Two men from Missouri were arrested at a hotel near Kenosha, Wisconsin on Tuesday for illegally possessing firearms, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Thursday.
Michael M. Karmo, 40, and Cody E. Smith, 33, were arrested at a hotel in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, after the Kenosha Police Department tipped off the FBI that a law enforcement agency in Iowa had received a tip that Karmo and another male were traveling to Kenosha with illegal weapons, per the DOJ press release.
The tipster allegedly told the law enforcement agency in Iowa that Karmo and Smith, whose identity wasn’t originally known, were going to Kenosha “to loot and possibly ‘pick people off’,” according to the criminal complaint.
KENOSHA, WI – AUGUST 24: A man looks over caution tape during a second night of rioting on August 24, 2020 in Kenosha, Wisconsin. The civil unrest occurred after the shooting of Jacob Blake, 29, on August 23. Blake was shot multiple times in the back by Wisconsin police officers after attempting to enter into the drivers side of a vehicle. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
FBI agents then saw texts between Karmo and the tipster showing Karmo holding a rifle and another man holding what the FBI said appeared to be a shotgun. One of the texts read “This the game changer,” according to the complaint.
The FBI also saw a screenshot of a 2018 post from Karmo’s Facebook showing what appears to be Karmo holding a rifle with the caption “Will the real homeland security please stand up…”
After reviewing the information, law enforcement tracked Karmo’s cellphone and found him and Smith at the hotel room, per the complaint.
FBI agents searched Karmo and Smith’s vehicle and hotel rooms and discovered a slew of firearms, including an AR-15, two handguns, a silencer, ammunition, body armor, a drone and other materials, per the complaint.
Karmo and Smith were not allowed to legally own weapons since Karmo has prior felony convictions and Smith has a misdemeanor domestic battery conviction and is an acknowledged regular drug-user, according to the DOJ.
Karmo was charged with Felon in Possession of a Firearm while Smith was charged with Aiding and Abetting a Felon’s Possession of Firearms, and two counts of Possession of Firearms and Ammunition by a Prohibited Person due to his previous domestic battery misdemeanor and drug use. Each offense has a maximum penalty of up to 10 years in prison and a maximum fine of up to $250,000, according to the DOJ.
Smith told FBI agents he and Karmo were traveling from Missouri to Kenosha for President Donald Trump’s rally and “wanted to see proof of the rioting.” Karmo told the FBI that after Kenosha, they planned on heading to Portland and that he would be willing to “take action” if the police were defunded, per the complaint.
Protests started in Kenosha Aug. 23 after police officers shot Jacob Blake in the back seven times. Following Blake’s shooting, two protesters were shot and killed during riots and another wounded by Kyle Rittenhouse. (RELATED: Kenosha Riots Have Destroyed $2 Million In City-Owned Property)
Trump visited Kenosha on Tuesday to survey the damage from the riots.