Tampa Criminal Lawyer Blog
Two men are facing a Federal criminal complaint out of the Northern District of New York for allegedly hatching a plot to create an X-Ray gun capable to shooting lethal doses of X-Ray radiation. Alleged members of the Ku Klux Klan, Glendon Scott Crawford, 49, of Galway, NY and his buddy Eric J. Feight, 54, of Hudson, NY have been arrested and charged with the Federal crime of conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists in violation of 18 USC 2339A. If convicted of the charges, Mr. Scott and Mr. Feight face up to 15 years in the Federal Bureau of Prisons and a large fine. The essence of the criminal complaint is that these two “gentlemen” schemed to create a mobile, remotely operated, radiation emitting device capable of killing targets from afar with a mega dose of radiation. Their alleged intent was to blast unknowing victims with said radiation, only to have their victims fall ill days later and eventually die. Despite their dedicated intentions, at no time was their cartoon ray gun operable or even capable of fulfilling their double secret squirrel plot according to authorities.
Is the KKK really involved? If so it looks as if at least some of them have now graduated from wearing white uniforms that look like Casper’s redneck friend Crisper and hurting people, to generally screaming at rallies in cities, to now plotting attacks with hi tech laser tag guns? Can anyone fill me in here? I’m proud to admit that I don’t knowingly know anyone in the KKK so I can’t attest to the intelligence level of the group as a whole or any of them as individuals, but this seems to me like they’re grasping at straws a bit. Ray guns? Seriously? Dumb, dadumb, dumb, dumb… Whatever bobs their bobber I guess, but there will likely be consequences to thinking and behaving like fools.
Seriously tough break for Grimy Glen and Eric the Great Gazoo. Bad actions have consequences and theirs are provided by the United States Attorney’s Office. Providing Material Support to Terrorists is a Federal crime codified at 18 USC 2339A and occurs in this case because these gents are alleged to have provided material support or resources in preparation for what I assume will be an allegation of a violation of 18 USC 2332A for attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction against someone in the good old United States of America. I mean, apparently in the mind of these guys, nothings screams ‘Merica like ray blasting OTHER AMERICANS ON AMERICAN SOIL strictly because they worship differently than them or may be of a different color. So if these chaps are charged only with conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists and the substantive act of doing so, they’re looking at up to 15 years in the poke. To calculate their sentence you’d look to United States Sentencing Guideline 2M5.3. Their base offense level is a lofty 26 with a possibility of a specific offense characteristic enhancement based on an allegation that the X-Ray gun is a dangerous weapon. I believe that most Federal Criminal Attorneys would object to such enhancement and use the language in their press release that the device was rendered inoperable, assuming it was never operable from the outset and not at the dismantling of the government. If never operable, how can it be a dangerous weapon? If it was at one time, their goose could be cooked. As a Tampa criminal attorney I would at least look into the possibility of a defense that this isn’t a weapon of mass destruction, though at first blush that seems unlikely as it appears to be designed to release radiation under 18 USC 2332a(c)(2)(D). Ultimately, this dynamic duo is likely looking at a few years in the Pen to reflect on their actions. Time will tell.
Jason Mayberry is a Tampa Federal Lawyer practicing in the entirety of the Tampa Bay area. If you’ve been charged with a Federal or State crime in the Tampa area, contact our office at 813-444-7435 or at 727-771-3847.