An anti-government activist from Montana who spoke of shooting police, arresting judges and burning down a local courthouse was sentenced Thursday to six years in prison on federal firearms charges.
U.S. District Judge Susan Watters said defendant William Krisstofer Wolf had advocated a “shocking” level of violence against law enforcement, judges and other public officials.
A federal jury convicted the Gallatin County man in November, after Wolf bought a sawed-off automatic shotgun for $725 from an undercover FBI agent in the parking lot of a truck stop.
An automatic shotgun is categorized as a machine gun under federal law and can be bought only with a special permit, which Wolf did not have. Shotguns with shortened barrels also are illegal.
Wolf said his extreme statements pertained to an anticipated second American Revolution, and he argued they were constitutionally protected as free speech. He maintained his innocence throughout his trial and during a sometimes-rambling, 15-minute monologue that he offered during his sentencing hearing.
“I was entrapped and ultimately denied a fair and impartial trial amounting to a political persecution,” Wolf said.
But Watters said the 53-year-old construction worker crossed the line when he purchased the shotgun. The judge said that action revealed Wolf’s propensity toward violence was real.
“You have a right to free speech, but you don’t have a right to speak as you did and then take actions” to carry out your threats, Watters said.
Prosecutors sought 10 years in prison for Wolf, who ran an anti-government webcast called “The Montana Republic.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Bryan Whittaker said a stiff prison sentence was needed to deter Wolf and send a message to others who might contemplate violence against the government.
Wolf’s attorney, Mark Werner with the Federal Defenders Office, argued that his client has no history of violence and did not intend to use the shotgun on any particular person.
“Twenty-five months of (FBI) surveillance and who did Wolf specifically threaten?” Werner said. “It’s free speech. It’s talk.”
Wolf testified at trial that he also wanted to acquire a flamethrower, which is allowed under federal law. On his webcast, Wolf compared shooting police officers to shooting gophers and proposed citizen arrests of judges by militia-like safety committees.
“Once the war starts, yes,” Wolf testified. “Not before that.”
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
In these days of terrorism most people don’t take buying weapons and spewing threats to be idle talk and harmless.
Those who fantasize over a government revolution need to take a reality check. Many Americans are getting some form of payment from the government such as welfare, disability, social security, or a pension. Others are getting free or subsidized health care and food. Those people are not going to revolt against the government. Washington’s practice of taking and redistributing wealth has the effect of building a loyalty toward the government by those receiving something from the government. There isn’t going to be any support to overthrow the government as long as it is playing Santa Claus.
This was nothing but a signal to everyone else. Don’t speak out or we will put you in prison.
Do note, that, the feds, can sell, illegal weapons, to entrap, with, no prosecution for their crimes….. and, possibly, for, bringing up the subject, to, scam, an arrest…. So much, for, equal protection, , and, from, the, organized crime, at, law, mob, govern mentals, under oath….. Snidely… Edgrrr…
Who turned the gun into a sawed off automatic weapon? The FBI- not Wolf. He may have said some things but until he actually did those things he is not guilty of anything. Exercising free speech. I hear Louis Farakan saying all kinds of things and as far as I know he has never been arrested. The Black Panthers or Black Lives Matter- where are their prison sentences? What about all the violence in Ferguson? Who is being charged there? They actually burned down people’s livliehood and as far as I have heard nothing has happened to them. There has been all sorts of incindiary rhetoric coming out of this administration and no one has gone to jail. How about Killary- responsible for the lives of 4 good men- been indicted yet? Ya, I didn’t think so.
Automatic shotgun? There ain’t no such critter. Semiautomatic is a pretty standard hunting weapon; I had one years ago, a Browning. It’s just another twelve-gauge, in the yes of the law. Prosecutors are infamous for lying. Educated people are usually dismissed form jury pools even before selection starts, so ignorant jurors will be pliant. Let’s have better written legal reports, please. This was too indistinct.
Does anybody remember the story of Ruby Ridge? In an assault upon the house of a Green Barrett activist who a BATF agent talked into making a sawed off shotgun. They shot and killed his wife, baby, son, and dog. Former Presidential Candidate Bo Grietz interveined to stop the frekas. When it was all over. The Green Barrett guy sued the government and won a settlement of over a million dollars. GOOGLE the phrase “Ruby Ridge” to get the whole story.
Yes, i have often observed that sworn agents of all governments in America routinely violate their oaths of office…and with impunity, too. Well, so far, at least.
As Voltaire said(iirc; might’ve been someone else): “It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong.”
Q.E.D.
But when tyranny becomes law, resistance becomes duty…especially if you have any desire at all to remain free AND hold office-holders to account for their failures to abide by the terms of their agreement, that is “to preserve, protect, and defend” the principles of the Supreme Law “against ALL enemies, foreign AND DOMESTIC.” All gov’t agents, whether elected, appointed, or hired, are required to take the oath as a condition of their employment – but who has been held accountable for their failure to keep their oath? Don’t judges have a right to have liars in their courtrooms arrested and tried for perjury? Why does this principle not apply to those who betray the Public Trust by trampling on their oath? Why to oath-breakers get a pass on accountability for their oaths of office?
So to create a sawed-off shotgun then sell it to a “suspect” in order to punish him – not entrapment, the court says? Was it a jury trial?
If anyone doubts that police can and often DO break the law and routinely escalate violence against “suspects,” even handcuffed and prone people, one need only spend some time at Youtube and see a legion of examples, even of cops murdering suspects and then having courts OK their acts…so to “advocate extreme levels of violence,” as the judge put it, just shows her ignorance; in US v Bad Elk, the SUPREME court ruled that if an arrest is illegal to BEGIN with, Citizens may resist, even with deadly force, and may ONLY be charged with manslaughter for so doing. As to “arresting judges,” perhaps these “judges” rightly fear public anger over their repeatedly countenancing State-sanctioned murders by out-of-control, Oath-breaking cops.