Neo-Nazi Leader Who Harassed, Sent Threats To Journalists, Jewish Activists Sentenced

The leader of a neo-Nazi group based in Seattle, Washington, has been sentenced on Tuesday, Aug, 24, to three years in prison for his involvement in a hate crime targeting journalists and Jewish activists.

Cameron Shea, a 25-year-old man from Seattle, faces three years in prison after pleading guilty to planning and propagating harassment and supposed hate crimes against journalists and Jewish activists in the area, according to a U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Shea is a notable member of Atomwaffen Division, a Southern neo-Nazi hate group created in 2016 with the goal of destroying modern society to create a white ethnostate. They have different cells across the world that reportedly engage in different terrorist acts, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Shea and his group targeted journalists and Jewish activists that were working to expose Atomwaffen Division or endeavoring to publicize the anti-Semitism of its members. As a “show of force,” they created posters meant to intimidate said journalists and activists with menacing and threatening messages.

The posters contained Nazi symbols, armed masked men, and messages like “Our Patience Has Its Limits...You have been visited by your local Nazis.” The flyer conspiracy happened in Washington, Arizona, and Florida, where it was reported immediately by the recipients.

“This hate-filled conduct strikes at the heart of our communities,” Acting U.S. Attorney Tessa Gorman said. “This defendant’s goal was to make people fearful in their own homes, and he recruited and cheered on others who joined his sick scheme.”

Another member of Shea’s group, Kaleb Cole, pleaded not guilty for his accused crimes and is facing trial in September. Guns were seized from Cole’s residence as authorities believe that he was attempting to start a race war, according to the Beaumont Enterprise.

Shea apologized for his actions and hate crimes against the community, saying “I cannot put into words the guilt that I feel about this fear and pain that I caused.”

The government has renewed its commitment in its fight against hate crimes targeting minorities, journalists, and religious communities.

“The Justice Department will continue to aggressively prosecute threats motivated by religious intolerance, and to prosecute defendants like this one who threatened violence against individuals who work to end discrimination,” Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke said.