Militia Extremist Sentenced to Four Years in Prison for Take Over Plot

KNOXVILLE—On Tuesday, May 15, 2012, former militia member Darren Wesley Huff, 42, of Dallas, Georgia, was sentenced in U.S. District Court to serve four years in prison for his conviction of transporting firearms across state lines with the intent to cause a civil disorder.

Huff intended to arrest public officials pursuant to “citizens arrest warrants,” which were directed at numerous local, state, and federal public officials, including sheriffs, police chiefs, and President Obama. The citizens arrest warrants Huff attempted to execute listed the public officials as “Declared Domestic Enemies” and cited them for treason. On April 20, 2010, Huff traveled from his residence in Dallas, Georgia to Madisonville, Tennessee with the stated intent of “taking over” the courthouse in Monroe County and arresting the public officials for treason. The treasonous acts Huff alleged stemmed primarily from the refusal of the Monroe County grand jury to indict President Obama, who Huff claimed was not the legitimate president of the United States. On the day of the offense, Huff carried in his vehicle a .45 caliber handgun and an AK-47 with ammunition. He told people that day that he had 300-400 rounds of ammunition with the AK-47. During a traffic stop by a Tennessee state trooper on his way to Madisonville, Huff stated, “I’ve got my .45 because ain’t no government official gonna go peacefully.”

“This sentence will send a strong message to those who attempt to take the law into their own hands. Under our federal Constitution and statutes, Mr. Huff and others like him can talk or write about their anti-government views. They cannot arm themselves and make threats to arrest public officials and take over government buildings. The core of our democratic system is to allow peaceful protestbut prohibit armed threats to those who serve our government. His conviction is a great achievement by local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, along with Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeff Theodore and William Mackie. Their cooperative efforts resulted in this conviction and sentence,” said U.S. Attorney Bill Killian.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation was the lead investigative agency on this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeff Theodore and William Mackie represented the United States.