The larger conspiracy case against members of a Christian militia has fallen apart, but the feds still got guilty pleas on Thursday on charges the Hutaree‘s leader and his 23-year-old son possessed illegal machine guns.
David Stone, Sr. and Joshua Stone “admitted that they possessed machine guns, specifically a Bushmaster .223 caliber rifle and a Double Star Corp. .223 caliber rifle, respectively, knowing that the firearms would shoot, and were designed to shoot, automatically more than one shot ,without manual reloading, by a single function of then trigger,” according to a Justice Department press release.
They both face a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Based on their felony convictions, the Stones will never be allowed to possess firearms again.
A federal judge in Michigan tossed out the majority of the case earlier this week because she said that David Stone’s heated rhetoric against law enforcement didn’t amount to a specific plot and that the evidence against other members of the militia was weak.
U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade called the court’s order “disappointing” but said it “does not shake our commitment to dismantling groups who would harm our citizens and law enforcement officers, and these efforts will continue.”
“While we disagree with the court’s decision, we respect its role, and we recognize that reasonable minds can disagree on where legal lines are drawn,” McQuade said.
Stone, Sr. said the case should serve as a warning to the public.
“This could happen to anybody,” he said. “It’s amazing how someone can take a comment out of context and make it into what they want it to be.” People suspicious about the government, Stone said, now know “their paranoia is true.”
