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Former leader of neo-Nazi group pleads guilty to 'swatting'

John Denton's targets included the Alfred Street Baptist Church in Alexandria, then-Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen, and Old Dominion University.
Credit: Alexandria Sheriff's Office via AP
This photo provided by the Alexandria Sheriff's Office shows John C. Denton, founder and former leader of a neo-Nazi group who has pleaded guilty to conspiring to place hoax phone calls targeting an African American church, a Cabinet official, journalists and others.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — A founder and former leader of a neo-Nazi group has pleaded guilty to conspiring to place hoax phone calls targeting an African American church, a Cabinet official and others. 

Twenty-six-year-old John C. Denton of Montgomery, Texas, faces up to five years in prison after entering a guilty plea Tuesday in federal court in Alexandria. 

Prosecutors say Denton led a group called Atomwaffen Division. Denton's targets in 2018 and 2019 included the Alfred Street Baptist Church in Alexandria, then-Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen, and Old Dominion University in Norfolk.

Denton also placed swatting calls targeting news outlet ProPublica, which had identified Denton as an Atomwaffen leader.

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