Federal authorities brought alien smuggling charges this week against two Maryland men they say helped smuggle an illegal immigrant from Canada into the U.S., then harbored him as they plotted violence against black and Jewish Americans.
The Justice Department says all three were members of “The Base,” a violent white supremacist organization that runs military-style training camps, shares plans to build improvised explosive devices, and threatens acts of terrorism.
Arrested Thursday were Brian Mark Lemley Jr., 33, of Elkton; William Garfield Bilbrough IV,19, of Denton; and Patrik Jordan Mathews, 27, the Canadian man authorities say snuck across the border from Manitoba into Minnesota Aug. 19.
Mr. Lemley and Mr. Bilbrough went to pick him up on Aug. 30, driving from Maryland to Michigan and back — leading to the alien smuggling charges.
The FBI, in a court affidavit, says it tracked the men by Google data and cellphone data and phone call information.
Mr. Lemley and Mr. Mathews, the Canadian, also stand accused of crafting a “functioning assault rifle,” which Mr. Lemley took from his current residence in Delaware across state lines to Maryland to shoot at a range on Jan. 2.
The FBI quoted from conversations between the men.
“Oh oops, it looks like I accidentally made a machine gun,” the affidavit quotes Mr. Lemley saying.
The two men returned to the gun range days later, by which time the FBI had set up a surveillance camera to capture their activities.
The men do not face terrorism charges, though the investigation was led by the Joint Terrorism Task Force.
Mr. Lemley and Mr. Bilbrough are accused of alien smuggling, and Mr. Lemley faces additional charges for aiding-and-abetting, transporting a machine gun across state lines, and sharing the weapon with an illegal immigrant.
Mr. Mathews faces weapons and aiding-and-abetting charges.
Mr. Lemley is a former cavalry scout in the U.S. Army. Mr. Mathews was a combat engineer in the Canadian Army Reserve at the time he jumped the border in August, the FBI says.
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.
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