BY ANNIE HOLLER
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
COLUMBUS, Ohio — A 21-year-old Logan County man was arrested in West Virginia this week after federal investigators accused him of agreeing to serve as a sniper in a sweeping plot to kill President Donald Trump and other prominent figures during a UFC event at the White House.
Chandler Dylan Scaggs of Chapmanville, West Virginia, was the last of eight men taken into custody in the case. A federal grand jury in Columbus indicted the group Thursday, accusing its members of gathering weapons, conducting combat training and making plans to attack UFC Freedom 250 on June 14.
The event, held on the White House South Lawn to mark Trump’s 80th birthday, drew federal officials and other high-profile guests.
Prosecutors said Scaggs, who used the online name “Viper of the S.O.G.,” had been chosen as one of the alleged plot’s snipers.
Tycen James Proper, 19, of Danville, Ohio, was supposed to pick up Scaggs in West Virginia on his way to Washington, according to court records. Scaggs sent Proper his address June 8, six days before the event.
But authorities arrested Proper before the trip. After Scaggs and the others lost contact with him, prosecutors said, Scaggs told the group that he was still willing to take part and began arranging a ride with another member.
The attack never took place.
Investigators arrested Proper and four other men during the weekend of the UFC event. They arrested two more about a week later in Washington state and Missouri. Officers took Scaggs into custody this week.
Investigators arrested Proper and four other men during the weekend of the UFC event. They arrested two more about a week later in Washington state and Missouri. Officers took Scaggs into custody this week.
The other defendants are Abraham Hermosillo Alvarez, 31, of Omaha, Nebraska; Daniel Kenely Eskridge, 32, of Hamilton, Missouri; William Lee Spartacus Falkner, 21, of Belfair, Washington; Jordan Wesley Rincker, 28, of St. Joseph, Missouri; Bryan Omar Roa, 25, of Calimesa, California; and Michael Alan Thomas, 32, of Pinon Hills, California.
All eight men are charged with conspiring to provide support for a terrorist attack and conspiring to commit murder at the White House and kill federal officials. The second charge carries a possible life sentence.
The indictment describes a group that came together online, moving among platforms including TikTok, Instagram, Discord, Signal and SimpleX as members discussed violence, recruited participants and refined their plans.
Prosecutors said the conspiracy began in May, though Proper told investigators that some members had begun communicating in March through a TikTok group called “Vanguard of the Old.”
Members reportedly shared a belief that the country was headed in the wrong direction. Their conversations included complaints about government corruption, the handling of records connected to Jeffrey Epstein and the construction of data centers, according to an affidavit filed earlier in the case.
The investigation began after Proper’s mother contacted law enforcement because she was alarmed by her son’s behavior, gun purchases and growing involvement with online groups that expressed anti-government and extreme religious views.
Investigators first questioned Proper at a hospital, where he had been admitted on an emergency basis because of what the affidavit described as homicidal thoughts.
Proper allegedly told investigators that the attack was meant to “jump-start” a revolution in the United States.
The group developed a tier system to measure how far each participant was willing to go, according to the indictment. Those placed in “Tier One” were expected to put themselves in danger, break the law and possibly disappear afterward.
One defendant, Eskridge, allegedly kept notes on his cellphone recording members’ ages, jobs and living arrangements, along with whether they had vehicles, weapons, ammunition or tactical experience.
Prosecutors said the group collected firearms, ammunition, explosives, body armor, drones and medical equipment. Members also practiced marksmanship and combat tactics.
Roa and Thomas allegedly met in California on May 24 for weapons and combat training. Proper bought a shotgun June 5 and quit his job four days later, the indictment says.
On June 7, Falkner allegedly contacted another person through Instagram and asked them to produce five drone frames on a 3D printer.
“ASAP 7 days till they need to be operational,” Falkner wrote, according to the indictment.
The men allegedly settled on targets, planned how to travel to Washington and discussed using firearms and explosives during the attack. They also prepared routes for leaving the White House area and avoiding law enforcement afterward.
The indictment says the group intended to kill Trump, Vice President JD Vance, other federal officials, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Elon Musk and other people it described as “high value targets.”
A separate FBI affidavit identifies several members of Congress discussed by the group. Investigators said Proper named Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn as a “possible target” in a May 13 message, citing her support for Israel and campaign contributions from pro-Israel groups.
On May 31, Proper allegedly wrote, “These are people we’re going to focus on,” before sending images of West Virginia U.S. Sens. Jim Justice and Shelley Moore Capito and U.S. Reps. Carol Miller and Riley Moore. The images appeared to include information about money each lawmaker had received from pro-Israel political action committees, according to the affidavit.
The indictment also accuses the defendants of planning attacks with explosives at other federal buildings and public places before or after the UFC event.
The preparations continued in the days before June 14, prosecutors said.
Roa quit his job June 11 and began driving from California toward Washington. When he reported car trouble, Falkner and Thomas allegedly sent him money.
That same week, Alvarez arranged to meet Rincker in Omaha, Nebraska. Prosecutors said Alvarez gave Rincker a 3D printer intended for drone-making, along with a high-grade ballistic plate, night-vision goggles, and a face shield.
Rincker, in turn, allegedly brought Alvarez a shotgun and a bandolier of ammunition.
They used online names including “Shepherd,” “Fulcrum,” “Pepsi,” “Prox,” “Shriveled Shlong,” “Noble” and “Whiskey Six,” according to prosecutors.
A local review of Scaggs’ Facebook account found a series of posts invoking war, resistance and “freedom or death.”
“Freedom or death, the choice is yours,” one post read. “Nevermore will I hesitate because hesitation is defeat.”
Another declared, “We won’t take it anymore. This is war.”
Other posts said that “somebody has to stand for what’s right before there’s nothing left” and referred to Trump as the “Orange Menace.”
Scaggs and the other defendants face up to 15 years in prison on the material-support charge. The murder-conspiracy charge carries a possible life sentence.
The FBI, Secret Service and law enforcement agencies in Ohio, West Virginia, Nebraska, Missouri, California and Washington investigated the case.
The charges are allegations. All individuals are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.