Peoria police say a 46-year-old Marine Corps veteran was building a fully automatic machine gun and a firearm suppressor inside his Wickenburg home when SWAT officers stormed the property before dawn on Sept. 15, uncovering Nazi memorabilia, outlaw motorcycle club gear and evidence tied to child sexual exploitation. Thomas Schumacher now faces 10 felony counts of sexual exploitation of a minor and remains jailed on $150,000 bond.
According to FOX 10 Phoenix, Peoria Police Department Special Assignments Unit officers executed a search warrant at Schumacher's home on West Mohave Street at approximately 4:50 a.m. When officers arrived, Schumacher reportedly ignored their commands and tried to retreat into his garage before he was taken into custody. Once seated in a police car outside the home, he was reportedly cooperative, though he shut down questioning when officers raised the child pornography allegations, the outlet reports.
What Investigators Say They Found Inside
Investigators found evidence that Schumacher was actively manufacturing a fully automatic machine gun and a firearm suppressor, per the same account. Detectives also discovered multiple handguns, AR-15 rifles, large quantities of ammunition and illicit drugs inside the home, alongside motorcycles, gang vests and Nazi Party memorabilia. Search records further detailed membership items tied to the Peckerwoods Motorcycle Club, which the report describes as an outlaw biker group, and Schumacher is identified in the report as a member.
Arizona statute has previously been described as barring machine guns, silencers and other regulated weapons unless an owner is specifically licensed or authorized, according to Arizona Mirror. That same reporting noted that a 2025 legislative proposal, House Concurrent Resolution 2037, sought to repeal that statutory ban entirely, while federal law separately requires owners of National Firearms Act weapons like machine guns to register them with the ATF, pay a tax stamp and pass a background check.
Tips From Cloud Providers Led to the Exploitation Charges
The investigation into the child exploitation allegations began after cloud-storage providers reported explicit media depicting the sexual exploitation of children, the report states. That material was reportedly uploaded from accounts linked to Schumacher's personal phone number and email address between December 2024 and January 2026. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children also provided multiple tips that helped spark the investigation, the outlet notes.
The report also states that Schumacher has a prior criminal history including assault, DUI and making threats, though no dates, case numbers or court records for those matters were detailed. A Maricopa County judge ordered the $150,000 bond, and Schumacher is due back in court on Sept. 21. Authorities say they continue to investigate possible additional gun and drug charges stemming from what was found inside the home.
