07/16/26 09:58:00
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07/16 09:57 CDT 2 of 8 men charged in alleged plot to attack the White House
UFC event plead not guilty
2 of 8 men charged in alleged plot to attack the White House UFC event plead
not guilty
By JULIE CARR SMYTH
Associated Press
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) --- Two of the eight men indicted in an alleged drone and
sniper plot to attack President Donald Trump's UFC cage-fighting show on the
White House lawn pleaded not guilty Thursday to federal conspiracy charges.
Clothed in jail garb and shackled, Tycen Proper, 19, of Danville, Ohio, and
Chandler Scaggs, 21, of Chapmanville, West Virginia, entered the pleas before
U.S. District Court Judge Edmund Sargus Jr. in Ohio, where the case has been
consolidated. They and the other six defendants are each charged with
conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists and conspiracy to commit
murder on federal government territory and to murder a federal government
official.
Sargus scheduled their trial to begin Sept. 14.
"What would have happened or could have happened, that's never going to be
clear, because, thank God, there was an intervention here and this thing was
disrupted," U.S. Attorney Dominick Gerace II told reporters last week as he
detailed the group's July 9 indictments. "But, in my view, when I look at
what's been alleged there, it seems pretty likely that someone or multiple
people were driving to Washington, D.C., to do something."
Attorneys for Proper and Scaggs declined to comment after the hearing.
According to the indictment, the plot began in May. Members of the group ---
citing grievances about government corruption, water-guzzling data centers and
the Trump administration's handling of the Epstein files --- began amassing
money, firearms, ammunition, body armor, explosives, drones, medical equipment,
communications equipment and other items.
The attack was planned to take place at the cage-fighting show dubbed UFC
Freedom 250, which was held on the South Lawn of the White House to celebrate
the nation's 250th anniversary. Law enforcement officials said they learned of
the possible threat four days before the event was scheduled to take place.
One of the defendants told investigators that they planned to fly
explosive-laden drones into the event and then shoot panicked crowd members as
they fled, according to a federal affidavit.
The Justice Department announced charges against seven people from across the
country, including from Ohio, Missouri, Washington, Nebraska and California.
Officials said the suspects harbored fringe conspiracy theories and hoped the
attack would destabilize the government.
Four alleged conspirators charged in Missouri, Nebraska and California the
weekend of the event and two more charged about a week later in Washington and
Missouri are still in the process of being moved to Ohio to face charges. They
are likely to be tried as a group.
Scaggs was arrested last, but was brought to Ohio ahead of the other
out-of-state defendants.
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