A Coast Guard officer who kept 15 guns and other weapons in his Maryland home and allegedly planned a killing rampage in support of white nationalismwas sentenced Friday to 13 years in federal prison in a case that illustrated the difficulty of prosecuting accused, would-be domestic terrorists who are arrested before they carry out violent crimes.
Former lieutenant Christopher P. Hasson, 50, was indicted last year and pleaded guilty to firearms and drug charges. Authorities said he intended to embark on a murderous rampage targeting liberal politicians on Capitol Hill and prominent on-air hosts of cable news programs. Defense lawyers, who wanted Hasson released on probation, argued that he never would have committed the attacks.
Whether he ended up in prison, and for how long, depended on a judge’s view of how serious he was about a mass killing. After seven hours of legal arguments and testimony in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt, Md., Judge George E. Hazel sided with prosecutors. Continue reading.