Image: DOJ
A former Ohio National Guard member named Thomas Develin was arrested on Wednesday for allegedly 3D-printing and selling “ghost guns” on Snapchat, Telegram, and other social media, according to a criminal complaint against him. Develin also allegedly posted a series of racist, misogynistic, and antisemitic memes and specific threats on Discord and other social media, according to the criminal complaint. A “ghost gun” is an untraceable weapon with no serial number which can be assembled at home. The weapons were allegedly made “in whole or in part” with a 3-D printer."An examination of the screenshots recovered from the Discord messages revealed a large quantity of antisemitic, white nationalist, racist, and misogynistic content that is consistent with that of racially motivated violent extremist and incel violent extremist content," a Department of Justice agent wrote in an affidavit.Develin was arrested for allegedly intending to sell the firearms. He also allegedly had homemade devices for converting semi-automatic AR-15 rifles and Glock-type pistols into fully automatic weapons, according to the complaint. Authorities found more than 25 firearms in Develin’s possession in March of this year while searching his residence. Develin posted photos and videos of himself 3D-printing the “ghost guns,” which he sold on Snapchat and Telegram, according to the criminal complaint. He was enlisted with the National Guard at this point, and was also working for the security company Sahara Global Security, the complaint states.The affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint against him also revealed a shocking amount of racist, anti-semitic, and misogynistic posts he made on Discord and Snapchat. It also shows images of him he allegedly posted to Snapchat that show him pointing a rifle at a woman walking her dog threatening to shoot her.Develin posted Holocaust denial content and explicit threats to shoot up Jewish schools. On March 11, he wrote that he was at a Jewish school, and shortly followed up with, “The playground is about to turn into a self-defense situation,” according to the affidavit. With this, he posted a photo of a Glock handgun in his lap. A different image shows Develin pointing his rifle at a person walking their dog. He also posted about “hunting” Black people, and threatened to “firebomb” the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office in West Virginia. Develin is the latest current or former military member who has been found to be allegedly associated with extremist movements.
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