The U.S. Department of Justice recently announced that Mark Steven Domingo, 28, of San Fernando Valley, California has been sentenced to 25 years in federal prison for aiding terrorists and attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction at a political rally, according to a press release.
The FBI began their investigation of Domingo after reading his online posts and conversations he posted on an online forum where he "expressed support for violence, specifically a desire to seek violent retribution for attacks against Muslims, and a willingness to become a martyr."
During a conversation with an undercover informant, Domingo agreed to purchase and provide materials for a nail bomb to a bomb-maker, who was in fact an undercover law enforcement officer. In April 2019, Domingo met with the undercover agents in person and drove them to Long Beach to scout locations for his planned attack on the Long Beach rally.
On April 26, 2019, Domingo took possession of two dummy bombs from the undercover agents and was promptly arrested.
"At trial, [Domingo] testified and repeatedly affirmed that he intended to commit mass murder in March and April 2019," prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memorandum that recommended a sentence of life in prison. "He admitted that the [confidential informant] stopped him from committing at least one murder in April 2019 by encouraging him to be patient. Finally, he admitted that he was excited when he learned that the [confidential informant] had access to an individual who could construct a bomb, and that he was the one who chose to attack the rally, chose to use the bombs, and chose to go through with the plot to commit mass murder, right up until the moment of his arrest."
MSN News reported that Domingo is a U.S. Army veteran who "repeatedly expressed his desire to kill Jews, Christians, police officers, military personnel and others."
Prosecutors alleged that through private Facebook messages, Domingo expressed his support for ISIS and his willingness to follow through on mass-casualty attacks
"His clear intent was to intimidate this nation and the world, and he sought to influence world events and the conduct of the United States government through that intimidation," Assistant U.S. Attys. Reema M. El-Amamy and David T. Ryan told the judge in a sentencing memo, according to MSN News.
