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American Military News
5 days ago
- American Military News
Pics: US vets arrested, charged for secret arsenal with Nazi memorabilia after ‘violent robbery'
Two U.S. veterans were arrested on Monday after Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents executed a search warrant and discovered a massive arsenal of weapons, military gear, $24,000 in cash, and Nazi memorabilia at a house in Lacey, Washington. According to a criminal complaint obtained by The Associated Press, FBI officials arrested U.S. veterans Charles Ethan Fields and Levi Austin Frakes on Monday night. The outlet cited Army Criminal Investigation Division Special Agent Christopher J. Raguse, who claimed that one of the suspects admitted the two U.S. veterans had been stealing military equipment from Joint Base Lewis-McChord for two years and selling or trading the equipment. The Associated Press reported that both Fields and Frakes have been charged with theft of government property, robbery, and assault after recently attacking a soldier at the base with a hammer during an alleged robbery. According to the outlet, the veterans are also facing investigation for the unlawful possession of a machine gun, short-barreled rifles, and incendiary devices. The criminal complaint obtained by The Associated Press said that FBI agents 'observed numerous Nazi/white supremacy memorabilia, murals, and literature in every bedroom and near several stockpiles of weapons and military equipment' during the execution of Monday's search warrant. READ MORE: China targeting US military members for spy operations, fmr. CIA chief warns In a Tuesday post on Facebook, Thurston County Sheriff Derek Sanders wrote, 'Yesterday, Army CID reached out to TCSO for assistance with the execution of a warrant on an address in the City of Lacey as a result of a violent robbery and theft of military weaponry/armor. The suspects identified in this case were actively involved in Nazi White Nationalist efforts.' 'An FBI SWAT team executed the warrant, which resulted in the seizure of short barrel rifles, an MG42 machine gun, grenade launchers, explosives, body armor, ammunition, and ballistic helmets surrounded by Nazi paraphernalia,' Sanders added. 'Multiple rifles were staged at windows throughout the residence.' Pictures of the military weapons and Nazi memorabilia discovered at the Lacey home were shared on X, formerly Twitter. BREAKING: TCSO AND ARMY CID EXECUTE SEARCH WARRANT ON WHITE NATIONALIST EXTREMISTS; 35 FIREARMS, GR*NADE LAUNCHERS, AND EXPL0SIVES SEIZED IN LACEY, WASHINGTON. According to Sheriff Sanders of Thurston County, on June 2, 2025, Army Criminal Investigation Division (CID) contacted… — Sarah Fields (@SarahisCensored) June 4, 2025 According to The Associated Press, Fields and Frakes were discovered with U.S. Army equipment at Joint Base Lewis-McChord's Army Ranger compound on Sunday night by an unidentified soldier who questioned the two veterans and asked them to remove their masks. The outlet noted that the veterans engaged in a fight with the soldier and that one of the suspects used a hammer to strike the soldier on the head. The Associated Press reported that the soldier let the two suspects go after one of the veterans pulled out a knife during the fight. Law enforcement officials claimed that the two suspects left most of the military equipment behind after initially attempting to steal roughly $14,000 worth of ballistic helmets, body armor, and communications equipment.
Fox News
6 days ago
- Fox News
Sheriff's department uncovers Nazi extremists' secret arsenal in quiet Washington suburb
CONTENT WARNING– This article contains material that some readers may find distressing. Reader discretion is advised. Two white supremacist extremists and their cache of guns and Nazi paraphernalia were discovered in a suburban Washington state home. Thurston County Sheriff Derek Sanders announced the coordinated operation along with the Army Criminal Investigation Division (CID), discovering "military-grade weaponry and armor" in the City of Lacey, near the state capital of Olympia. Sanders announced the discovery in a Facebook post and said that the CID asked his office for assistance Monday as an FBI special weapons and tactics team executed a search warrant "as a result of a violent robbery and theft of military weaponry/armor." Sanders' statement said two people were arrested and booked into Thurston County Jail for investigation of firearms-related offenses. Their names have not been released, pending federal charges, the department said. "Despite requests to set bail at only $5,000, Superior Court granted the Prosecutor's request and set bail at $500,000 each," Sanders said. The pair compiled a stash of short barrel rifles, an MG42 machine gun, grenade launchers, explosives, body armor, ammunition, and ballistic helmets, the department said. Multiple rifles were also staged at windows throughout the residence, the department said. Photos of the stockpile captured the 35 firearms distributed throughout the Washington state home. Along with the store of firearms, authorities discovered Nazi paraphernalia throughout the home. Photos captured a red Nazi flag emblazoned with a black swastika, pro-Nazism literature and artwork depicting Adolf Hitler. "The suspects identified in this case were actively involved in Nazi White Nationalist efforts," the sheriff said. Additional information is expected to be included in a federal criminal complaint to be unsealed Wednesday. The two people arrested were expected to make initial appearances at U.S. District Court in Tacoma on Wednesday afternoon. Fox News Digital has reached out to the U.S. Attorney's Office-Western District of Washington and the Thurston County Sheriff's Department for comment.
6 days ago
2 arrested with arsenal and Nazi paraphernalia after base robbery were ex-military, prosecutors say
SEATTLE -- Two men arrested in Washington state with an arsenal that included grenade launchers and body armor, along with Nazi paraphernalia, were former military members who attacked a soldier with a hammer while stealing gear from Joint Base Lewis-McChord last weekend, investigators say. Levi Austin Frakes and Charles Ethan Fields were arrested Monday night at their home in Lacey, near Olympia, according to a criminal complaint filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court. Federal court records did not list an attorney for either man. One of the defendants told investigators they had been stealing equipment from the base for the past two years to sell or trade, and agents found about $24,000 in cash at the home, wrote Special Agent Christopher J. Raguse of the Army Criminal Investigation Division. The federal complaint charges them with robbery, assault and theft of government property. They also face investigation on state charges of unlawful possession of incendiary devices, short-barreled rifles and a machine gun. Each was being held at the Pierce County Jail on $500,000 bail. According to the complaint, a soldier entered a building at the Army Ranger compound at Joint Base Lewis-McChord on Sunday night and found two men, partially masked, with a cluster of U.S. Army property around them. The soldier questioned them about what they were doing and told them to pull down their masks, which they did. A fight ensued, and one of the men brandished a hammer and struck the soldier in the head. The soldier continued to fight despite losing a large amount of blood and managed to get control of the hammer — at which point, one of the men pulled a knife. The soldier then let them go, the complaint said. During the fight, one of the men dropped his hat. It said 'Fields' on the inside. Using base entry logs and surveillance video, investigators determined that Fields and Frakes had entered Lewis-McChord together about an hour before the attack, investigators said. Additionally, the wounded soldier, who required hospital treatment, told investigators that he asked around his unit about the name Fields after finding it on the hat. The soldier learned that Fields had been assigned to the Ranger Battalion around 2021, and he was able to identify him as one of the attackers based on photos shown to him by others in his unit, the complaint said. The complaint did not include details of Frakes' military service. The FBI executed a search warrant at a home shared by the defendants on Monday and arrested them. Agents found rifles positioned at the upstairs windows, the complaint said. Authorities said agents seized about 35 firearms at the home, including short barrel rifles and an MG42 machine gun — a type typically supported with a bipod and which was used by German troops during World War II. Other seized gear included grenade launchers, Army-issued explosives, body armor, ammunition and ballistic helmets, authorities said. Photos from inside the home showed Nazi paraphernalia, including a red Nazi flag emblazoned with a black swastika.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
2 arrested with arsenal and Nazi paraphernalia after base robbery were ex-military, prosecutors say
SEATTLE (AP) — Two men arrested in Washington state with an arsenal that included grenade launchers and body armor, along with Nazi paraphernalia, were former military members who attacked a soldier with a hammer while stealing gear from Joint Base Lewis-McChord last weekend, investigators say. Levi Austin Frakes and Charles Ethan Fields were arrested Monday night at their home in Lacey, near Olympia, according to a criminal complaint filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court. Federal court records did not list an attorney for either man. One of the defendants told investigators they had been stealing equipment from the base for the past two years to sell or trade, and agents found about $24,000 in cash at the home, wrote Special Agent Christopher J. Raguse of the Army Criminal Investigation Division. The federal complaint charges them with robbery, assault and theft of government property. They also face investigation on state charges of unlawful possession of incendiary devices, short-barreled rifles and a machine gun. Each was being held at the Pierce County Jail on $500,000 bail. According to the complaint, a soldier entered a building at the Army Ranger compound at Joint Base Lewis-McChord on Sunday night and found two men, partially masked, with a cluster of U.S. Army property around them. The soldier questioned them about what they were doing and told them to pull down their masks, which they did. A fight ensued, and one of the men brandished a hammer and struck the soldier in the head. The soldier continued to fight despite losing a large amount of blood and managed to get control of the hammer — at which point, one of the men pulled a knife. The soldier then let them go, the complaint said. During the fight, one of the men dropped his hat. It said 'Fields' on the inside. Using base entry logs and surveillance video, investigators determined that Fields and Frakes had entered Lewis-McChord together about an hour before the attack, investigators said. Additionally, the wounded soldier, who required hospital treatment, told investigators that he asked around his unit about the name Fields after finding it on the hat. The soldier learned that Fields had been assigned to the Ranger Battalion around 2021, and he was able to identify him as one of the attackers based on photos shown to him by others in his unit, the complaint said. The complaint did not include details of Frakes' military service. The FBI executed a search warrant at a home shared by the defendants on Monday and arrested them. Agents found rifles positioned at the upstairs windows, the complaint said. Authorities said agents seized about 35 firearms at the home, including short barrel rifles and an MG42 machine gun — a type typically supported with a bipod and which was used by German troops during World War II. Other seized gear included grenade launchers, Army-issued explosives, body armor, ammunition and ballistic helmets, authorities said. Photos from inside the home showed Nazi paraphernalia, including a red Nazi flag emblazoned with a black swastika.
Hamilton Spectator
6 days ago
- General
- Hamilton Spectator
2 arrested with arsenal and Nazi paraphernalia after base robbery were ex-military, prosecutors say
SEATTLE (AP) — Two men arrested in Washington state with an arsenal that included grenade launchers and body armor, along with Nazi paraphernalia, were former military members who attacked a soldier with a hammer while stealing gear from Joint Base Lewis-McChord last weekend, investigators say. Levi Austin Frakes and Charles Ethan Fields were arrested Monday night at their home in Lacey, near Olympia, according to a criminal complaint filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court. Federal court records did not list an attorney for either man. One of the defendants told investigators they had been stealing equipment from the base for the past two years to sell or trade, and agents found about $24,000 in cash at the home, wrote Special Agent Christopher J. Raguse of the Army Criminal Investigation Division. The federal complaint charges them with robbery, assault and theft of government property. They also face investigation on state charges of unlawful possession of incendiary devices, short-barreled rifles and a machine gun. Each was being held at the Pierce County Jail on $500,000 bail. According to the complaint, a soldier entered a building at the Army Ranger compound at Joint Base Lewis-McChord on Sunday night and found two men, partially masked, with a cluster of U.S. Army property around them. The soldier questioned them about what they were doing and told them to pull down their masks, which they did. A fight ensued, and one of the men brandished a hammer and struck the soldier in the head. The soldier continued to fight despite losing a large amount of blood and managed to get control of the hammer — at which point, one of the men pulled a knife. The soldier then let them go, the complaint said. During the fight, one of the men dropped his hat. It said 'Fields' on the inside. Using base entry logs and surveillance video, investigators determined that Fields and Frakes had entered Lewis-McChord together about an hour before the attack, investigators said. Additionally, the wounded soldier, who required hospital treatment, told investigators that he asked around his unit about the name Fields after finding it on the hat. The soldier learned that Fields had been assigned to the Ranger Battalion around 2021, and he was able to identify him as one of the attackers based on photos shown to him by others in his unit, the complaint said. The complaint did not include details of Frakes' military service. The FBI executed a search warrant at a home shared by the defendants on Monday and arrested them. Agents found rifles positioned at the upstairs windows, the complaint said. Authorities said agents seized about 35 firearms at the home, including short barrel rifles and an MG42 machine gun — a type typically supported with a bipod and which was used by German troops during World War II. Other seized gear included grenade launchers, Army-issued explosives, body armor, ammunition and ballistic helmets, authorities said. Photos from inside the home showed Nazi paraphernalia, including a red Nazi flag emblazoned with a black swastika. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
