Redmond Man Sentenced To Prison For Neo-Nazi Threats

REDMOND, WA — A former leader of the neo-Nazi group "Atomwaffen Division" was sentenced Tuesday to three years in prison after pleading guilty to federal conspiracy and hate crime charges. Cameron Shea, 25, of Redmond, was one of four people arrested in February 2020 after threatening, anti-Semitic flyers were sent to journalists and advocates in Washington and other states.

In Washington, targets included three residents in Seattle, Edmonds and Mercer Island. One of the recipients was KING 5 investigative reporter Chris Ingalls, who produced several pieces on the group the year before.

“The Justice Department will continue to aggressively prosecute threats motivated by religious intolerance, and to prosecute defendants like this one who threatened violence against individuals who work to end discrimination,” said Kristen Clarke, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Justice Department is committed to prosecuting to the full extent of the law, violent neo-Nazis and other perpetrators of hate crimes.”

Shea entered a guilty plea in April. Prosecutors said he and three co-defendants used an encrypted chat app to identify targets based on their work exposing anti-Semitism, and the group made and distributed posters littered with Nazi symbols and threatening language. The posters were mailed or left at victims' homes near Seattle, Phoenix and Tampa Bay.

“This hate-filled conduct strikes at the heart of our communities,” said Tessa Gorman, acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Washington. “This defendant’s goal was to make people fearful in their own homes, and he recruited and cheered on others who joined his sick scheme. This federal prison sentence underscores the human damage from his crimes.”

In a letter sent to the judge before the hearing, Shea apologized for his actions, expressing guilt for causing others fear and pain, and promised to do better upon his release.

His letter reads in part:

"When I started looking into the neo-nazi movement, I was at a very difficult point in my life; I was homeless, struggling with addiction, had just lost funding for my schooling, and a close friend of mine had recently passed away. I was lost, sad, and (at the risk of sounding dramatic) angry at the world. Instead of taking responsibility for my situation, I decided to blame other people and society, choosing to adopt a worldview that was contrary to everything considered morally acceptable as a way to lash out. Although I didn't know it at the time, this was my rock bottom."

Two other defendants pleaded guilty for their role in the scheme and were already sentenced. Another man, Kaleb Cole, pleaded not guilty. His trial is set to begin next month.