Man tied to boogaloo movement sentenced for child sexual exploitation

A Las Vegas man tied to the extremist boogaloo movement has been sentenced to 33 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to multiple child sexual exploitation crimes.

Stephen Thomas Parshall, who is also known as “Kiwi,” was arrested in May 2020 with two other men, Andrew Lynam and William Loomis, after authorities said he conspired to cause violence and destruction at Black Lives Matter protests.

Police then found images of child sexual abuse material while conducting a search of Parshall’s phone, according to the U.S. attorney’s office in Las Vegas.

Investigators also found images of Parshall assaulting a child under 18, and social media conversations between Parshall and a different minor whom he persuaded to send him sexually explicit photos. In other social media conversations, Parshall traded child pornography with others, according to the U.S. attorney’s office.

Parshall, 38, pleaded guilty in October to two counts of sexual exploitation of children, one count of coercion and enticement, and one count of receipt and distribution of child pornography.

U.S. District Judge Jennifer Dorsey sentenced him on Monday to 33 years in federal prison followed by lifetime supervision. He also is required to register as a sex offender.

“As part of our Project Safe Childhood initiative, together with law enforcement partners, we will use all available resources to identify, apprehend, and prosecute predators who exploit children,” Jason Frierson, the U.S. attorney for Nevada, said in a statement. “Thanks to the hard work by the prosecution team and law enforcement, the defendant is no longer a threat to children and the community.”

Parshall, Lynam and Loomis were arrested after prosecutors alleged that they planned to cause violence during protests as members of the boogaloo movement. The movement is a decentralized ideological network that believes in a coming second U.S. civil war and espouses anti-government and anti-law enforcement rhetoric, federal prosecutors have said.

The three men, who have military backgrounds, were charged with terrorism and explosives charges in state court, and conspiracy and firearm charges in federal court, although Loomis and Lynam have both pleaded guilty in state court to a felony charge of attempting to provide material support for use in the commission of a terrorist act, records show.

Both have been sentenced to between four and 20 years in state prison, court records show.

Prosecutors have dismissed the federal case against Loomis as part of his plea in state court, according to federal court records. The plea deal for Lynam, who was sentenced earlier this month, also came with a stipulation that authorities would not proceed with his prosecution in federal court.

A trial for Parshall in the conspiracy case is scheduled in federal court for November. He also is scheduled to appear in state court on Thursday for a status hearing.

Parshall’s defense attorney, Robert Draskovich, did not immediately reply to a request for comment on Tuesday.

The three defendants were accused of planning to firebomb a power substation and damage federal buildings. Prosecutors said the group acted as if they were conducting military operations and talked in code, wore tactical military gear, carried weapons, possessed explosive materials and conducted reconnaissance missions.

An FBI informant infiltrated the group and recorded meetings in which members plotted firebombings and scouted potential targets, according to court records.

Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240. Follow @k_newberg on Twitter.