Man charged after Facebook post allegedly supported New Zealand terror attack

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Photo Source: Facebook

ROCHESTER, N.Y.—U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Thomas Alonzo Bolin, a/k/a Peter Vincent, 22, of Greece, NY, was charged by criminal complaint with making a false statement to the FBI. The charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Brett A. Harvey, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, in March 2019, the FBI began investigating the defendant for potential federal civil rights and firearms violations.

The FBI obtained records relating to a Facebook account utilized by Bolin under the alias “Peter Vincent.” Those records revealed that the defendant belongs to multiple Facebook groups, such as Skinheads CZ/SK, which includes members who currently and historically have expressed support for a white supremacist ideology. In March of 2019, Bolin, in posts and messages, made statements consistent with white supremacist ideology and referenced the attacks on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, which killed 50 worshippers and civilians, and injured 50 others.

On March 30, 2019, the FBI interviewed the defendant. The complaint states that Bolin admitted to sharing the video of the Christchurch attacks and the link for the gunman’s manifesto but denied ever possessing a gun while in New York State. During a subsequent search of a bedroom and storage closet that Bolin is renting at a residence in Greece, investigators recovered a firearm and ammunition.

The complaint is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Gary Loeffert.

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