Press Release
Alleged White Nationalist Charged With Gun Crime
For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Texas
An alleged white nationalist apparently intent on killing members of the Jewish faith has been charged with a federal firearm offense, announced Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Prerak Shah.
Christian Michael Mackey, 20, was charged via criminal complaint with unlawful sale of a firearm. FBI agents arrested him at a parking lot near his home in Grand Prairie Friday evening. He made his initial appearance in federal court before U.S. Magistrate Judge Irma Carrillo Ramirez Monday. A detention hearing has been set for 1 p.m. Wednesday.
“The Department of Justice is committed to enforcing our nation’s gun laws, which are designed to keep firearms out of the hands of dangerous individuals. This defendant’s indiscriminate sale of an AM-15 to a convicted felon could have put lives at risk, had the buyer not turned the gun over to the FBI,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Prerak Shah. “Although adherence to a repugnant ideology is not a crime in and of itself, unlawful sale is – and we are determined to hold Mr. Mackey accountable.”
“The FBI’s investigative focus is on criminal activity, regardless of group affiliation,” said FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge Matthew J. DeSarno, “Mr. Mackey’s disregard for the law as he is alleged to have knowingly sold a firearm to a felon could have put lives at risk. We are proud to work with our law enforcement partners to provide protection for our communities.”
According to the complaint, Mr. Mackey regularly posted in online chats organized by the Iron Youth, a Neo-Nazi white nationalist group dedicated to national socialism, militancy, and political terror. The group espouses “siege” ideology – using a series of anti-government terrorist attacks to instigate a race war.
On Instagram, Mr. Mackey said he liked “control and killing,” called himself a “radical jew slayer,” and vowed he would “die attacking the sustem [sic].” He urged fellow group members to kill Jews and African Americans.
At a meeting with an undercover FBI agent in December, Mr. Mackey allegedly expressed interest in selling his rifle in order to purchase another firearm, and stated that another Iron Youth member had recommended a ghost-gun, a homemade pistol without a serial number. He later changed his mind, telling the agent he would prefer to purchase a traditional rifle.
At a subsequent meeting, the undercover agent offered to facilitate the sale of Mr. Mackey’s gun to another individual, who the undercover agent warned was a felon. Mr. Mackey allegedly told the agent he “could care less” who bought his gun.
On Jan. 29, Mr. Mackey sold his AM-15 to a paid FBI source with multiple felony convictions.
At the undercover agent’s direction, the pair met at a gas station in Grand Prairie, then drove to an adjacent parking lot, where the source purchased the weapon for $800. Mr. Mackey asked if the source was “based” (a term used to indicate an embrace of white supremacist ideology) then indicated that he’d heard the source was a felon, but didn’t care.
Immediately following the sale, the AM-15 was taken into FBI custody.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation of wrongdoing, not evidence. Like all defendants, Mr. Mackey is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in federal prison. If convicted, as a felon, he would be permanently barred from possessing a firearm.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation – Dallas’s Joint Terrorism Task Force conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicole Dana and Nicole Hammond are prosecuting the case.
Contact
Erin Dooley
Public Affairs
214-659-8707
erin.dooley@usdoj.gov
Updated February 8, 2021
Topics
Project Guardian
Firearms Offenses