Member of ‘Boogaloo Bois’ pleads guilty to conspiracy to provide material support to Hamas

On Wednesday, United States Attorney Erica MacDonald and National Security Division Assistant Attorney General John Demers announced the guilty plea of a North Carolina man who has ties to the Boogaloo Bois, a loosely-connected group of individuals who espouse violent anti-government sentiments.

According to a release, 22-year-old Benjamin Ryan Teeter pleaded guilty to conspiracy to provide material support and resources, namely property, services and weapons, to Hamas, a designated foreign terrorist organization. Teeter originally was charged with the crime on Nov. 6.

“The defendant was a self-described member of the ‘Boogaloo Bois’ whose extremist ideologies had moved into the realm of violent action,” MacDonald said. “I am grateful for the quick and effective action by law enforcement to keep our community safe.”

2 ‘Boogaloo Bois,’ 1 from Minnesota, newly charged with providing material support to Hamas

According to documents filed in court, in late May of this year, the FBI initiated an investigation into Teeter and another man identified as Michael Solomon, two members of the Boogaloo Bois, and a sub-group called the "Boojahideen." The term "Boogaloo" itself references an impending civil war in the United States and is associated with violent uprisings against the government.

Teeter’s guilty plea and documents filed in court state that in early June, the FBI received information about Teeter, Solomon and other members of the Boogaloo Bois and the Boojahideen through a confidential source, whom the groups believed to be a member of Hamas. In audio-recorded conversations, Teeter and Solomon expressed that Hamas shares anti-U.S. government views that align with their own views. Teeter and Solomon also expressed their desire to employ themselves as "mercenaries" for Hamas to generate cash for the Boogaloo Bois/Boojahideen movement. That included funding for recruitment and purchasing land for a training compound.

Teeter admitted in his guilty plea that he knew Hamas was a designated foreign terrorist organization, and that the organization had engaged and was engaging in terrorist activity or terrorism.

Court documents show that Teeter and Solomon met with the confidential source on multiple occasions.

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