WASHINGTON - The FBI arrested two more men in Washington state and Missouri in connection with an alleged plot to attack government officials at the Ultimate Fighting Championship Freedom 250 event held at the White House on June 14, the Department of Justice announced.
William Lee Spartacus Falkner was arrested midday Friday, June 19, and is charged by criminal complaint in the Western District of Washington with conspiracy to commit murder. He appeared in U.S. District Court in Tacoma. Jordan W. Rincker, 28, of St. Joseph, Missouri, was arrested Sunday, June 21, and faces the same charge in the Western District of Missouri. He appeared in U.S. District Court in Kansas City. Conspiracy to commit murder is punishable by up to life in prison.
“Law enforcement continues to do what it does - move to disrupt and hold accountable those allegedly plotting to do harm on the White House Grounds on June 14,” said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. “Each and every day, the FBI and their federal, state and local law enforcement partners, along with U.S. Attorneys offices across the country, safeguard American communities and our nation’s security.”
FBI Director Kash Patel said the arrests resulted from a multi-state operation carried out in just over a week. “These arrests are the latest result of the FBI, teaming up with our great partners, to identify and apprehend those who allegedly wanted to attack the UFC Freedom 250 event - a threat this FBI and our partners prevented,” Patel said. “This collective resolve demonstrates to anyone who threatens the lives of American citizens - this FBI and our partners will find you no matter where you hide, and you will face justice.”
According to the criminal complaint filed in the Western District of Washington, investigators first learned of the plot when the parents of co-conspirator Tycen C. Proper in Ohio alerted police to their son’s purchase of weapons and concerning online activities. Falkner, identified through cell data and online communications, allegedly has experience manufacturing and piloting drones. He discussed loading explosives on drones and configuring them for maximum destructive impact, the complaint states. The plan allegedly called for drones to attack the event on one side, forcing attendees to exit from the opposite side where co-conspirators with sniper rifles and other weapons could shoot them. One of those arrested said the goal was to cause enough chaos to bring about the overthrow of the U.S. government.
Rincker allegedly accepted $1,200 in cash from co-conspirator Abraham Hermosillo Alvarez, 31, of Omaha, Nebraska, to distribute payments to other plotters. He sent $100 through CashApp to Bryan Omar Roa, 24, of Calimesa, California, for gas to drive from California to Washington, D.C., to pick up the “drone operator” for the attack. Both Alvarez and Roa were arrested and charged last week. Rincker also allegedly gave Alvarez a 12-gauge pump action shotgun during an in-person meeting in Omaha, receiving in return a ballistic plate, face shield, 3D printer, 3D printing filament, night vision goggles, binoculars, a “wire checker,” and a minicomputer. Alvarez allegedly gave Rincker the 3D printer to make drones.
“These latest arrests reflect the rapid progress of our investigation into the alleged plot targeting the UFC event at the White House - an apparent attempt to destabilize the U.S. government,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. “NSD will continue to work tirelessly with our law enforcement partners to ensure that all individuals who sought to carry out this potential attack are identified and brought to justice.”
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Neil Floyd for the Western District of Washington called the conspiracy “geographically wide-ranging” and said the investigation required “round-the-clock coordination.” U.S. Attorney R. Matthew Price for the Western District of Missouri said, “We will continue taking decisive action against those who seek to endanger national security and threaten the safety of Americans.” Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Wynne is prosecuting Falkner’s case, while Assistant U.S. Attorneys Maureen Brackett, Trey Alford, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon Chlarson are prosecuting Rincker’s case, both working with the DOJ National Security Division. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.