National Constitutional Militia Member Sentenced for Illegal Gun Possession

A convicted felon and member of an anti-government extremist group who took part in online discussions to kidnap and attack federal officials on Thanksgiving Day 2022 was sentenced to prison for illegally possessing firearms during a trip to Georgia.

Joshua Colston, 50, of Corinth, Mississippi, was sentenced today to serve 48 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. Colston previously pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon on Oct. 18, 2023.

According to court documents and other information presented in court, the FBI learned that Colston and others participated in discussions on a Zello chat channel titled “NCM Leadership.” Zello is an encrypted push-to-talk application used on cellular phones. “NCM” stands for National Constitutional Militia, an anti-government extremist organization. Colston and other NCM members discussed a plan to kidnap or attack elected federal officials on Thanksgiving Day 2022. Ultimately, the Thanksgiving Day plan was never developed due to the group’s lack of resources and the poor health of the members.

FBI agents took Colston into custody in Fitzgerald, Georgia, on Dec. 14, 2022, where Colston went to purchase horses. He told agents that he planned to travel horseback across the country for several years, and he was preparing to go “off the grid.” Colston, who has prior felony convictions, was found to be in illegal possession of five firearms: a 9mm semiautomatic pistol, .40 semiautomatic pistol, .22 semiautomatic rifle, semiautomatic shotgun and .44 lever-action rifle. The semiautomatic rifle was reported stolen in Alcorn County, Mississippi. In addition to the firearms, Colston had a bulletproof vest and more than 3,500 rounds of ammunition, including armor-piercing rounds, in his vehicle. FBI believed that Colston had training in explosives. Colston has prior state convictions in Texas for felony theft and felony criminal mischief. It is illegal for a convicted felon to possess firearms.

Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary for the Middle District of Georgia and Executive Assistant Director Robert Wells of the FBI’s National Security Branch made the announcement.

The FBI and Ben Hill County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.

Deputy Criminal Chief Will Keyes for the Middle District of Florida prosecuted the case with assistance from the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.