metro

Feds Arrest Suspected
Neo-Nazi Sympathizer

Agents say he had a cache of weapons and notes on Detroit Federation.

I

Robin Schwartz
Contributing Writer

W

hen FBI agents raided the
home and business of sus-
pected neo-Nazi sympathizer
Richard Schmidt, 47, of Toledo, Ohio, they
found a stockpile of deadly weapons. There
were 18 all together: AR-15 assault rifles,
9mm Ruger and Sig
Sauer pistols, shotguns,
high-capacity magazines,
body armor and more
than 40,000 rounds of
ammunition.
Also alarming was
a notebook discovered
scribbled with informa-
Richard
Schmidt
tion on Scott Kaufman,
CEO of the Jewish
Federation of Metropolitan Detroit, and
Rev. Wendell Anthony, president of the
Detroit Chapter of the NAACP, along with a
video of a neo-Nazi convention, parapher-
nalia from Adolf Hitler's military force in
Germany, and other items.
Schmidt, the owner of a sporting goods
store in Bowling Green, Ohio, served 13
years in prison for a 1990 manslaughter
conviction. Records indicate he killed a
man and wounded two others in a shoot-
ing during a traffic stop. He is forbidden
from possessing firearms. Following his
December arrest for weapons possession
and trafficking counterfeit merchandise
with phony brand-name logos, federal
agents alerted Kaufman and Anthony
about the case.
"The FBI did their job. They got a tip
and acted on it and there's no imminent

threat to anybody:'
Kaufman said. He was on
a skiing trip in Colorado
when NBC Nightly News
aired the story last week
and reported FBI agents
were concerned Schmidt
may have been drawing
Scott
up a "hit list" in some
Kaufman
kind of racist plot.
"The term 'hit list' — I
think that's a significant overstatement:'
Kaufman said. "I don't want to minimize it,
but I don't want to overblow it either:' (See

it and apprehended this guy before any-
thing happened to anyone Kaufman said.
"It's a reminder of the world we live in. We
have to be conscientious and smart:'
In his three and a half years as
Federation's CEO, this is the first time
Kaufman has been contacted by the FBI or
alerted that he might be a potential target.
"I think I'm pretty aware. 'If you see
something, say something' — that's a mes-
sage we drill into our staff:' he added. "'I'm
not going to hide and not go anywhere
because there may be a threat. I'm not
going to live my life that way:'

story below for a full statement distributed
by Kaufman.)
It's not clear exactly what Schmidt was
up to or why he was amassing weapons
and taking notes on Jewish and African
American leaders. Kaufman told NBC
News Schmidt's handwritten notes con-
tained "names of tenants in our build-
ing and names of people in leadership
positions with [the Jewish Federation of
Metropolitan Detroit]; including his.
In the national
news report, Steven
Dettelbach, the U.S.
attorney in Cleveland,
said there's no doubt
the FBI "averted a catas-
trophe" in this case.
Anthony, who was also
interviewed by NBC
Rev. Wendell
News, called the situation
Anthony
"unsettling and disturb-
ing" and added, "It really
kind of makes me angry:' Schmidt remains
in federal custody.
"I'm just thankful the FBI was on top of

Gun Control And Security
Kaufman pointed out Detroit's Federation
is considered among the best in the coun-
try when it comes to security and the shar-
ing of information between local, state and
federal authorities. He says the national
coordinators of the Secure Community
Alert Network (SCAN) have sent represen-
tatives to Metro Detroit to study our model.
After the school shooting in Newtown,
Conn., which claimed the lives of 20
elementary students and six staff members,
Jewish community leaders were already
looking for ways to increase security.
"It's a conversation that's been ongoing:'
Kaufman said. "We've been constantly
improving our systems and our training.
But, you can't protect for every possible
situation, as we've learned in America:'
Schmidt's arrest and the recent mass
shootings in Connecticut and Aurora,
Colo., also have re-ignited a national
debate on gun control. Federal investiga-
tors are trying to figure out how and where
Schmidt obtained his weapons. Congress

was expected to begin considering legisla-
tion this week that would likely expand
background checks for gun buyers and
increase penalties for those who purchase
guns for criminals.
"We're not a political organization and
I'm not taking a position on gun rights,
but the fact that a convicted, violent felon
could amass 40,000 rounds of ammuni-
tion and 18 weapons without any red flags
going off questions the issue of background
checks and registration:' Kaufman said.
"Something's wrong with the system if that
can happen. I'm not saying what the fix
should be, but clearly that should not be
able to happen:'
Heidi Budaj, regional director of the
Detroit chapter of the Anti Defamation
League, echoed those sentiments. The ADL
is the world's leading organization fighting
anti-Semitism, prejudice, bigotry and hatred.
"Law enforcement's swift actions averted
a potentially dangerous situation:' she
said. "This alleged collection of arms and
ammunition demonstrates the importance
of having responsible, enforceable gun
control legislation. In the age of technology,
it is easier than ever to gain information
about organizations, businesses and indi-
viduals. The fact that some of this research
was conducted by a lone individual who
has a criminal record does not, in and of
itself, indicate an outright threat.
"ADL is part of a community-wide secu-
rity task force, hosted by Jewish Federation
of Metropolitan Detroit, that looks at every
aspect of security in our community. We all
work together to find new and innovative
ways to keep the members of our commu-
nity safe:'

❑

Scott Kaufman's Statement

F

ollowing news reports about
the arrest of suspected neo-Nazi
sympathizer, Richard Schmidt,
47, of Toledo, Ohio, his stockpile of
weapons and his handwritten notes on
organizations including the Federation,
CEO Scott Kaufman distributed the
following statement:
"Recent news reports about deficien-
cies in federal gun control laws and pro-
cedures included information about the
arrest of an Ohio man who was found in
possession of a large cache of firearms
and ammunition. Also found in his
residence at the time of the arrest was a

16

February 28 • 2013

handwritten note listing the names and
addresses of a number of organizations
including JFMD and the NAACP.
"Because many community members
have seen or read these news reports,
some of which were inaccurate or incom-
plete, it is important to set forth the per-
tinent facts:
". There is not and was not a direct
imminent threat by the suspect to the
Federation or any other local Jewish agen-
cies or building tenants.
". The suspect was arrested in
December and remains in jail awaiting
trial. The Federation was not informed

about it until mid-January, and was later
told about the arrest only because the fed-
eral indictment of the suspect was being
unsealed the next day.
". The suspect was charged with
weapons and counterfeiting charges.
There have been no conspiracy or hate
crime charges filed, and law enforcement
officials have not characterized the note
containing information on JFMD as a
`hit list:
". The information on the arrest has
been on the Internet for weeks, and no
new information has come out since the
earlier staff briefing.

"Law enforcement did its job well
in this case, and its outreach to the
Federation reflects the close cooperation
Federation enjoys with federal, state and
local law enforcement agencies.
"Community safety and security is a
top priority of JFMD, and this incident
underlines the value of the time, attention
and resources that JFMD has invested in
its security staff. As Federation's commu-
nity security director Gary Sikorski has
said many times, security is everybody's
business. We must remain diligent and
aware of our surroundings, and if we see
something, we must say something:'

❑

