Jeffrey Clark, a D.C.-based self-proclaimed neo-Nazi who called the Pittsburgh shooter a “hero,” pleaded guilty to a federal gun charge on Tuesday and is likely to be released in September, the Huffington Post reported.
Clark pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm while using a controlled substance, as part of a plea deal. And another count related to possession of a high-capacity magazine was dropped.
The man, who lives in the Bloomingdale neighborhood, was initially reported to authorities by his own relatives because of his radical views and violent speeches after the death of his brother. His 23-year-old brother Edward Clark, who shared a similar perspective, took his own life by shooting himself on D.C.’s Theodore Roosevelt Island on the day of the massacre at a Pittsburgh synagogue that took place in 2018.
Clark reportedly praised the Pittsburgh shooter, calling it a “hero,” and saying that the victims of the attack “deserved” what happened. He was a follower of the massacre suspect on the social media.
Remember Jeffrey Clark, the self-described Nazi living in Bloomingdale who allegedly wanted to expedite a race revolution? He pleaded guilty to a federal gun charge, and could be released from custody as soon as Sept. https://t.co/3kqldw4y7s pic.twitter.com/Ug7CRwpzsr
— Rachel Kurzius (@Curious_Kurz) July 24, 2019
According to the Huffington Post, Clark was described as “a bomb” waiting to explode by a prosecutor, however, there is currently no federal legislation criminalizing domestic terrorism.
Clark, who was arrested on November 9 last year, is expected to be handed down 10 to 16 months in prison, which means he can be released in September after his sentencing.
Clark had told the FBI that he and his brother got into guns in 2016, “because they believed there was going to be a civil war,” the Washington Post reported, attributing it to court files. Both brothers were reportedly active in the white nationalist community, especially on the Internet.
They even took part in the white nationalist Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017.