RICHMOND, Va. – A Richmond man, and alleged supporter of ISIS, was sentenced Monday to the statutory of maximum of 10 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to acquiring a firearm weeks after getting out of prison.
Casey Charles Spain, 29, had served more than seven years in prison after being convicted for abducting a 15-year-old girl with the intent to rape her in 2010.
“While in prison, Spain became radicalized and expressed a desire to engage in acts of violence,” according to the United States Attorney’s Office.
Officials say Spain swore a pledge of loyalty, to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of ISIS and also obtained a tattoo of the ISIS flag on his back.
Casey Charles Spain
“Spain was reportedly fixated on attacking a target such as the Marine Corps Base in Quantico, and was excited about potentially attacking police stations, as well as an armory in Richmond,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
Upon Spain’s release from prison on Aug. 11, 2017, the FBI immediately conducted surveillance on him.
The surveillance included making covert contact with him using FBI undercover employees and a Confidential Human Source, according to court documents.
The documents show that Spain created a Facebook account to speak with individuals located overseas about ISIS and his desire serve as a mujahid (fighter) for the terrorist organization.
They also showed that Spain spoke on multiple occasions with the confidential informant about his strong desire to obtain a firearm.
“Given Spain’s criminal history, his desire to obtain a firearm, and the impatience he exhibited with regard to obtaining one, the [informant] as part of a controlled FBI undercover operation—offered to provide Spain with what the [informant] described as his own personal weapon,” the United States Attorney’s Office said. “In reality, the firearm, which was a 9mm Glock semi-automatic handgun, was the property of the FBI that had been rendered inert for safety reasons.”
Both the FBI and Richmond SWAT team arrested Spain during an August 31 undercover operation.
