NC Man Who Discussed Destroying MN Courthouse Gets 4 Years In Jail

MINNEAPOLIS, MN —A North Carolina man who was a member of the far-right extremist group the Boogaloo Bois was sentenced Wednesday in a Minnesota federal court to four years in prison on terrorism charges, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Minnesota has announced.

Benjamin Ryan Teeter, 24, of Hamstead, North Carolina, pleaded guilty in December 2020 to conspiring to provide material support and resources, namely property, services and weapons, to Hamas, a designated foreign terrorist organization, for use against Israeli and U.S. military personnel overseas.

Teeter was sentenced to 48 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release.

According to MPR News, U.S. District Judge Michal Davis told Teeter he got "one heck of a break," because his jail term is far less than other terrorism defendants have received.

The U.S. Attorney's Office said that in sentencing Teeter, the court recognized the extensive assistance to multiple investigations that Teeter provided to the FBI following his arrest.

According to court records, an investigation into Teeter and another man, Minnesota native Michael Robert Solomon, revealed several interactions the pair had with sources they believed to be part of Hamas. The pair were part of a Boogaloo Bois sub-group called the Boojahideen, authorities said.

In June 2020, according to court documents, Teeter met with a confidential human source (CHS) and identified a courthouse in northern Minnesota that he and Solomon believed to be a suitable target for destruction.

MPR News reported that both Teeter and Solomon, of New Brighton, got on the FBI's radar after they showed up with guns at protests in Minneapolis following the police murder of George Floyd in 2020.

Solomon, 32, pleaded guilty to terrorism charges in May 2021 and he was sentenced to 36 months in prison and five years of supervised release in March of this year.

According to court documents, the FBI initiated its investigation into Teeter and Solomon in May of 2020.

During the next three months, court records show the pair had multiple meetings with a CHS and an undercover FBI source, both of whom they believed were part of Hamas.

The court said Teeter used encrypted messaging applications to communicate with Solomon and the CHS about various aspects of the conspiracy.

In addition to discussing targeting the northern Minnesota courthouse, court records show that Teeter and Solomon also discussed other terror-related plans with sources they believed to be part of Hamas, including manufacturing suppressors, untraceable firearms and fully automatic firearms for Hamas.

Court records show that Teeter admitted that he and Solomon purchased a drill press for the purpose of manufacturing suppressors for Hamas and members of the Boogaloo Bois.

The pair used the drill press to manufacture five suppressors, which were delivered to Teeter and Solomon's sources, court records show.

Teeter and Solomon also agreed to manufacture additional suppressors for Hamas, which the pair believed would be used against Israeli and U.S. military personnel overseas, the court said.

According to court records, in late August of 2020, Teeter and Solomon delivered a 3-D printed "auto sear" to their sources, which they believed would be used by Hamas to convert semi-automatic rifles into fully automatic rifles.

At this time, Teeter and Solomon also agreed to obtain, and did obtain, another order of auto sears for their sources, according to court documents.

The U.S. Attorney's Office said the investigation into Teeter and Solomon was conducted by the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force, with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF).