New Brighton 'Boogaloo Boi' Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy Charge
A New Brighton, Minn., man and self-described member of the violent, anti-government Boogaloo Bois group pleaded guilty Tuesday to a charge of conspiracy to provide support to a terrorist organization.
Michael Robert Solomon, 31, was accused of providing support to what he believed was Hamas, a designated foreign terrorist organization, for use against Israeli and U.S. military personnel overseas.
According to court documents, in late May 2020, the FBI started an investigation into Solomon and co-defendant Benjamin Ryan Teeter, 22, of Hampstead, N.C., two self-described members of the anti-government “Boogaloo Bois,” group and a sub-group called the “Boojahideen.” Several Boogaloo members have been implicated in violent incidents around the U.S. in recent years.
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According to court documents, on June 10, 2020, Solomon and Teeter met with a confidential informant who they believed to be a member of Hamas. During the meeting, Solomon and Teeter proposed assisting Hamas as a means of furthering the goals of the Boogaloo Bois. Later that month, Solomon, Teeter and the informant met an undercover employee of the FBI who Solomon believed was a member of Hamas, according to court documents. During this meeting, Solomon and Teeter proposed manufacturing suppressors, untraceable firearms and fully automatic firearms for the terrorist organization.
In July, Solomon and Teeter purchased a drill press for the purpose of manufacturing suppressors for Hamas, the documents say. Solomon admitted to investigators that he and Teeter had planned to use the drill press to manufacture suppressors for Boogaloo members and they brought the drill press to Solomon’s home, using it to manufacture five suppressors.
In late July, investigators said Solomon and Teeter delivered the suppressors to the informant and the undercover FBI employee and agreed to make more. Solomon admitted that he and Teeter at a later meeting delivered an “auto sear,” a device that can convert semi-automatic rifles into fully automatic rifles.
With his guilty plea, Solomon faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. He’ll be sentenced at a later date. Teeter pleaded guilty to the same conspiracy charge in December 2020.
Solomon and Teeter are two of four men charged in Minnesota since September 2020 who are accused of being members of the Boogaloo group.
