NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — A former member of the National Guard has been sentenced for unlawfully possessing several firearms while also using illegal controlled substances.
According to the Department of Justice, 22-year-old Norfolk resident Francis Harker was sentenced Monday to 4 years and 9 months in regards to the charges.
Court documents say Harker and an associate, on June 2020, discussed “interrupting an unjust stop” by trapping law enforcement at a Virginia Beach shopping mall.
Harker was able to get a semi-automatic rifle the same day, following that discussion, and falsely stated on the required purchase paperwork that he was not an unlawful user of any controlled substances, when in fact, he used illegal drugs, including LSD.
The following year, investigators say he purchased a handgun and made the same false statement.
In November 2021, the FBI found firearms and illegal drugs at Harker’s home, as well as approximately 100 blank COVID-19 vaccination cards.
Officials say Harker, who was a member of the National Guard, took the cards from the National Guard and mailed them to associates across the country.
His electronic devices and social media accounts contained statements espousing violence towards law enforcement, extremism, and white supremacy. Also found during the search was a backpack in the trunk of Harker’s car that contained components for several Molotov cocktails.
He also possessed images including one with the words “Rape the Cops,” an image of himself doing a Hitler salute, and imagery stating, “there is no god but Hitler.”
Harker also admitted to interacting online with members of a group called “The Base”, which he described as a “group interested in terrorism.”
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