Machete-toting NJ man gets prison for conspiring in neo-Nazi plot
A New Jersey man will spend the rest of the first year of his 20s in federal prison after pleading guilty in February to conspiracy, in a plot to take down properties affiliated with Black and Jewish people in several states.
Richard Tobin, still in his late teens at the time of his arrest, was sentenced Tuesday to a term of one year and one day, according to a report by NJ.com. Tobin is now 20.
As previously reported, Tobin invoked the Nazi-led "Kristallnacht," or "Night of Broken Glass," in 1938 in helping to plot the attacks with the white supremacist group The Base in 2019.
In September of that year, synagogues in Michigan and Wisconsin were indeed set upon, although Tobin himself never participated in any of the violence.
He did admit to federal investigators that he earlier had staked out a mall in Edison with the intent of brutalizing Black shoppers, waiting in his car with a machete, but never followed through.
Tobin was arrested by FBI agents in November 2019.
Patrick Lavery is New Jersey 101.5's afternoon news anchor. Follow him on Twitter @plavery1015 or email patrick.lavery@townsquaremedia.com.