Dallas Man Sentenced for Courthouse Takeover Plot

Former militia member Darren Wesley Huff, 42, of Dallas was sentenced in U.S. District Court on Tuesday to serve four years in prison for his conviction of transporting firearms across state lines with the intent to cause a civil disorder.

Huff in October with the intent to use it in a civil disorder. According to a Federal Bureau of Investigation news release, Huff intended to arrest public officials pursuant to “citizens arrest warrants,” which were directed at numerous local, state and federal public officials, including sheriffs, police chiefs, and President Barack Obama. The citizen’s arrest warrants Huff attempted to execute listed the public officials as “Declared Domestic Enemies” and cited them for treason.

On April 20, 2010, Huff traveled from his Dallas home to Madisonville, Tenn., with the stated intent of “taking over” the courthouse in Monroe County and arresting the public officials for treason. The treasonous acts Huff alleged stemmed primarily from the refusal of the Monroe County grand jury to indict Obama, whom Huff claimed was not the legitimate president of the United States.

On the day of the offense, Huff carried in his vehicle a .45 caliber handgun and an AK-47 with ammunition. He told people that day that he had 300-400 rounds of ammunition with the AK-47. During a traffic stop by a Tennessee state trooper on his way to Madisonville, Huff stated, “I’ve got my .45 because ain’t no government official gonna go peacefully.”

“This sentence will send a strong message to those who attempt to take the law into their own hands,” U.S. Attorney Bill Killian said in the release. “Under our federal Constitution and statutes, Mr. Huff and others like him can talk or write about their anti-government views. They cannot arm themselves and make threats to arrest public officials and take over government buildings. The core of our democratic system is to allow peaceful protest but prohibit armed threats to those who serve our government.”

The Federal Bureau of Investigation was the lead investigative agency on the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeff Theodore and William Mackie represented the United States.