White Supremacist Robert Joos Sentenced To Federal Prison:

Robert Neil Joos

A white supremacist from McDonald County who was arrested in a federal sweep of white supremacists last summer was sentenced to 6 1/2 years in federal prison today (May 17, 2010.)

A federal jury convicted Robert Neil Joos, 57, in January of being a felon in possession of a firearm and a felon in possession of explosives. Joos, who does not believe in the federal government, has previous convictions for unlawful use of a weapon and driving without a license.

Fringe extremist Robert Joos in 2004 McDonald County mug shot

U.S. District Judge Richard Dorr ruled that the sentences will run concurrently (at the same time.)

Joos was arrested at his home near Powell last June after brothers, White Nationalists leader Dennis Mahon and Daniel, were taken into custody in Illinois and charged with a racially motivated 2004 mail bombing that injured an African American city official in Scottsdale, Arizona.

The Mahon brothers, from Davis Junction, IL, were charged with conspiracy to damage buildings and property by means of explosives. They have both pleaded not guilty and are being held in an Arizona jail awaiting trial.

Joos, who was the first person one of the Mahon brothers called after the bombing, did not face any charges related to the racially motivated attack. However, the Mahons told investigators members of their “movement” utilized Joos' rural farm littered with caves for training. They described Joos as a “longtime white supremacist associate and an expert on weapons, explosives, bomb making and general survival skills.”

Joos denied the allegations.

The government's case stemmed from three visits undercover agents made to the 200 acre rural farm on Sugar Creek where Joos has lived from more than 20 years.

Raid on Joos compound (courtesy of The Lucky Dog Blog)

During those visits, undercover agents said they saw weapons and ammunition. They said Joos told them he had “rifles loaded with armor piercing ammunition” and caves for storing food, weapons and ammunition “to avoid capture or attack by the government or other adversaries,” according to court records.

In telephone conversations with a confidential informant, Joos often discussed stocking the caves on his property with weapons, food, water and other supplies in order to avoid capture or attack. In one conversation, an undercover agent told Joos he was having trouble with some “Kenites,” and Joos agreed to provide him with instructions for making a bomb; Joos later mailed him instructions for constructing a home-made bomb, along with a detailed drawing.

When a search warrant was executed on Joos' property authorities found "more than a dozen miscellaneous firearms," as well as "materials for constructing improved explosive devices, including blasting caps, gunpowder, and fuses." Law enforcement officers found five shotguns, five rifles, five pistols, more than 19,000 rounds of ammunition and blasting caps during the search.

In addition, court records say, Joos provided undercover ATF agents with information on how to make homemade napalm out of soap.

Last November Joos decided he liked the way the justice system worked and filed a lawsuit of his own. He demanded $23 MILLION dollars from the government saying authorities violated his constitutional rights.

After his conviction, Joos said being labeled a white supremacist hurt his chances at trial. He also said the prosecution and his public defender were in cahoots to destroy his church, The Sacerdotal Order of the David.