A 29-year-old Army veteran from Washington was sentenced to two years in prison and three years of probation Wednesday for illegally stockpiling weapons and training white supremacist extremists.
The FBI initially investigated Kyle Christopher Benton before his September arrest following his Army discharge and after threats to kill his wife.
A raid on his Snohomish home uncovered an unregistered machine gun, a drop-in auto sear, and two short-barreled rifles, all illegal under the National Firearms Act.
Benton also posted violent neo-Nazi and anti-Semitic content on social media and attended “hate rallies” across Oregon, Washington, and Idaho.
Prosecutors said he used his veteran status to position himself as an authority figure and held workshops about firearms and tactical trainings for white supremacist group members.
“You not only illegally possessed extremely dangerous firearms, but you bragged about it and put on firearms trainings for others while doing so,” US District Judge Tana Lin told him during the sentencing.”
Benton said he now renounces his white supremacist views in a letter to the court on Wednesday.
Benton pleaded guilty to federal counts of possession of a machine gun and possession of an unregistered firearm in March. Prosecutors had recommended a 30-month term, citing his dangerous combination of extremist ideology, military-style weaponry, and tactical teachings.
