KENOSHA, WI (KMOX)-Two Missouri militia members face federal firearms charges after traveling to Kenosha, Wisconsin with guns, ammunition and tactical gear. Prosecutors say Michael Karmo and Cody Smith traveled from Hartville, Missouri, to see President Trump's visit on Tuesday, view damage from the unrest and, according to a tipster, "loot and possibly pick people off". Prosecutors say both men have criminal convictions that make them ineligible to have firearms.
Investigators say they got the tip from a person in Iowa who they stopped to see on the way north. They left after the friend suggested they looked like they were going to Kenosha to shoot people. Prosecutors released a photo showing the pair packing for the trip with the caption,"this the game changer." In a press release, the feds say Karmo and Smith told agents they "wanted to see proof of the rioting," and were planning to drive to Portland, Oregon next.
Criminal complaints from the FBI list a stockpile of weapons recovered at their hotel room, including an AR-15 rifle, a shotgun, two handguns, a homemade silencer, ammunition, body armor, and a drone.
Karmo and Smith are members of the 417th Second Amendment Militia based in Buffalo Missouri. The group's Facebook page has been taken down.
