2 January 2025
This case against Brad Spafford, 36, of Virginia is interesting.
On December 17th, the FBI arrested Spafford at his home in Smithfield, Virginia for allegedly owning an unregistered firearm with a barrel shorter than 16 inches. For two years, the FBI had an informant spying on Spafford who was, according to Spafford's court filings, a close friend.
This week, Spafford is asking the court to allow him to be released on bond. The government says Spafford is a threat to public safety and should be kept locked up while awaiting trial.
To me this case the government has is actually pretty weak in terms of keeping him locked up pre-trial, and Spafford's lawyer makes a strong argument that he be released.
For two years, the FBI was investigating Spafford using a confidential information who was a close friend of Spafford. During that time, according to Spafford's lawyer, Spafford never threatened anyone with the gun he was arrested for illegally possessing, and his lawyer said he never threatened to use the homemade bombs either.
The court filing read, "There was no evidence that Mr. Spafford had the means or equipment necessary to explode the devices. The evidence was that professionally trained explosive technicians had to rig the devices to explode them."
Is that true? I guess we'll find out at trial, if the case isn't dismissed.
Aside from target shooting at targets that look like Joe Biden and thinking the federal government sucks, Spafford's lawyer claims that he hasn't done anything wrong and he has no criminal record.
Even though I do think Spafford is up to something, and is probably a threat to public safety, I don't think the government has enough evidence to support that assertion. Even rightwingers shouldn't be locked up until they're actually convicted of a crime.
What's also interesting about this case is that if the court releases Spafford on bond, he can't live with his wife and two kids in the house they just bought. Spafford has to live with his mom and wear an ankle bracelet. That makes me laugh.
Brad Spafford is not going to live with his mom, orders judge.
Lawyers representing these neo-Nazis argue that the case is improper and that the attorney general is targeting Hood and McNeil only because they're neo-Nazis.
On December 17th, the FBI arrested Spafford at his home in Smithfield, Virginia for allegedly owning an unregistered firearm with a barrel shorter than 16 inches. For two years, the FBI had an informant spying on Spafford who was, according to Spafford's court filings, a close friend.
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