Two Washington men with ties to the Boogaloo anti-government militia group were sentenced this month to spend more than a year in prison after pleading guilty to charges tied to explosive devices intended for use on law enforcement.
Connor D. Goodman, of Auburn, was sentenced to 18 months in prison by United States District Court Judge Mary K. Dimke on Thursday.
Goodman pleaded guilty to conspiracy to make an unregistered destructive device on March 16.
His co-defendant, Daniel J. Anderson, of Kennewick, pleaded guilty to the same charge on March 23 and was sentenced to 12 months, one day in prison on Aug. 17.
Anderson and Goodman were members of the Verified Bois, an online chat group with anti-government and anti-authority extremist views, according to court documents. They were indicted in January 2022.
The FBI worked with a confidential informant to infiltrate the group. Through the informant, investigators learned members of the group discussed committing violence against law enforcement officials and stealing explosive materials, according to court documents.
"As the U.S. Attorney, I will not tolerate any efforts to threaten or target public servants dedicated to protecting and supporting our community," Vanessa Waldref wrote in a statement. "Mr. Goodman bought materials for the explicit purpose of constructing an explosive device that presented a very real danger."
Goodman was identified as the leader of the group and provided Anderson with a shotgun at a meeting before their arrest. Investigators found multiple firearms, including a sawed-off shotgun, during a search of Goodman's home, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's office.
Anderson used commercial fireworks to construct homemade explosive devices, which were discovered in a search of his home, according to court documents.
The anti-government "boogaloo" movement is made up of a loosely connected network of people who believe the United States is on the brink of a second civil war, according to research by the Washington, D.C.-based security think tank the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
"Mr. Goodman and his co-conspirator took active steps to further their ideology through violence," Richard A. Collodi, special agent in charge of the FBI's Seattle field office, wrote in a statement. "Fortunately, our Joint Terrorism Task Force was able to disrupt their activities before they could injure or kill anyone with their destructive device."
