USA Vs Brandon Russell

Case 8:17-mj-01362-TBM Document 1 Filed 05/20/17 Page 1 of 7 PagelD 1
AO 91 (Rev. 11 /11) Criminal Complaint
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

for the
Middle District of Florida
United States of America

v.
BRANDON RUSSELL Case No.
:17 m)
-- l%,lrn^
Defendantts)
CRIMINAL COMPLAINT
I. the complainant in this case, state that the following is true to the best of my knowledge and belief.
On or about the date(s) of May 20, 2017 in the county of Hillsborough in the
Middle District of Florida the defendant(s) violated:
Code Section Offense Description

26 U.S.C. 5861(d) possession of unregistered destructive device; and
18U.S.C. 842G) unlawful storage of explosive material
This criminal complaint is based on these facts:

See attached affidavit
m Continued on the attached sheet.
/ ^ A
Complainant's signature
Timothy A. Swanson, Special Agent, FBI

Printed name and title
Sworn to before me and signed in my presence.
Date: ^ " "2^0 V "7

Judge '.v signature
City and state: / "^u/5. ^y) Thomas B. McCoun III, U.S. Magistrate Judge
Printed name and title
AFFIDAVIT IN SUPPORT OF CRIMINAL COMPLAINT
I, Timothy A. Swanson, being duly sworn, state as follows:
1. I have been employed as a Special Agent of the Federal Bureau of
Investigation for over 17 years. Prior to that, I was a Police Officer for 9 years
with the Fort Collins Police Department in Fort Collins, Colorado. Since
March 2017,1 have been assigned to the FBI Tampa Field Office on the
Domestic Terrorism squad. In my capacity as a Special Agent, I have
investigated multiple violations of federal law, including violent crimes,
domestic terrorism, international terrorism, and firearms and explosives
offenses. I have also participated on the hostage rescue team.
2. I submit this affidavit in support of a criminal complaint against
BRANDON RUSSELL. As set forth herein, I have probable cause to believe
that RUSSELL has committed a violation of 26 U.S.C. 5861(d) (possession
of an unregistered destructive device); and 18 U.S.C. 842(j) (unlawful
storage of explosive material).
3. The facts in this affidavit come from information obtained during the
course of a criminal investigation. The statements contained in this affidavit
are based on my own investigation of this matter, my training and experience,
and information learned and relayed to me by other law enforcement officers.
Because this affidavit is submitted for the limited purpose of establishing

probable cause for a criminal complaint, it does not include all information I
have learned during this investigation.
PROBABLE CAUSE
4. On or about May 19,2017, the Tampa Police Department (TPD)
arrested 18-year old Devin Arthurs after he confessed to killing two people at a
Tampa, Florida apartment where Arthurs lived with RUSSELL. Arthurs led
TPD officers to the apartment in Tampa Palms where he claimed to have
killed two individuals inside the residence. The apartment is leased by
RUSSELL.
5. When officers arrived at the apartment, they encountered RUSSELL
standing just outside the front door. RUSSELL had just returned to the
residence from Army National Guard duties. RUSSELL was crying and
visibly upset. Arthurs, who was with officers when they arrived at the
apartment, stated that RUSSELL was his roommate and that RUSSELL did
not know what was going on, referring to the two deceased individuals inside.
6. Based on Arthurs' statements, officers entered the apartment and
located two deceased, unidentified white males, who had suffered gunshot
wounds to the upper body and head.
2
7. Yost-Miranda, Arthurs voluntarily agreed to speak with law enforcement
and fully admitted to the shooting death of both men in the apartment,
providing specific details of the shooting, the weapon he used, the sequence of
the targeting, the exact location of the shooting, and the shot placement on
each victim.
8. Arthurs stated that all four men, the two deceased individuals as well as
he and RUSSELL, had been friends who shared a common neo-Nazi belief,
until Arthurs recently converted to Islam. Arthurs stated that for some time
before the murders, he had been privy to RUSSELL participating in online
neo-Nazi internet chat rooms where he threatened to kill people and bomb
infrastructure.
9. TPD obtained a state search warrant for the residence. Upon search of
the garage area of the apartment (which is attached to and immediately
underneath the living quarters), law enforcement discovered a cooler
containing a white cake-like substance that two FBI and TPD bomb squad
technicians immediately recognized through their training and experience as
HMTD (an explosive also known as hexamethylene triperoxide diamine).
Within a short distance of the HMTD were explosive precursors including
potassium chlorate, potassium nitrate, more than one pound of ammonium
nitrate (which was in a package addressed to RUSSELL), nitro methane,
3
hexamine, and citric acid, among other things. Also discovered within a short
distance of the HMTD were electric matches and empty 5.56 caliber
ammunition casings with fuses that could be used to detonate destructive
devices once the HMTD was combined with the casing. Based on my training
and experience, I know that the HMTD found in the garage combined with
the amount of ammonium nitrate and nitro methane also found in the garage
would constitute a "bomb" under 26 U.S.C. 5845(f)(1).
10. Inside the residence, specifically in RUSSELL's bedroom, officers
located Nazi/white supremacist propaganda, including a framed photograph
of Oklahoma City-federal-building bomber Timothy McVeigh on his dresser,
firearms, and ammunition. Additionally, upon entry into the premises by the
bomb technicians, their pagers alerted to what was determined to be two
radiation sources (thorium and americium).
11. RUSSELL voluntarily provided the following statements to law
enforcement before asking for an attorney. RUSSELL admitted to being a
national socialist. RUSSELL admitted that he had manufactured the HMTD
that was located in the garage (and that it was HMTD), and that he was the
owner of the precursors. RUSSELL also admitted to his neo-Nazi beliefs and
that he was a member of a self-organized group called the "Atom Waffen"
(German for "atomic weapon"). When questioned about the purpose for
4
possessing the explosives in the garage, he responded that he was in an
engineering club at the University of South Florida in 2013 and that he used
the HMTD to boost homemade rockets and to send balloons into the
atmosphere for testing, among other things. Based on my training and
experience, HMTD is too energetic and volatile for these types of uses.
RUSSELL stated that he made the HMTD over a year ago.
12. On or about May 20, 2017,1 received verbal confirmation from ATF
Explosive Enforcement Officer Kevin Miner that the HMTD recovered from
the garage is an "explosive" and when combined with the other chemicals and
materials found in the garage meets the definition of a "destructive device"
under 26 U.S.C. 5845(f). Further, based on RUSSELL's admission that he
made the HMTD and the presence of the other chemical precursors in the
garage, probable cause exists that RUSSELL had a combination of parts
designed or intended to be used to readily assemble a destructive device.
13. Moreover, under the regulations promulgated by the Attorney General
through ATF, see 27 C.F.R. 555.201, et seq., and the laws and ordinances of
Hillsborough County, Florida, HMTD is an explosive material that could not
lawfully be stored in RUSSELL's garage or residence.
5
14. On May 20, 2017,1 received a verbal confirmation from ATF
that a preliminary records search shows no registration of any destructive
devices by RUSSELL in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer
Record as required by Title 26, United States Code.
15. Wherefore, I have probable cause to believe that BRANDON
RUSSELL has committed violations of federal law, namely 26 U.S.C.
5861(d) and 18 U.S.C. 842(j). Accordingly, I respectfully request the
issuance of a criminal complaint against RUSSELL.
This completes my affidavit.
Timothy A. Swanson, Special Agent

Federal Bureau of Investigation
Sworn to and subscribed

before me this ^ 5 ^ day
of May, 2017.
THOMAS B. MCCOUN III

UNITED STATES MAGISTRATE JUDGE

USA Vs Brandon Russell

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Case 8:17-mj-01362-TBM Document 1 Filed 05/20/17 Page 1 of 7 PagelD 1

AO 91 (Rev. 11 /11) Criminal Complaint

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

United States of America

Code Section Offense Description

This criminal complaint is based on these facts:

m Continued on the attached sheet.

Timothy A. Swanson, Special Agent, FBI

Sworn to before me and signed in my presence.

Date: ^ " "2^0 V "7

AFFIDAVIT IN SUPPORT OF CRIMINAL COMPLAINT

I, Timothy A. Swanson, being duly sworn, state as follows:

1. I have been employed as a Special Agent of the Federal Bureau of

Domestic Terrorism squad. In my capacity as a Special Agent, I have

investigated multiple violations of federal law, including violent crimes,

domestic terrorism, international terrorism, and firearms and explosives

offenses. I have also participated on the hostage rescue team.

2. I submit this affidavit in support of a criminal complaint against

BRANDON RUSSELL. As set forth herein, I have probable cause to believe

that RUSSELL has committed a violation of 26 U.S.C. 5861(d) (possession

of an unregistered destructive device); and 18 U.S.C. 842(j) (unlawful

storage of explosive material).

course of a criminal investigation. The statements contained in this affidavit

are based on my own investigation of this matter, my training and experience,

and information learned and relayed to me by other law enforcement officers.

Because this affidavit is submitted for the limited purpose of establishing

have learned during this investigation.

4. On or about May 19,2017, the Tampa Police Department (TPD)

TPD officers to the apartment in Tampa Palms where he claimed to have

killed two individuals inside the residence. The apartment is leased by

5. When officers arrived at the apartment, they encountered RUSSELL

6. Based on Arthurs' statements, officers entered the apartment and

wounds to the upper body and head.

7. Yost-Miranda, Arthurs voluntarily agreed to speak with law enforcement

before the murders, he had been privy to RUSSELL participating in online

the garage area of the apartment (which is attached to and immediately

underneath the living quarters), law enforcement discovered a cooler

technicians immediately recognized through their training and experience as

HMTD (an explosive also known as hexamethylene triperoxide diamine).

Within a short distance of the HMTD were explosive precursors including

potassium chlorate, potassium nitrate, more than one pound of ammonium

nitrate (which was in a package addressed to RUSSELL), nitro methane,

ammunition casings with fuses that could be used to detonate destructive

would constitute a "bomb" under 26 U.S.C. 5845(f)(1).

10. Inside the residence, specifically in RUSSELL's bedroom, officers

located Nazi/white supremacist propaganda, including a framed photograph

of Oklahoma City-federal-building bomber Timothy McVeigh on his dresser,

bomb technicians, their pagers alerted to what was determined to be two

radiation sources (thorium and americium).

11. RUSSELL voluntarily provided the following statements to law

enforcement before asking for an attorney. RUSSELL admitted to being a

national socialist. RUSSELL admitted that he had manufactured the HMTD

that he was a member of a self-organized group called the "Atom Waffen"

possessing the explosives in the garage, he responded that he was in an

atmosphere for testing, among other things. Based on my training and

RUSSELL stated that he made the HMTD over a year ago.

materials found in the garage meets the definition of a "destructive device"

under 26 U.S.C. 5845(f). Further, based on RUSSELL's admission that he