An Arizona firearms dealer who planned to incite a race war ahead of the 2024 election was indicted on charges of firearms trafficking, transfer of a firearm for use in a hate crime and possession of an unregistered firearm on Tuesday after being stopped from carrying out a mass shooting at Bad Bunny’s Atlanta concert last month.
Mark Adams Prieto was exposed by an undercover agent he sold weapons to between January and May of this year, the Arizona District Attorney’s office said in a press release Tuesday. Law enforcement stopped Prieto on May 14 while he was driving east through Arizona toward New Mexico. He “was in possession of seven firearms and was taken into federal custody. Law enforcement then executed a search warrant at his home in Prescott,” the release said. Authorities found more weapons during the search.
Prieto allegedly intended to carry out the mass shooting at a Bad Bunny concert in Atlanta. The artist played the State Farm Arena May 14 and 15.
The investigation into the 58-year-old reportedly began in October after an anonymous source told FBI Phoenix that Prieto had stated he hoped to start a “race war.” The source, who had engaged in several conversations with Prieto over the last three years, added that Prieto planned to target Black, Jewish, and Muslim Americans.
The source said, “Prieto believes that martial law will be implemented shortly after the 2024 election and that a mass shooting should occur prior,” NBC News reported.
“The reason I say Atlanta. Why, why is Georgia such a f–ked up state now?” Prieto asked the source and undercover agent at a Jan. 21 gun show. “When I was a kid, that was one of the most conservative states in the country. Why is it not now? Because as the crime got worse in L.A., St. Louis, and all these other cities, all the [N-words] moved out of those [places] and moved to Atlanta. That’s why it isn’t so great anymore. And they’ve been there for a couple, several years.”
The outlet also reported that Prieto regularly sold weapons from his personal collection in cash-only deals or trades to avoid the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
If convicted of his charges, Prieto will face a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both, for each charge.
