FBI: Maryland Man Frank Perry, With Alleged Links To Far-Right 'Boogaloo' Movement, Arrested On Federal Gun Charges
DUNDALK, Md. (WJZ) -- A Baltimore area man allegedly linked with the far-right Boogaloo movement was arrested on federal gun charges by the Federal Bureau of Investigations this week. The Boogaloo movement is allegedly behind the plot to kidnap and kill Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
According to the affidavit dated Oct. 7, 2020, a search warrant was executed on Frank William Robertson Perry's Dundalk home in the 1900 block of Quentin Road around 7:08 p.m. Agents found and seized a number of items from the basement bedroom, including a black tactical vest containing two ballistic plates located on the interior of the vest, two loaded rifle magazines located in pouches affixed to the exterior of the vest, a third loaded rifle magazine located on top of the vest and an Anderson Manufacturing rifle model AM-15 bearing serial number 20034967 which was partially concealed. They also found ammunition located inside a black box in the nightstand and other firearm-related accessories.
Perry was taken into custody around 9 p.m. while he was coming back home, the FBI said.
The Anderson rifle was bought in parts by Perry and his girlfriend, who lived with Perry, a federal agent claimed in the affidavit. Perry allegedly put the rifle together. The girlfriend told the feds Perry told her to buy a lower receiver for the rifle so he could build her a gun for self-defense. Perry, however, denied to the FBI the weapon was his but said he would have used it if needed in self-defense.
The woman legally made the purchase or the receiver from The Gun Shop in Essex but told them she was purchasing it for herself. Meanwhile, the other parts and were bought on Amazon and shipped to their Dundalk home.
In September, the FBI identified Perry as a member of the Booglaloo movement.
According to the affidavit, Boogaloo is a term referencing a violent uprising or impending civil war.
"The term is sometimes used by militia extremists and racially or ethnically motivated violent extremists (RMVE), who allude to it using shorthand such as "big igloo" or "big luau" and imagery such as igloos or Hawaiian shirts," the document reads. "The term has particularly resonated with militia extremists, who have adopted it to reference an impending politically motivated civil war or uprising against the government following perceived incursions on Constitutional rights— including the Second Amendment—or other perceived government overreach."
The FBI says Boogaloo is not a defined group but a movement based on ideology. Perry was linked to the group due to his social media activity on Facebook and Pinterest, the FBI said in the complaint. The woman was not linked to the group by the FBI.
Feds bust alleged plot to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer
According to the FBI agent, Perry is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition due to a 2002 conviction in Baltimore County Circuit Court for second-degree burglary.
Perry could have received a sentence of up to fifteen years in prison for this conviction and therefore that prohibited him from owning a firearm under federal law.
Perry appeared in court Friday afternoon and is being held in custody ahead of a detention hearing set for Oct.19.
At this time, the girlfriend is not being charged.
'You Just Don't Know Your Neighbors'
Video from neighbors showed some of Wednesday night's raid on Perry's home.
"I ain't seen stuff like that on television, to be honest with you," neighbor Harry Forsythe said.
Another neighbor, Bruce Altman, said he saw multiple snipers during the raid.
"Two or three there, on that corner, around back. There were probably about 30 to 40 cops, it looked like," Altman said.
Forsythe said he was surprised by the raid.
"You just don't know your neighbors. You think you do. I mean, we all kind of look out for each other around here," he said.
Perry's family declined to comment at the home Friday.
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