An Arizona man has been taken into custody on allegations linking him to an abhorrent plot that targeted minorities, reportedly to instigate a race war. Mark Adams Prieto, 58, from Prescott, stands indicted by a federal grand jury for his purported role in planning a mass shooting and illegally selling firearms, as stated by the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Arizona.
The indictment specifies that Prieto engaged, from January to May, in conversations with individuals thought to share his extremist views, selling them guns for use in a mass shooting. What he did not know was the coordination of these individuals with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Designed to take place before the upcoming presidential election, the target was a concert in Atlanta set for mid-May, as per the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Arizona.
Through the investigation, Prieto was monitored as he sold firearms on several occasions—a transfer of two rifles, an AK-style on February 25 and an AR-style on March 24, to one of the undercover contacts. These transactions would later become part of the charges that could incarcerate Prieto for decades if convicted, each Firearms Trafficking and Transfer of Firearm for Use in a Hate Crime charge up to 15 years, and Possession of an Unregistered Firearm up to 10 years alongside significant fines.
The culmination of this case saw Prieto arrested while journeying east through New Mexico on Interstate 40, en route from Arizona armed with seven firearms, as detailed by the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Arizona. His arrest prevented what could have likely been a tragic event in Atlanta. Following the arrest, further firearms were discovered during a warranted search of his Prescott home, including an unregistered short-barreled rifle.
