Neo-Nazi leader gets 5 years for having explosive material

January 09, 2018 01:01 PM

UPDATED 3 MINUTES AGO

A neo-Nazi group leader who stockpiled explosive material in the Florida apartment where a friend killed two roommates has been sentenced to five years in federal prison.

The sentence, handed down Tuesday in a Tampa federal court against 22-year-old Brandon Russell, was less than the 11 years sought by prosecutors.

The judge said it was a difficult case because she was concerned that Russell was capable of making bombs but was also worried that he might become involved with other neo-Nazis while in prison.

Devon Arthurs, Russell's friend, awaits trial in state court on charges of murdering their two roommates, Andrew Oneschuk and Jeremy Himmelman.

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Russell wasn't charged in the May 2017 killings, which exposed the four roommates' membership in Atomwaffen Division, an obscure neo-Nazi group that formed on the internet.