2 years after arrest, Nevada Boogaloo suspects have yet to face jury
More than two years after their arrests, three suspected Nevada members of the extremist boogaloo movement have yet to face a jury in a domestic terrorism case that drew national attention.
A Clark County District Court judge on Tuesday continued the trial of the defendants another eight months until Feb. 6 at the request of one of their lawyers. They also face an Oct. 31 federal trial.
The three men — Stephen Parshall, Andrew Lynam and William Loomis — were arrested by FBI agents in May 2020 in an alleged right-wing conspiracy to cause violence at Black Lives Matter protests in Las Vegas. The demonstrations were occurring across the country following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody.
Chief Deputy District Attorney Michael Dickerson said after court Tuesday that he hopes the February trial date will be kept.
“I don’t believe it’s an unusual delay given the severity of the charges, as well as the fact that both the federal government and the state are prosecuting them,” Dickerson said. “It wasn’t until very recently that we were able to secure their presence in state court.”
All three defendants, who have military backgrounds, have been in federal custody. They face terrorism and explosives charges in state court and conspiracy and firearms charges in federal court.
Domestic terrorism cases have risen across the country amid the deepening political rift that led to the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol Hill riot.
The boogaloo movement, which is decentralized with no national leaders, believes in an impending civil war and ultimate societal collapse.
Extremist militia members, including those from the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys, were among those charged with storming the Capitol. A special House committee investigating the insurrection began hearings last week.
Previous case delays
Previous delays in the Las Vegas boogaloo case were the result of a slowdown in the judicial system because of COVID-19.
Dickerson said prosecutors have held plea negotiations in recent weeks with some of the defendants, but have not reached any deals.
Parshall, Lynam and Loomis were indicted June 17, 2020 by both federal and county grand juries in a rare coordinated effort by authorities to curb the protest violence.
The trio also is alleged to have planned to firebomb a power substation and damage federal buildings.
Federal and state prosecutors have argued that the defendants acted as if they were conducting military operations. They allegedly talked in code, wore tactical military gear, carried weapons, possessed explosive materials and conducted reconnaissance missions.
The defendants wanted to loosely follow the principles of the notorious Irish Republican Army, a paramilitary organization dedicated to liberating Northern Ireland from British rule, according to prosecutors.
FBI agents arrested the men on May 30, 2020 after learning that they were prepared to toss Molotov cocktails at police during a Black Lives Matter demonstration.
The FBI, with the help of an informant, had infiltrated the group and worked the investigation jointly with Las Vegas police and other law enforcement agencies.
Contact Jeff German at jgerman@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4564. Follow @JGermanRJ on Twitter. German is a member of the Review-Journal’s investigative team, focusing on reporting that holds leaders and agencies accountable and exposes wrongdoing. Support our journalism.
