective sabotage methods.
Takhistov had a documented history of posting in [[Terrorgram Collective]] channels, including references to Adolf Hitler, calls for violence against Black and Jewish individuals, and praise for mass shooters. He also stated he had been involved in the production of Terrorgram propaganda. Prosecutors noted he was a "fan" of at least one of the Terrorgram Collective's terrorism how-to guides.
### Charges and Legal Status
Takhistov was arrested on July 10, 2024, and made his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge [[Leda Dunn Wettre]] in Newark federal court, where he was detained. He was charged with one count of soliciting destruction of an energy facility under 18 U.S.C. § 1366(b), which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $125,000 fine.
The charge was filed as a complaint by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey. Plea status was unresolved as of May 2026.[^2]
### Footnotes
[^1]: U.S. Department of Justice, USAO-NJ. "Middlesex County Man Charged with Soliciting Destruction of Energy Facilities." July 2024. https://www.justice.gov/usao-nj/pr/middlesex-county-man-charged-soliciting-destruction-energy-facilities; East Brunswick Patch. "East Brunswick Man Plotted To Blow Up PSE&G Facilities: Feds." July 2024. https://patch.com/new-jersey/eastbrunswick/east-brunswick-man-plotted-blow-pse-g-facilities-feds
[^2]: CBS New York. "18-year-old N.J. man accused in plot to sabotage PSE&G substations." July 2024. https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/plot-to-destroy-pse-g-power-plant-new-jersey/; DOJ OPA. "New Jersey Man Charged with Soliciting Destruction of Energy Facilities." https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/new-jersey-man-charged-soliciting-destruction-energy-facilities

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---
category: "Extremism & Violent Networks"
tags:
- Person
- NeoNazi
- Accelerationism
- SaintsCulture
- GreatReplacementTheory
- NewZealand
- Australia
- MassShooter
born: 1990-09-09
location: "Grafton, New South Wales, Australia"
created: 2026-05-21
updated: 2026-05-21
summary: "Brenton Tarrant is an Australian who killed 51 in the 2019 Christchurch mosque attacks, livestreaming the attack behind an accelerationist manifesto that became the founding saint-template for Terrorgram Collective and subsequent attackers worldwide."
---
[[Brenton Tarrant]] (born September 9, 1990, [[Grafton, New South Wales, Australia]]) attacked the [[Al Noor Mosque]] and [[Linwood Islamic Centre]] in [[Christchurch, New Zealand]] on March 15, 2019, killing 51 people and wounding 40. He live-streamed the Al Noor attack on Facebook and distributed a 74-page manifesto titled "The Great Replacement" before and during the attack. He pleaded guilty to all 51 murder charges and 40 attempted murder charges in March 2020 and was sentenced to life imprisonment without possibility of parole - the first such sentence in New Zealand's history. He is held at Paremoremo maximum security prison. His attack became the founding reference point for the [[Terrorgram Collective]] and the accelerationist "saint" tradition it propagated, with subsequent attackers across multiple countries explicitly citing his attack as inspiration.[^1]
### The Christchurch Attacks
Tarrant had arrived in New Zealand from Australia and spent approximately two years in Christchurch before the attack. He obtained a firearms license and legally acquired the weapons he used. On March 15, 2019, he drove to Al Noor Mosque during Friday prayers and opened fire on the worshippers, killing 50 people. He then drove to Linwood Islamic Centre and killed one additional person. He was apprehended by armed police in his vehicle approximately 21 minutes after the first shots.
The Al Noor attack was live-streamed via a helmet-mounted camera to Facebook, where it remained available for approximately 17 minutes before removal. The footage and his manifesto were simultaneously distributed through 8chan, Reddit, and other platforms. New Zealand immediately moved to criminalize possession of the manifesto and footage.
The 51 victims ranged in age from 3 to 77. They included New Zealand citizens and permanent residents who had emigrated from dozens of countries.[^2]
### Manifesto and Ideology
"The Great Replacement" invoked the French conspiracy theory promoted by Renaud Camus that held that a coordinated elite project was "replacing" white European populations with non-white immigrants. Tarrant's version mapped this theory onto an accelerationist strategic framework drawn from [[Siege Culture]] and the logic of [[James Mason]]'s writings: that a spectacular act of violence would provoke governments to overreact, alienate moderates from mainstream politics, and accelerate the conditions for racial civil war.
The manifesto explicitly cited Dylann Roof's 2015 Charleston church massacre as an influence and framed Roof as an exemplary figure. It anticipated its own downstream influence, positioning the Christchurch attack as an event to be emulated. This self-aware positioning within a succession of "saints" was a deliberate rhetorical strategy.
Tarrant also addressed a range of tactical arguments about target selection, timing, and the anticipated government response to his attack - providing a template that later attackers including [[Payton Gendron]] (Buffalo, 2022), [[Juraj Krajčík]] (Bratislava, 2022), and [[Cain Clark]] (San Diego, 2026) explicitly cited or whose format they imitated.[^3]
### Sentencing
Tarrant pleaded guilty on March 26, 2020, to 51 counts of murder, 40 counts of attempted murder, and one count of committing a terrorist act - the first time anyone in New Zealand had been convicted of a terrorism offense. New Zealand had no provision for life without parole before his sentencing; the Sentencing Act was amended to allow it, and Judge Cameron Mander imposed the sentence on August 27, 2020, explicitly declining to set any minimum non-parole period.[^1]
### Influence on the Accelerationist Ecosystem
[[Terrorgram Collective]] was founded in the summer of 2019 explicitly in response to Christchurch. Co-founders [[Pavol Beňadik]] and [[Matthew Althorpe]] framed Tarrant's attack as the model for what accelerationist violence could accomplish. Beňadik began recruiting what would become his Slovak radicalization network immediately after Christchurch, identifying Tarrant as the foundational saint whose example his channels were designed to replicate.
Tarrant's influence flows through the documented inspiration chains: Gendron cited Tarrant; Krajčík cited Gendron; Casap cited Krajčík. The [[2026 Islamic Center of San Diego Shooting|San Diego attack]] manifesto was titled "The New Crusade: Sons of Tarrant," naming the lineage explicitly. The Christchurch attack is the single most cited precedent across the post-2019 neo-Nazi accelerationist attack record.[^4]
### Footnotes
[^1]: New Zealand Ministry of Justice. Crown Law Terrorism Case Summary. August 2020; Radio New Zealand. "Christchurch mosque attacks: Life without parole for Brenton Tarrant." August 27, 2020.
[^2]: Royal Commission of Inquiry. "Ko tō tātou kāinga tēnei / Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the terrorist attack on Christchurch masjidain on 15 March 2019." New Zealand Government, 2020.
[^3]: ICCT. "Christchurch, Attacks, and the Role of Online Propaganda." https://icct.nl/publication/christchurch-attacks-and-the-role-of-online-propaganda/
[^4]: RSIS. "Bratislava Shooting: The Making of Terrorgram's First Saint." https://rsis.edu.sg/rsis-publication/rsis/bratislava-shooting-the-making-of-terrorgrams-first-saint/

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---
category: "Extremism & Violent Networks"
tags:
- Person
- SiegeCulture
- Accelerationism
- AtomwaffenDivision
- Terrorgram
- NeoNazi
- AntiMuslim
- Incel
- Shooter
- ChulaVista
- California
created: 2026-05-21
updated: 2026-05-21
summary: "Caleb Liam Vazquez was a Chula Vista, California teenager who co-perpetrated the May 2026 attack on the Islamic Center of San Diego, had been flagged to police for neo-Nazi social media activity the prior year, and died at the scene."
born: 2007
location: "Chula Vista, California"
---
[[Caleb Vazquez|Caleb Liam Vazquez]] was an 18-year-old resident of [[Chula Vista, California]] who co-perpetrated the [[2026 Islamic Center of San Diego Shooting|attack on the Islamic Center of San Diego]] on May 18, 2026 alongside [[Cain Clark|Cain Lee Clark]]. Three people were killed in the attack. Vazquez died in the perpetrators' vehicle when Clark shot him twice in the head at his own request. Vazquez co-authored a 75-page manifesto titled "The New Crusade: Sons of Tarrant" drawing from [[Atomwaffen Division]], [[Terrorgram Collective|Terrorgram]], [[The Base]], and [[James Mason]]'s *[[Siege]]*. In 2025, the Chula Vista Police Department had contacted Vazquez after receiving a tip about his extremist views and found his social media "littered with neo-Nazi rhetoric," but determined the situation did not meet the threshold for arrest.[^1]
### Background and Radicalization
Vazquez described himself in his manifesto section as having been active in incel forums since 2022, making his documented online radicalization history traceable to at least four years before the attack. By the time of the shooting he had developed an explicitly Nazi worldview - his manifesto section praised Adolf Hitler as "the greatest man to ever walk this Earth" and expressed the antisemitism and [[Great Replacement Theory]] foundational to the manifesto as a whole.
In 2025, an acquaintance contacted the Chula Vista Police Department to report concerns about Vazquez's interest in "extremist ideology and mass-casualty attacks." Officers investigated and reviewed his social media, which they described as "littered with neo-Nazi rhetoric." Police determined the information they had did not satisfy the legal standard for arrest and no charges were filed. The incident represents a documented law enforcement contact that did not result in intervention, a pattern that has recurred in numerous mass violence cases.[^1]
Vazquez met [[Cain Clark]] online before the two discovered they lived in proximity in the [[San Diego]] area and began meeting in person.
### Manifesto Content
Vazquez's section of "The New Crusade: Sons of Tarrant" opened with an image of a [[Sonnenrad]] with the Atomwaffen Division logo at its center. His writing praised Hitler and drew on [[Great Replacement Theory]], antisemitism, and his incel background. The manifesto stated explicitly that the attack was carried out for Atomwaffen Division, [[Terrorgram Collective|Terrorgram]], and The Base. Like Clark's section, it cited *Siege* and *The Turner Diaries* as foundational texts.
Physical evidence recovered from the attack scene and the perpetrators' vehicle included a Sonnenrad patch, an Atomwaffen Division logo on tactical equipment, an SS symbol on a fuel container, and hate speech on one of the weapons - all consistent with the visual and aesthetic language produced by Atomwaffen Division and subsequently distributed through Terrorgram channels.[^2][^3]
### The Attack and Death
Vazquez participated in the May 18, 2026 attack on the ICSD alongside Clark, shooting three victims outside the mosque before security guard [[Amin Abdullah]]'s armed response delayed them and allowed approximately 150 school children to shelter safely. The two fled in a white BMW. According to investigators, Vazquez encouraged Clark to shoot him during their flight; Clark shot Vazquez twice in the head, then killed himself. Both were found in the vehicle approximately three-tenths of a mile from the mosque. No criminal prosecution is possible given both perpetrators' deaths.
### Footnotes
[^1]: 10News. "Chula Vista police had prior contact with one suspect from Monday's shooting at Islamic Center of San Diego." May 2026. https://www.10news.com/news/local-news/south-bay-news/chula-vista-police-had-prior-contact-with-one-suspect-from-mondays-shooting-at-islamic-center-of-san-diego
[^2]: ADL. "San Diego Mosque Shooters' Apparent Manifestos Reveal Anti-Muslim Extremism." May 2026. https://www.adl.org/resources/article/san-diego-mosque-shooters-apparent-manifestos-reveal-anti-muslim-extremism
[^3]: NBC 7 San Diego. "Weapons, manifesto, San Diego mosque shooting." May 2026. https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/weapons-manifesto-san-diego-mosque-shooting/4026006/

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---
category: "Extremism & Violent Networks"
tags:
- Person
- CVLT
- ChildExploitation
- CSAM
- ChildExploitationEnterprise
- NewJersey
- OrderOfNineAngles
- FederalCase
born: 2001
location: "Bridgeton, New Jersey"
created: 2026-05-21
updated: 2026-05-22
summary: "Collin John Thomas Walker, alias 'Wrath' and 'O9A.WRATH', was a CVLT co-leader from Bridgeton, New Jersey who pleaded guilty in October 2025 to engaging in a child exploitation enterprise and is scheduled for sentencing before Judge Hernan D. Vera in the Central District of California."
---
[[Collin Walker]] (full name Collin John Thomas Walker, aliases "Wrath" and "O9A.WRATH") is a co-leader of [[CVLT]] and a member of the [[764 Network|764]] network ecosystem, based in [[Bridgeton, New Jersey]]. He was 23 at the time of his federal indictment. His O9A-styled alias reflects CVLT's integration of [[Order of Nine Angles|O9A]] neo-Nazi occultist ideology, which several CVLT leaders adopted as an ideological identity alongside neo-Nazism, nihilism, and pedophilia as the enterprise's core principles.[^1]
### Federal Case (United States v. Rane, 2:25-cr-00040)
The grand jury returned the indictment on January 17, 2025 in the [[Central District of California]]. When the indictment was unsealed in early February 2025, Walker was physically arrested in New Jersey by [[Homeland Security Investigations]] Cherry Hill. He appeared in federal court, was assigned counsel, and was remanded to U.S. Marshals custody for transport to Los Angeles.[^2]
Walker faced one count of engaging in a child exploitation enterprise under [[18 U.S.C. § 2252A(g)]]. He was identified as one of three co-leaders alongside [[Rohan Rane]] and [[Kaleb Merritt]] who hosted and ran CVLT servers and controlled membership and access. [[Clint Borge]] was charged as a member; the distinction reflects different levels of administrative control within the enterprise as DOJ characterized it.[^2]
Walker pleaded guilty in October 2025. Judge [[Hernan D. Vera]] of the Central District of California scheduled sentencing for January 29, 2026. As of May 2026, no DOJ press release announcing Walker's actual sentence had been published, suggesting the hearing may have been continued or the announcement was delayed. He faces a mandatory minimum of 20 years and a maximum of life imprisonment.[^3]
### Role in CVLT
Walker joined CVLT around 2020 and rose to a leadership role. He hosted servers, controlled membership, and directed and instructed victims during the creation of extortion videos and CSAM. Walker was one of three defendants (alongside Rane and Merritt) described by DOJ as enterprise leaders who controlled access and directed operations from the server level.[^2]
### Footnotes
[^1]: Medium/chokingonsignal. "Com, Extortion Groups, and the Order of Nine Angles." https://chokingonsignal.medium.com/com-extortion-groups-and-the-order-of-nine-angles-9fe1f8419526
[^2]: DOJ OPA. "Four Members of Online Neo-Nazi Group that Exploited Minors Charged with Producing Child Sexual Abuse Material." February 2025. https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/four-members-online-neo-nazi-group-exploited-minors-charged-producing-child-sexual-abuse; HSI press release. February 2025. https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/hsi-los-angeles-cherry-hill-and-honolulu-special-agents-arrest-members-online-neo
[^3]: DOJ OPA. "Man Pleads Guilty to Participating in Online Neo-Nazi Group that Exploited Children into Producing Child Sexual Abuse Material." March 2026. https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/man-pleads-guilty-participating-online-neo-nazi-group-exploited-children-producing-child; GoldRushCam/Sierra Sun-Times. "Suspect Pleads Guilty to Engaging in Online Neo-Nazi Group that Exploited Children into Making Child Sexual Abuse Material." 2025. https://goldrushcam.com/sierrasuntimes/index.php/news/local-news/76713-suspect-pleads-guilty-to-engaging-in-online-neo-nazi-group-that-exploited-children-into-making-child-sexual-abuse-material

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---
category: "Extremism & Violent Networks"
tags:
- Person
- AtomwaffenDivision
- NeoNazi
- Military
- IronMarch
- USA
- NavyInvestigation
born: 1997
location: "Naval Air Station Lemoore, California"
created: 2026-05-22
updated: 2026-05-22
summary: "David Cole Tarkington was a U.S. Navy aviation machinist mate identified via the Iron March data leak as a prolific Atomwaffen Division online recruiter, and was administratively separated from the Navy in April 2020 following an NCIS investigation."
---
David Cole Tarkington was an [[U.S. Navy]] aviation machinist's mate apprentice serving with [[Strike Fighter Squadron VFA-41]] (the "Black Aces") at [[Naval Air Station Lemoore]], California, who was identified in March 2020 as a prolific [[Atomwaffen Division]] online recruiter through analysis of the leaked [[Iron March]] forum data. He had operated under the username "The Yank" on Iron March from 2013 to late 2016, attempting to recruit at least twelve forum members into AWD. Following publication of the findings by [[Gizmodo]] and an investigation by [[Naval Criminal Investigative Service]] (NCIS), Tarkington was administratively separated from the Navy in April 2020. No criminal charges were filed.[^1]
### Iron March Activity
The Iron March forum was a neo-fascist platform that operated from 2011 to 2017 and served as the founding environment for Atomwaffen Division and several other neo-Nazi organizations. An anonymous source using the account "antifa-data" uploaded the forum's complete user data to the [[Internet Archive]] on November 6, 2019, enabling researchers to identify hundreds of users by cross-referencing account details with publicly accessible information.
Tarkington's Iron March account, "The Yank," is documented as active from approximately September 2013, when he was 15 or 16 years old, through December 2016. During that period he evolved from a new forum participant into what Gizmodo described as one of AWD's most prolific online recruiters, attempting to bring at least twelve Iron March members into the organization. His AWD recruitment activity significantly predated his Navy enlistment, which occurred in July 2019.[^2]
### Military Service
Tarkington enlisted in the Navy in July 2019, approximately three years after his active Iron March period ended. He was assigned to VFA-41, a carrier-based strike fighter squadron that flies F/A-18F Super Hornets. His role as an aviation machinist's mate involved maintenance of aircraft engines, propellers, and associated systems. He was stationed at Lemoore at the time of his identification.[^1]
### NCIS Investigation and Separation
Gizmodo published its investigation identifying Tarkington on March 12, 2020. The Navy launched an NCIS investigation following the publication and, according to Commander Ron Flanders, a spokesman for Naval Air Forces, Tarkington was "administratively separated" following the investigation. Flanders confirmed the separation was "administrative in nature" but declined to provide details about its characterization, citing privacy act restrictions. The separation occurred in April 2020, approximately one month after publication.[^3]
The administrative separation, rather than a court-martial or criminal referral, meant that Tarkington faced no criminal conviction. The legal basis for the separation is not specified in available public records; administrative separation under the [[Uniform Code of Military Justice]] framework can be used for a range of conduct that falls short of criminal charges but renders a service member unsuitable for continued service.
### Iron March Data and Broader Military Exposure
Tarkington's case illustrates AWD's use of online recruitment infrastructure that predated members' military service by years. His recruitment of twelve individuals through Iron March, if successful, would represent a significant pipeline. The Iron March data leak that exposed him also identified dozens of other military-affiliated neo-Nazi sympathizers across multiple branches, contributing to the [[House Armed Services Committee]]'s 2021 investigation into extremism in the ranks.[^4]
### Footnotes
[^1]: Gizmodo. "Leak Exposes U.S. Navy Sailor as Once-Prolific Recruiter for Neo-Nazi Group." March 12, 2020. https://gizmodo.com/leak-exposes-u-s-navy-sailor-as-once-prolific-recruite-1841149776
[^2]: Scripps News / E.W. Scripps. "We Found More Active Duty Military In Leaked Neo-Nazi Forum." 2020. https://www.scrippsnews.com/us-news/military/we-found-more-active-duty-military-in-leaked-neo-nazi-forum
[^3]: Newsweek. "Navy Kicks Out Alleged Recruiter for Neo-Nazi Group Atomwaffen Division After Investigation." April 2020. https://www.newsweek.com/navy-kicks-out-alleged-recruiter-neo-nazi-group-atomwaffen-division-after-investigation-1498704; Task & Purpose. "David Cole Tarkington Was Administratively Separated Following a Navy Investigation." 2020. https://taskandpurpose.com/news/navy-neo-nazi-sailor-separated/
[^4]: Military Times. "Desire to Join Military Large Focus of Leaked Chats in Infamous Neo-Nazi Forum." November 2019. https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-army/2019/11/07/desire-to-join-military-large-focus-of-leaked-chats-in-infamous-neo-nazi-forum/

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---
category: "Extremism & Violent Networks"
tags:
- Person
- O9A
- NeoNazi
- Accelerationism
- Canada
- FederalCase
- TerroristConviction
- MentalHealthDefense
born: 1994
location: "Rexdale, Ontario, Canada"
created: 2026-05-21
updated: 2026-05-21
summary: "Guilherme Von Neutegem was a Toronto-area Order of Nine Angles adherent who in 2020 fatally stabbed mosque caretaker Mohamed-Aslim Zafis in Rexdale, Ontario and was found not criminally responsible by reason of schizophrenia in 2023."
---
[[Guilherme Von Neutegem]] fatally stabbed [[Mohamed-Aslim Zafis]] (58) outside the [[International Muslim Organization]] mosque in [[Rexdale]], [[Ontario]] on September 12, 2020. Zafis was a caretaker at the mosque who was sitting outside when Von Neutegem approached and attacked him. Investigators subsequently documented that Von Neutegem was an adherent of the [[Order of Nine Angles]] (O9A), finding an altar featuring an O9A symbol in his home, O9A-related social media posts, and a YouTube video in which he discussed O9A philosophy. He was charged with first-degree murder on September 18, 2020. In March 2023 an Ontario court found him [[Not Criminally Responsible]] (NCR) due to schizophrenia, and his case was referred to the [[Ontario Review Board]].[^1]
### The Attack
Von Neutegem approached Zafis outside the International Muslim Organization mosque in the Rexdale neighborhood of northwestern Toronto on the evening of September 12, 2020 and stabbed him. Zafis died of his injuries. Von Neutegem was apprehended in connection with the killing and formally charged on September 18, 2020 with first-degree murder and carrying a concealed weapon.
The attack occurred amid the early COVID-19 period, when mosque activity was restricted and Zafis was sitting outside. Toronto Police Service investigated the killing as a hate crime given the target location and the perpetrator's documented beliefs.[^2]
### O9A Affiliation
Post-arrest investigation revealed substantial evidence of O9A ideology in Von Neutegem's environment. His residence contained an altar bearing an [[O9A]] symbol. His social media accounts contained O9A-related content. A YouTube video recovered by investigators showed him discussing O9A philosophy. O9A, known formally as the Order of Nine Angles, is a British-origin occult neo-Nazi organization that frames ritual violence against outgroup members as a path toward personal "sinister" development, providing an ideological framework in which a lone attack on a mosque caretaker fits within the network's prescriptive model.[^3]
The Zafis killing was one of several O9A-linked attacks documented in North America and Europe in the 2019-2021 period, alongside the AWD-O9A overlap cases and Feuerkrieg Division prosecutions. O9A's particular influence on accelerationist lone-actor violence lies in its combination of esoteric philosophy with explicit operational encouragement for what the organization calls "insight roles," activities including criminal violence intended to test and harden the practitioner.
### NCR Finding and Ontario Review Board
Von Neutegem's trial proceeded to a finding on criminal responsibility rather than guilt. In March 2023 the Ontario court entered a finding of Not Criminally Responsible by reason of mental disorder (schizophrenia), the Canadian equivalent of a not guilty by reason of insanity verdict. Under Canadian law an NCR finding does not result in an acquittal but in a referral to a provincial review board that manages ongoing detention and treatment. His case was referred to the Ontario Review Board, which has authority to order continued detention in a psychiatric facility, conditional discharge, or absolute discharge based on ongoing assessments of risk to public safety.
The NCR finding means Von Neutegem was not convicted of murder and faces no penal sentence, but remains subject to Ontario Review Board supervision for an indefinite period.[^4]
### Footnotes
[^1]: Toronto Star. "Toronto man charged with first-degree murder after caretaker fatally stabbed outside northwest Toronto mosque." September 18, 2020; CBC News. "Man found not criminally responsible in 2020 stabbing death at Toronto mosque." March 2023.
[^2]: Toronto Police Service. Homicide Investigation, Case 20-427982. September 2020.
[^3]: VICE News. "Inside the 'Sinister' Far-Right Sect Linked to a Murder at a Toronto Mosque." 2020. https://www.vice.com/en/article/order-of-nine-angles-toronto-mosque-murder/; CTC West Point. "The Iron March Forum and the Evolution of the Skull Mask Neo-Fascist Network." https://ctc.westpoint.edu/the-iron-march-forum-and-the-evolution-of-the-skull-mask-neo-fascist-network/
[^4]: CBC News. "Man found not criminally responsible in 2020 stabbing death at Toronto mosque." March 2023; Criminal Code of Canada, s. 672.54 (disposition of NCR accused by Review Board).

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---
category: "Extremism & Violent Networks"
tags:
- Person
- NeoNazi
- SonnenkriegDivision
- O9A
- UK
- TerroristConviction
- Accelerationism
- London
location: "Kingston-upon-Thames, South-West London, England"
created: 2026-05-22
updated: 2026-05-22
summary: "Harry Vaughan was an 18-year-old grammar school student from Kingston-upon-Thames convicted in November 2020 at the Old Bailey of 14 terrorism offences including creating Sonnenkrieg Division propaganda, who received a suspended sentence criticised by counter-extremism researchers."
---
Harry Vaughan, 18, of Kingston-upon-Thames, South-West London, was a student at [[Tiffin School]], a selective grammar school, where he had achieved A-grade A-levels in mathematics, further mathematics, physics, and history. He was arrested on 19 June 2019 as part of a [[Counter Terrorism Policing]] investigation into [[Fascist Forge]], an online extremist forum used by far-right militants. He pleaded guilty to 14 terrorism offences and two counts of possessing indecent images. He was sentenced at the [[Old Bailey]] in November 2020 by Mr Justice Sweeney, who described him as "a dangerous offender," to two years' detention suspended for two years.[^1]
### Offences
The 16 counts covered:
One count of encouraging terrorism under section 1 of the [[Terrorism Act 2006]].
One count of disseminating a terrorist publication under section 2 of the Terrorism Act 2006.
Twelve counts of possessing documents useful to a terrorist under section 58 of the [[Terrorism Act 2000]].
Two counts of possessing indecent images of children under the [[Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008]].
Vaughan had designed and uploaded his own propaganda images to a neo-Nazi website promoting the then-proscribed [[Sonnenkrieg Division]] (SKD). The documents on his devices included SKD propaganda of his own creation, bomb-making manuals, and a guide to killing. O9A connections run through SKD's ideological framework, which incorporated [[Order of Nine Angles]] (O9A) philosophy; the prosecution did not cite direct O9A membership.
### Sentencing and Controversy
The suspended sentence attracted significant criticism from counter-extremism researchers and journalists, who noted that Mr Justice Sweeney had designated Vaughan a "dangerous offender" while simultaneously declining to impose an immediate custodial term. This perceived inconsistency was particularly noted in the context of earlier SKD cases, in which [[Michael Szewczuk]] had received four years and three months and [[Oskar Dunn-Koczorowski]] had received 18 months, both with immediate custody.[^2]
The case occurred at roughly the same time as the sentencing of [[Ben John]] at Leicester Crown Court (August 2021), where a similarly controversial suspended sentence was subsequently overturned by the Court of Appeal on unduly lenient reference. Vaughan's sentence was not publicly referred for review under similar procedures.
### Fascist Forge Investigation
Counter Terrorism Policing's investigation into Fascist Forge, the platform on which Vaughan had been active, ran in parallel with the arrests of other UK-based users and identified multiple individuals. Vaughan was arrested at his family home.[^1]
### Footnotes
[^1]: ITV News London. "Teenage Satanist neo-Nazi avoids jail after admitting 14 terror offences." November 2, 2020. https://www.itv.com/news/london/2020-11-02/teenage-satanist-neo-nazi-harry-vaughan-sentenced-for-terror-offences
[^2]: Far-Right Criminals. "Harry Vaughan: Neo-Nazi teenager sentenced." November 2, 2020. https://far-rightcriminals.com/2020/11/02/harry-vaughan-neo-nazi-teenager-sentenced/

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---
category: "Extremism & Violent Networks"
tags:
- Person
- NeoNazi
- SonnenkriegDivision
- O9A
- UK
- TerroristConviction
- Accelerationism
- Satanism
location: "High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England"
created: 2026-05-22
updated: 2026-05-22
summary: "Jacek Tchorzewski was an 18-year-old Polish national in Buckinghamshire stopped at Luton Airport in February 2019 and convicted of ten terrorism possession offences at the Old Bailey, sentenced to four years, with documented interests in Satanism, neo-Nazism, and Sonnenkrieg Division."
---
Jacek Tchorzewski, 18, a Polish national residing in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, was stopped at [[Luton Airport]] on 20 February 2019 by officers from the [[Eastern Region Specialist Operation Unit Counter Terrorism Policing]] (ERSOU CTP) as he attempted to board a flight to Poland. Acting under Schedule 7 powers of the [[Terrorism Act 2000]], officers seized his mobile phone. Digital forensic examination revealed a cache of terrorist manuals, bomb-making guides, and improvised weapons instructions. He pleaded guilty at the [[Old Bailey]] on 21 June 2019 to ten counts of possessing information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism under section 58 of the Terrorism Act 2000. He was sentenced on 20 September 2019 to four years' imprisonment. A deportation order was also made, requiring his removal from the United Kingdom following completion of sentence.[^1]
### Materials Seized and Beliefs
Tchorzewski had accumulated an extensive collection of extreme right-wing material that praised [[Adolf Hitler]], neo-Nazism, and Satanism, including antisemitic content calling for genocide. He expressed admiration for the [[Sonnenkrieg Division]] and held documented views on planned mass-casualty violence: in a notebook found in his prison cell, he wrote "Let's fill our hearts with terror and London's streets with blood," and he had previously stated that his "dream" was to carry out a large-scale attack.[^2]
The prosecution described Tchorzewski as "a deeply entrenched neo-Nazi with an interest in Satanism and occult practices," placing his case within the constellation of O9A-adjacent terrorism cases in the UK involving Satanist and occultist materials. His link to [[Order of Nine Angles]] (O9A) is through ideological orientation and Sonnenkrieg Division connection rather than documented direct nexion membership.
### Subsequent Prosecution
On 8 June 2020, Tchorzewski pleaded guilty to charges of possessing indecent photographs and extreme pornographic images. He was sentenced at [[Harrow Crown Court]] on 23 July 2020 to eight months' imprisonment to run concurrently with his terrorism sentence.[^3]
### Footnotes
[^1]: Campaign Against Antisemitism. "Hitler-loving neo-Nazi who said it was his 'dream' to create a bloodbath arrested at Luton Airport and sentenced to four years." September 2019. https://antisemitism.org/hitler-loving-neo-nazi-who-said-it-was-his-dream-to-create-a-bloodbath-arrested-at-luton-airport-and-sentenced-to-four-years-in-prison; Kafkadesk. "18-year-old Polish neo-Nazi jailed on terror charges in the U.K." September 2019. https://kafkadeskdotorg.wordpress.com/2019/09/22/18-year-old-polish-neo-nazi-jailed-on-terror-charges-in-the-u-k/
[^2]: Faith Matters. "Nazi-Obsessed Teenager Who Dreamt of Planning Terrorism Jailed." September 2019. https://www.faith-matters.org/nazi-obsessed-teenager-who-dreamt-of-planning-terrorism-jailed/; Border Security Report. "Extreme Right Wing Teenager Jailed for Terrorism Offences." 2019. https://www.border-security-report.com/extreme-right-wing-teenager-jailed-for-terrorism-offences/
[^3]: HS Today. "Police Find Sexual Abuse Images on Phone of Convicted Right-Wing Extremist." 2020. https://www.hstoday.us/subject-matter-areas/counterterrorism/police-find-sexual-abuse-images-on-phone-of-convicted-right-wing-extremist/; Luton Today. "'Satanic' neo-Nazi terrorist arrested at Luton Airport jailed for possessing extreme sex abuse images." 2020. https://www.lutontoday.co.uk/news/crime/satanic-neo-nazi-terrorist-arrested-at-luton-airport-jailed-for-possessing-extreme-sex-abuse-images-2923360

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---
category: "Extremism & Violent Networks"
tags:
- Person
- 764Inferno
- ChildExploitation
- NVE
- FederalCase
- USA
- Greece
created: 2026-05-21
updated: 2026-05-21
summary: "Leonidas Varagiannis (alias 'War') is a U.S. citizen who co-led 764 Inferno with Prasan Nepal, arrested in Thessaloniki, Greece in April 2025 and charged in D.C. with running a child exploitation enterprise, contesting extradition as of mid-2026."
born: 2004
location: "Thessaloniki, Greece"
---
[[Leonidas Varagiannis]], known online as "War," (born approximately 2004) is a U.S. citizen who was residing in [[Thessaloniki, Greece]] at the time of his April 29, 2025 arrest. He co-led [[764 Inferno]], a core operational subgroup of the [[764 Network]], alongside [[Prasan Nepal]] ("Trippy") of High Point, North Carolina. The [[U.S. Department of Justice|DOJ]] announced charges against both on April 30, 2025, filed in the [[District of Columbia]]. Varagiannis was arrested on an international warrant in Greece; his defense team contested extradition before the Greek Court of Appeals, with the appellate ruling still pending in mid-2025. He faces charges including production and distribution of [[CSAM]], coercion and enticement of minors, extortion, and conspiracy to operate a child exploitation enterprise, with a potential sentence of life in federal prison. He was also named as a co-conspirator in the October 2025 federal indictment against [[Baron Cain Martin]] in the District of Arizona.[^1]
### 764 Inferno Operations
Varagiannis and Nepal ran 764 Inferno's operations targeting vulnerable children and teenagers across multiple jurisdictions. The enterprise used the broader [[The Com|Com]] ecosystem's operational methods at scale:
Grooming through encrypted applications established trust and access with vulnerable targets. Victims were then coerced into producing degrading and explicit content through psychological manipulation and threats. The network specifically ordered "cut signs" and "blood signs" - victims were directed to cut symbols into their own bodies, photograph the results, and send the images as proof of submission and continued compliance.
The most distinctive operational feature was the "Lorebook" economy: curated collections of victim abuse material that functioned as currency and status markers within the network. Lorebooks were traded among members to recruit additional participants, maintain hierarchical position, and access other Lorebook collections. This created an internal incentive structure that drove ongoing coercion.
The DOJ documented at least 8 minor victims, some as young as 13, across multiple jurisdictions.[^2]
### Arrest and Extradition Proceedings
Varagiannis was arrested by Greek authorities on April 29, 2025, the day before the DOJ announced charges. His defense attorney, [[Xanthippi Moysidou]], argued before Greek courts that because the alleged offenses occurred while Varagiannis was residing in Greece, Greek courts hold jurisdiction and extradition is "explicitly prohibited" under Greek law. He remained in Greek custody pending a ruling from the Greek Court of Appeals on the extradition challenge. No resolution of the appellate proceedings was publicly reported as of mid-2026.
Nepal, having been arrested in North Carolina on April 22, 2025, faced direct U.S. federal prosecution with no extradition issues.[^1]
### Footnotes
[^1]: U.S. Department of Justice, USAO-DC. "Leaders of 764 Arrested and Charged for Operating Global Child Exploitation Enterprise." April 30, 2025. https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/leaders-764-arrested-and-charged-operating-global-child-exploitation-enterprise; Euronews. "US citizen faces extradition from Greece for alleged role in online child exploitation ring." May 2025. https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2025/05/01/us-citizen-faces-extradition-from-greece-for-alleged-role-in-online-child-exploitation-rin
[^2]: ADL. "764." https://www.adl.org/resources/backgrounder/764

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---
category: "Extremism & Violent Networks"
tags:
- Person
- FeuerkriegDivision
- NeoNazi
- O9A
- InsightRole
- FederalCase
- NewYork
- USA
- TerroristConviction
born: 1990
location: "San Jose, California"
created: 2026-05-22
updated: 2026-05-22
summary: "Nicholas Welker, alias 'King ov Wrath,' was a San Jose-based Feuerkrieg Division leader and Order of Nine Angles adherent who in 2023 posted death threats against a Brooklyn journalist and was sentenced to 44 months in federal prison in April 2024."
---
Nicholas Welker (alias "King ov Wrath"), of [[San Jose, California]], served as a self-identified leader of [[Feuerkrieg Division]] (FKD) after the organization's nominal dissolution and reconstitution on [[Telegram]] in 2021. He was arrested on 21 March 2023 on charges arising from a death threat campaign against a journalist who had reported on FKD, pleaded guilty in September 2023 in the [[Eastern District of New York]], and was sentenced to 44 months in federal prison on 19 April 2024 by U.S. District Judge [[Pamela K. Chen]].[^1]
### O9A Insight Role
Welker was an adherent of the [[Order of Nine Angles]] (O9A) and reportedly joined FKD as a deliberate "[[Insight Roles|insight role]]," consistent with O9A's documented practice of infiltrating existing violent extremist organizations as vehicles for the initiatory crimes prescribed by the [[Seven Fold Way]]. The O9A framework treats extended participation in a violent organization as a necessary developmental step (the "external adept" stage), during which the practitioner commits acts of violence or criminal disruption to test and harden ideological commitment.[^2]
Welker's presence in FKD as an O9A practitioner rather than a straightforward neo-Nazi accelerationist is documented in reporting by the [[Counter Extremism Project]] and reflects a broader pattern visible in [[Atomwaffen Division]]'s evolution: O9A adherents using AWD and AWD-adjacent organizations as operational vehicles. In AWD's case the infiltration was orchestrated by [[Joshua Caleb Sutter]] and [[John Cameron Denton]]; in FKD's case Welker appears to have operated independently rather than as part of a coordinated infiltration campaign.
### Death Threat Campaign and Arrest
On 28 March 2023 (approximately one week after his 21 March arrest), the DOJ press release documented that Welker had posted a specific death threat to a public online forum. The threat included a photograph of the targeted journalist with a gun graphic aimed at the journalist's head and the text "Race Traitor" superimposed over the journalist's eyes, along with the message "JOURNALIST F[---] OFF! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED." The threat identified the journalist and his employer by name.[^1]
The journalist targeted had been reporting specifically on FKD. The threat was designed to force the journalist to cease that reporting. In this it paralleled AWD's coordinated 2020 journalist-harassment campaign organized by [[Kaleb Cole]], though Welker appears to have acted without a formal organization behind the threat.
The Eastern District of New York brought the case rather than the Northern District of California (where Welker resided), presumably because the targeted journalist was based in Brooklyn and the threat was directed at a New York location.
### Plea and Sentence
Welker pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to make interstate threats. The charge did not carry a terrorism enhancement, consistent with the pattern in most FKD-related US prosecutions. He was sentenced by Judge Chen to 44 months, the highest sentence imposed on any FKD-connected US defendant to that point, exceeding [[Jarrett William Smith]]'s 30-month term (2020) and [[Conor Climo]]'s 24-month term (2020).[^1]
### Footnotes
[^1]: U.S. Department of Justice, USAO-EDNY. "Leader of White Supremacist Group Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Make Death Threats Against Journalist." September 2023. https://www.justice.gov/usao-edny/pr/leader-white-supremacist-group-pleads-guilty-conspiring-make-death-threats-against; U.S. Department of Justice, USAO-EDNY. "White Supremacist Leader Sentenced to 44 Months in Prison for Conspiring to Make Death Threats Against Brooklyn Journalist." April 19, 2024. https://www.justice.gov/usao-edny/pr/white-supremacist-leader-sentenced-44-months-prison-conspiring-make-death-threats
[^2]: Counter Extremism Project. "Feuerkrieg Division." https://www.counterextremism.com/supremacy/feuerkrieg-division; Vice. "Neo-Nazi Leader 'ilovehate5150' Charged for Threatening to Kill Journalist." March 2023. https://www.vice.com/en/article/neo-nazi-nicholas-welker-arrested-feuerkrieg-division/

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---
category: "Extremism & Violent Networks"
tags:
- Person
- TheBase
- NeoNazi
- HateCrime
- FederalCase
- NewJersey
- USA
created: 2026-05-21
updated: 2026-05-21
summary: "Richard Tobin is a Brooklawn, New Jersey member of The Base who organized 'Operation Kristallnacht,' directing coordinated synagogue vandalism across two U.S. cities in 2019 and sentenced to one year and one day in federal prison."
born: 2001
location: "Brooklawn, New Jersey"
---
[[Richard Tobin]] (born approximately 2001, [[Brooklawn, New Jersey]]) was a member of [[The Base]], the paramilitary white supremacist network founded by [[Rinaldo Nazzaro]] in 2018, who in September 2019 organized "[[Operation Kristallnacht]]" - a coordinated synagogue vandalism campaign targeting two U.S. cities. He directed two other Base members via encrypted online communications to spray-paint hate symbols on synagogues in [[Racine, Wisconsin]] and [[Hancock, Michigan]] on September 21, 2019. He was charged with conspiracy against rights (18 U.S.C. § 241) in the District of New Jersey, pleaded guilty in February 2021, and was sentenced by U.S. District Judge [[Robert B. Kugler]] to one year and one day in federal prison plus three years of supervised release in November 2021.[^1]
### Operation Kristallnacht
Tobin organized the operation through encrypted online chat communications with at least two other Base members. The name invoked the November 1938 Nazi-organized pogrom against Jewish businesses and synagogues across Germany. On September 21, 2019, his co-conspirators executed the operation, defacing synagogues in Racine, Wisconsin and Hancock, Michigan with hate symbols. The simultaneous nature of the attacks in two geographically distant cities reflected The Base's broader ambition to operate as a coordinated national network rather than a local formation.
Tobin cooperated with federal prosecutors following his arrest, reportedly providing information identifying his co-conspirators. His charge was filed as an information (not a grand jury indictment), a procedure typically indicating a plea arrangement reached before indictment.
### Arrest and Sentencing
The [[FBI]] investigated and charged Tobin in the [[U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey|District of New Jersey]]. He pleaded guilty in February 2021, acknowledging he had organized the operation via encrypted communications. Judge Robert B. Kugler sentenced him to one year and one day in federal prison plus three years of supervised release in November 2021. The sentence reflected both his cooperation and the relatively contained nature of the specific offense - property vandalism rather than violence against persons.[^1]
### Footnotes
[^1]: U.S. Department of Justice, USAO-NJ. "Camden County Man Sentenced to One Year and One Day in Prison for Conspiring with White Supremacists." https://www.justice.gov/usao-nj/pr/camden-county-man-sentenced-one-year-and-one-day-prison-conspiring-white-supremacists; U.S. Department of Justice, USAO-NJ. "Camden County Man Admits Conspiring with White Supremacists to Vandalize Synagogues Across America." https://www.justice.gov/usao-nj/pr/camden-county-man-admits-conspiring-white-supremacists-vandalize-synagogues-across

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---
category: "Extremism & Violent Networks"
tags:
- Person
- GreggyCult
- ChildExploitation
- FederalCase
- Hawaii
- USA
- Military
created: 2026-05-21
updated: 2026-05-21
summary: "Rumaldo Valdez was a U.S. Navy petty officer stationed in Hawaii and Greggy's Cult member, sentenced to 97 months for child pornography possession in March 2026, with additional EDNY charges pending."
born: 2004
location: "Wahiawa, Hawaii"
---
[[Rumaldo Valdez]], known online as "Duck," was a [[U.S. Navy]] Petty Officer 3rd Class (E-4) stationed at Naval Computer and Telecommunications Area Master Station Pacific in [[Wahiawa, Hawaii]], a Department of Defense installation. He was a member of [[Greggy's Cult]] (also called the "Cult of Greg"), an online child exploitation network that operated on Discord and gaming platforms from approximately January 2020 through January 2021 and is documented as a direct predecessor to the [[764 Network]]. The FBI arrested Valdez in May 2025 at the Wahiawa installation. He pleaded guilty on October 24, 2025, to possession of child pornography committed on a U.S. military base, and was sentenced in March 2026 to 97 months (approximately eight years) in federal prison plus 10 years of supervised release and $33,000 in restitution to 11 identified victims, by a federal judge in the [[District of Hawaii]]. Separate charges were pending against him in the [[Eastern District of New York]] as of that date.[^1]
### Greggy's Cult Membership
Greggy's Cult operated from approximately January 2020 through January 2021 using methods that would later define the 764 network's operational model: recruiting minor victims through gaming platforms and social media, coercing them into producing child sexual abuse material ([[CSAM]]), and blackmailing them with that material to compel ongoing compliance and self-harm. [[NCITE]] tracked Greggy's Cult alongside CVLT and 764 as one of three connected networks accounting for 31 individuals publicly charged with federal crimes by December 2025.
Valdez's devices, seized at the time of his arrest, contained CSAM described in the government's sentencing memorandum as among "the most extreme child-abuse images in existence," stored in two password-encrypted digital containers.[^2]
### Hawaii Charges and Sentencing
State and federal investigators brought Valdez's case as possession of violent child pornography on a U.S. military installation, allowing federal jurisdiction. His October 24, 2025 guilty plea resolved the Hawaii charges, and his March 2026 sentencing imposed 97 months of incarceration, 10 years of supervised release, and $33,000 in restitution distributed to 11 identified victims.
### Eastern District of New York Indictment
A federal grand jury in the Eastern District of New York unsealed an indictment on December 3, 2025, charging Valdez alongside four co-defendants on 10 counts including engaging in a child exploitation enterprise, producing child pornography, and making interstate threats. The co-defendants were [[Camden Rodriguez]] (22, Longmont, Colorado), [[Zachary Dosch]] (26, Albuquerque, New Mexico - who had separately pleaded guilty in 2022 to cyberstalking and child pornography charges but remained unsentenced), [[David Brilhante]] (28, San Diego, California), and [[Hector Bermudez]] (29, New York). The EDNY case was pending as of Valdez's March 2026 Hawaii sentencing.[^1]
### Footnotes
[^1]: ABC News. "DOJ charges former Navy petty officer, 4 others in child exploitation case." https://abcnews.com/US/doj-charges-former-navy-petty-officer-4-alleged/story?id=128072704; KITV. "Former Navy petty officer sentenced to over 8 years in federal prison in child pornography case." https://www.kitv.com/news/crime/former-navy-petty-officer-sentenced-to-over-8-years-in-federal-prison-in-child-pornography/article_125297e0-b011-49d5-82ff-3b75d615a6d6.html
[^2]: Honolulu Star-Advertiser. "Navy petty officer sentenced to prison in sextortion case." March 2026. https://www.staradvertiser.com/2026/03/02/breaking-news/navy-petty-officer-sentenced-to-prison-in-sextortion-case/

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---
category: "Extremism & Violent Networks"
tags:
- Person
- AtomwaffenDivision
- NeoNazi
- Murder
- HateCrime
- California
- USA
- FederalCase
born: 1997
location: "Newport Beach, California"
created: 2026-05-21
updated: 2026-05-21
summary: "Samuel Woodward was an Atomwaffen Division member who in January 2018 stabbed gay Jewish college student Blaze Bernstein 28 times in California; convicted of hate crime murder in 2024 and sentenced to life without parole."
---
[[Samuel Woodward]] (full name Samuel Lincoln Woodward) was an [[Atomwaffen Division]] member from [[Newport Beach, California]] who on January 2, 2018 murdered [[Blaze Bernstein]], a 19-year-old gay Jewish student home from the [[University of Pennsylvania]] on winter break, stabbing him 28 times and burying his body in [[Borrego Park]] in [[Lake Forest, California]]. A jury at [[Orange County Superior Court]] convicted Woodward of first-degree murder with a hate crime enhancement on July 3, 2024. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on November 15, 2024, by Judge [[Kimberly Menninger]]. He was absent from sentencing due to illness.
### AWD Membership
Woodward's Atomwaffen Division membership was established through multiple overlapping lines of evidence. [[ProPublica]] and [[PBS FRONTLINE]] obtained photographs of Woodward attending AWD training meetings in Texas, as well as encrypted chat logs in which he openly identified as a National Socialist. He had attended a three-day AWD "Hate Camp" near San Antonio involving firearms training, hand-to-hand combat, camping, and survival instruction. He operated under the AWD aliases "Saboteur" and "Arn." Prosecutors also cited his dropping out of [[California State University Channel Islands]] to travel to Texas for AWD training.
### Murder
Woodward and Bernstein had attended the same high school, [[Orange County School of the Arts]], and had reconnected through a dating app in the months before the killing. On the night of January 2, 2018, Woodward picked Bernstein up from his family's Lake Forest home at approximately 11:00 p.m. He drove Bernstein to Borrego Park, where he stabbed him 28 times and buried the body. The body was discovered on January 10, 2018. Woodward was arrested two days later.
Encrypted AWD chat logs obtained by ProPublica and FRONTLINE showed members celebrating the murder. One member wrote "I love this." Another called Woodward "a one man gay Jew wrecking crew." The logs documented the network's reaction as one of approval rather than concern.[^1]
### Trial and Sentence
The case was prosecuted in [[Orange County Superior Court]] as a hate crime murder, with the hate crime enhancement based on Bernstein's sexual orientation and Jewish identity. The trial lasted nearly three months. The jury returned a guilty verdict on all counts on July 3, 2024. Judge Kimberly Menninger sentenced Woodward to life in prison without the possibility of parole on November 15, 2024.[^2]
### Footnotes
[^1]: ProPublica / PBS FRONTLINE. "Armed and Dangerous." 2018. https://www.propublica.org/article/atomwaffen-division-inside-white-hate-group; ProPublica. "California Murder Suspect Was Member of Neo-Nazi Group Atomwaffen Division." https://www.propublica.org/article/california-murder-suspect-atomwaffen-division-extremist-hate-group
[^2]: Orange County District Attorney. "Newport Beach Man Convicted of Stabbing Gay Former High School Classmate to Death in 2018 Hate Crime Murder." July 3, 2024. https://orangecountyda.org/press/newport-beach-man-convicted-of-stabbing-gay-former-high-school-classmate-to-death-in-2018-hate-crime-murder/; Orange County District Attorney. "Newport Beach Man Sentenced to Life in Prison Without Possibility of Parole." November 15, 2024. https://orangecountyda.org/press/newport-beach-man-sentenced-to-life-in-prison-without-possibility-of-parole-for-stabbing-gay-former-high-school-classmate-to-death-in-2018-hate-crime-murder/