Arizona resident faces federal firearms charges for allegedly planning an assault against African Americans at an Atlanta concert.
Mark Prieto, aged 58, owned seven guns when he was arrested on May 14th while heading east from Arizona to New Mexico, as revealed by the US Attorney's Office for the District of Arizona in a press statement on Tuesday. He is facing charges of firearms trafficking, transfer of a firearm for hate crimes and possession of an unregistered weapon, as mentioned in the statement.
According to the indictment against Prieto, he discussed his intentions with two individuals whom he thought shared his racist views from January to May. Little did he know, these people were actually working with the FBI. He sold an AK-style rifle and a similar AR-style rifle to one of these individuals within that time frame, all while being monitored by the FBI.
Prieto was targeting a concert in downtown Atlanta scheduled for May 14th and 15th at the State Farm Arena, as per the federal complaint. However, the specific artist or concert was not specified. As per the venue schedule, Puerto Rican rapper and singer Bad Bunny was scheduled to perform there on those dates.
Prieto was later apprehended, denying his plans to attend Atlanta. He acknowledged knowing both the individuals working with the FBI, and told officials that he did not intend to carry out the attack. His public defender in New Mexico has been contacted by CNN for comment.
The US Attorney's Office shared that if Prieto is found guilty of firearms trafficking and transfer of a firearm for use in a hate crime, each crime carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. There is also a chance of spending up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for being caught with an unregistered firearm.
Summary of the Undercover Operation
The two people Prieto spoke with were an undercover FBI agent and a confidential informant who had interacted with him at various gun shows for the past three years, as per the complaint. The informant divulged to the FBI in late 2023 about Prieto's comments promoting a mass shooting targeting "blacks, Jews, and Muslims."
Prieto wanted to perform the attack before the November elections, as he believed martial law would be instated afterward, wrongly assuming it would prevent such attacks.
He met with both individuals at four separate gun shows in each of the months between January and May, the complaint reveals. The first gun show saw Prieto share his plans to execute the attack, particularly at a rap concert - a place where Prieto believed there would be a high concentration of Black people, as he used the "N-word" to describe them.
Prieto's intentions became more clear over time, specifying the weapons and ammunition he required and what they would wear during the assault. He also desired to travel to Atlanta to hide weapons ahead of the attack.
The undercover operation continued, and Prieto alleged plans to leave for Atlanta to conduct 'reconnaissance' and a future meeting at another gun show in June, unaware he was being traced by authorities.
When Prieto was read his Miranda rights on May 14th, he claimed that Atlanta was his destination for visiting his mother and also confessed to knowing the two people who were working with the FBI. However, he asserted that he had no intention of following through with the attack.
