Dennis Mahon

Last updated

Dennis Mahon
Born
Dennis William Mahon

(1950-08-29) August 29, 1950 (age 73)
Davis Junction, Illinois, U.S.
OccupationAircraft mechanic
Organization(s) White Aryan Resistance, National Alliance (formerly), Ku Klux Klan (formerly)
Known for Oklahoma City bombing conspiracy theories and the 2004 Office of Diversity and Dialogue mail bombing in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Title Imperial Wizard (formerly) [1]
Movement Neo-Nazi, anti-government
Criminal statusIncarcerated
Criminal chargeconspiracy to damage buildings and property by means of explosives, malicious damage of a building by means of explosives, distribution of information related to explosives [2] [3]
Penalty40 years in prison

Dennis William Mahon [4] (born August 29, 1950) is an American right-wing terrorist who is part of the radical white supremacist movement. [5] He was indicted for the 2004 Office of Diversity and Dialogue mail bombing in Scottsdale, Arizona. [6] Mahon is currently incarcerated at FCI Terre Haute. [7]

Contents

Early life

On August 29, 1950, Dennis Mahon was born with his identical twin brother, Daniel Wallace Mahon, to Bill and Barbara Mahon in Davis Junction, Illinois. [8]

Dennis attended Auburn High School and graduated from Stillman Valley High School in 1968. He later received a degree in aviation management from Rock Valley College in 1970. [8] He also served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. [9] [10]

White supremacist activities

The Mahon twins first got involved in white supremacist activism in the 1970s when they joined the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan. Mahon claimed that he was first inspired to join after reading The Turner Diaries while working as an aircraft mechanic in Florida. [11] In 1988 they left the group to form the Missouri White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan in the Kansas City area. In 1989 Mahon unsuccessfully ran for alderman in Northmoor, Missouri on a platform of keeping the community white. In the early 1990s, Mahon moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma and left the Klan to become affiliated with Tom Metzger's White Aryan Resistance. [12] Mahon felt that the Klan had gotten too moderate and that Klan's membership was full of informants and low quality recruits. [13]

In 1991, Mahon held a rally in Tulsa in support of then Iraqi president Saddam Hussein and to protest the Persian Gulf War. Mahon later claimed to have received money from the Iraqi government. [13] Also in 1991, Mahon travelled to several cities in Germany to recruit for the Klan. Mahon lead 60 people in a cross burning in an area southeast of Berlin. Mahon also claimed he encouraged German recruits to commit firebombings of buildings occupied by foreigners and that he trained them in guerilla warfare. [14]

In 1992, Mahon ran to be the mayor of Tulsa [15]

In 1993, Mahon travelled to Canada on behalf of Metzger but was deported back to America shortly after arriving as Canadian authorities claimed he was threat. [11]

Alleged ties to the Oklahoma City bombing

Starting in 1992, Mahon is known to have been a frequent visitor to the white separatist community Elohim City. According to Mahon himself, he stated that he resided there for approximately four years and kept an Airstream trailer parked there, before leaving in August 1995. During this time, he also began taking his then-girlfriend, Carol Howe, to the compound. [16] [17]

While working as an informant for the ATF, Carol Howe reported that Mahon, along with Andreas Strassmeir, discussed "targeting federal installations for destruction," such as the Tulsa IRS Office, the Tulsa Federal Building, and the Oklahoma City Federal Building. [1]

Mahon was called to appear before a grand jury in Tulsa, Oklahoma in July 1997 and was to answer questions in relation to the bombing. Mahon did appear but did not answer any of the questions he was asked about the bombing. One witness claimed to have seen Mahon sitting next to Timothy McVeigh in the Ryder truck that contained the bomb used in the attack around 30 minutes before the explosion. However, phone records and other witnesses later showed that Mahon was in Illinois on the day of the bombing. [9] [18]

In a 2001 interview with Jon Ronson, Mahon acknowledged meeting McVeigh at a Tulsa gunshow and praised his actions, but denied involvement in the bombing. He did however accuse Strassmeir of being involved in the bombing. [19]

In a 2007 interview with a National Geographic reporter, Mahon praised McVeigh for his actions. [20]

2004 Scottsdale Office of Diversity mail bombing

2004 Scottsdale Office of Diversity mail bombing
LocationOffice of Diversity and Inclusion in Scottsdale, Arizona [21]
DateFebruary 26, 2004 [22]
Attack type
 Domestic terrorism
Letter bombing
Weapons Pipe bomb
Deaths0
Injured3
PerpetratorsDennis Mahon
Motive Hate crime
Ethnically-motivated terrorism

The bombing

On February 26, 2004, Scottsdale's Office of Diversity and Dialogue received a package in a cardboard box addressed to Don Logan, the office's director. The package contained a bomb which exploded in Logan's hands, seriously injuring him and his assistant. Another office worker received less severe injuries. The Mahon brothers quickly became suspects as they had attended a white power rock festival a few weeks prior to the gathering and Mahon had called the office and left a threatening voice mail a few months prior to bombing. [23]

Investigation

While investigating Dennis and Daniel Mahon for involvement in the mail bombing, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives recruited ex-stripper Rebecca "Becca" Williams as an investigative informant. Williams moved into the same trailer park as the Mahon twins and struck a friendship with them. She worked over time to win their trust. Williams was nicknamed the "Trailer Park Mata Hari". [24] [25] [26] Mahon was recorded bragging to Williams that he had committed the bombing of the Scottsdale office and several other bombings of an abortion clinic, a Jewish community center, and offices of the IRS and immigration authorities. [23] [27]

After a five-year undercover federal investigation, the Mahon brothers were arrested at their Illinois home in 2009 for the connection to the 2004 Office of Diversity and Dialogue mail bombing. [28] After the Mahons were arrested, the homes of Metzger and a Powell, Missouri affiliate named Robert Joos were raided. [12]

Trial and Conviction

The jury found Dennis Mahon guilty for the bombing, but found his brother, Daniel Mahon, not guilty. [29]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oklahoma City bombing</span> 1995 domestic terrorist attack in the United States

The Oklahoma City bombing was a domestic terrorist truck bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States, on April 19, 1995, the second anniversary of the end to the Waco siege. It also occurred on the same day as the execution of Arkansas white supremacist Richard Snell, who had "predicted" a bombing would take place that day; despite rumors, it remains unclear if Snell's execution served as a motive for the bombing. The bombing was the deadliest act of terrorism in U.S. history prior to the September 11 attacks in 2001, and remains the deadliest act of domestic terrorism in U.S. history. On April 19, 2000, the Oklahoma City National Memorial was dedicated on the site of the Murrah Federal Building, commemorating the victims of the bombing. Remembrance services are held every year on April 19, at the time of the explosion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timothy McVeigh</span> American domestic terrorist (1968–2001)

Timothy James McVeigh was an American domestic terrorist who perpetrated the Oklahoma City bombing on April 19, 1995. The bombing killed 168 people, injured 680, and destroyed one-third of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. It remains the deadliest act of domestic terrorism in U.S. history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White Aryan Resistance</span> Neo-Nazi organization led by Tom Metzger

White Aryan Resistance (WAR) is a white supremacist and neo-Nazi organization in the United States which was founded and formerly led by former Ku Klux Klan Grand Dragon Tom Metzger. It was based in Warsaw, Indiana, and it was also incorporated as a business. In 1993, the group expanded into Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aryan Republican Army</span> White-nationalist bank-robbery gang

The Aryan Republican Army (ARA), also dubbed "The Midwest Bank bandits" by the FBI and law-enforcement, was a white nationalist terrorist gang which robbed 22 banks in the Midwest from 1994 to 1996. The bank robberies were spearheaded by Donna Langan. The gang, who had links to Neo-Nazism and white supremacism, were alleged to have conspired with convicted terrorist Timothy McVeigh in the months before the Oklahoma City bombing terrorist attack. Although it has never been proven, many theorists believe the ARA funneled robbery money to help fund the bombing as a direct response to the Waco and Ruby Ridge sieges.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elohim City, Oklahoma</span> Private community in Adair County, Oklahoma, US

Elohim City is a private community in Adair County, Oklahoma, United States. The 400 acres (1.6 km2) rural retreat was founded in 1973 by Robert G. Millar, a Canadian immigrant, former Mennonite, and "one of the most important leaders" in America's Christian Identity movement, a theology common to an assortment of right-wing extremist groups. The community gained national attention for its ties to members of The Order in the 1980s, as well as with convicted Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh in the 1990s.

<i>Ghosts of Mississippi</i> 1996 film by Rob Reiner

Ghosts of Mississippi is a 1996 American biographical courtroom drama film directed by Rob Reiner and starring Alec Baldwin, Whoopi Goldberg, and James Woods. The film is based on the 1994 trial of Byron De La Beckwith, a white supremacist accused of the 1963 assassination of civil rights activist Medgar Evers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Brescia</span> American bank robber and white supremacist

Michael William Brescia is an American convicted bank robber who has also been alleged to have been involved in the Oklahoma City bombing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roger Wheeler (businessman)</span> American businessman (1926–1981)

Roger Milton Wheeler Sr. was an American businessman from Tulsa, Oklahoma, the former chairman of Telex Corporation, and former owner of World Jai Alai. He was murdered by members of organized crime who discovered that Wheeler had uncovered their embezzlement scheme at World Jai Alai.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patriot movement</span> American conservative political movement

In the United States, the patriot movement is a term which is used to describe a conglomeration of non-unified right-wing populist and nationalist political movements, most notably far-right armed militias, sovereign citizens, and tax protesters. Ideologies held by patriot movement groups often focus on anti-government conspiracy theories, with the SPLC describing a common belief that "despise the federal government and/or question its legitimacy." The movement first emerged in 1994 in response to what members saw as "violent government repression" of dissenting groups, along with increased gun control and the Clinton administration.

David Wayne Hull is a leader of the White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, which is considered the most militant as well as the most violent Ku Klux Klan in history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frazier Glenn Miller Jr.</span> American domestic terrorist (1940–2021)

Frazier Glenn Miller Jr., commonly known as Glenn Miller or Frazier Glenn Cross, was an American domestic terrorist, murderer, and leader of the defunct North Carolina-based White Patriot Party who was the perpetrator of the Overland Park Jewish Community Center shooting. Convicted of murder as well as criminal charges related to weapons, and the violation of an injunction against paramilitary activity, Miller was a perennial candidate for public office. He was an advocate of white nationalism, white separatism, Odinism, and antisemitism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Metzger</span> American white supremacist and Neo-Nazi leader

Thomas Linton Metzger was an American white supremacist, neo-Nazi skinhead leader and Klansman. He founded White Aryan Resistance (WAR), a neo-Nazi organization, in 1983. He was a Grand Dragon of the Ku Klux Klan in the 1970s. Metzger voiced strong opposition to immigration to the United States, and was an advocate of the Third Position. He was incarcerated in Los Angeles County, California, and Toronto, Ontario, and was the subject of several lawsuits and government inquiries. He, his son, and WAR were fined a total of $12.5 million as a result of the murder of Mulugeta Seraw, 28, an Ethiopian student, by skinheads in Portland, Oregon, affiliated with WAR.

Reverend Willie Ray Lampley rose to national attention in the United States of America as a self-proclaimed prophet, the head of the Universal Church of God (Yahweh) based in Vernon, Oklahoma which was part of the Christian Identity movement. Lampley was also the leader of a small far right paramilitary group called the Oklahoma Constitutional Militia. In November 1995 he and his wife Cecilia, along with John Dare Baird and Larry Wayne Crow, were arrested under charges of conspiracy to manufacture and possess a destructive device. According to the FBI, their plan was to bomb abortion clinics, gay bars, federal buildings, the office of the Anti-Defamation League in Houston, Texas, and the office of the Southern Poverty Law Center in Montgomery, Alabama. According to court documents, Lampley intended to use a destructive device consisting of 'homemade C-4' made of ammonium nitrate, nitromethane, aluminum powder and a detonation device. Lampley's plans were interrupted when FBI informant Richard Schrum alerted authorities that the homemade bomb was about to be tested at Elohim City. The FBI held that their foiling the plot "saved as many lives as what was lost in Oklahoma City".

Carol Elizabeth Howe is a former informant for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Howe became a key figure in Oklahoma City bombing conspiracy theories when she said that she informed authorities of a right-wing extremist plan to blow up a federal building in Oklahoma a few months before the Oklahoma City bombing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terry O'Donnell (politician)</span> American politician

Terry O'Donnell is an American politician and a member of the Republican Party who has served as the Oklahoma House Representative for the 23rd district since January 8, 2013. He first won elected office in the 2012 Oklahoma state elections. In January 2021, O'Donnell was promoted to be the speaker pro tempore of the Oklahoma House of Representatives, the second highest ranking Republican Party of Oklahoma member in the state house. On December 17, 2021, O'Donnell was indicted in relation to a tag agency corruption scandal. He resigned as speaker pro tempore on February 2, 2022 but later rejoined House Republican leadership in 2023 as majority whip, "a position that involves coordinating the teams of legislators that whip vote counts ahead of key bills."

Andreas Carl Strassmeir is a German national and the former head-of-security for the white separatist community of Elohim City, Oklahoma. He gained media attention for his alleged connection to the Oklahoma City Bombing and has become an important figure in its conspiracy theories.

The Fort Smith sedition trial was a 1988 trial of fourteen white supremacists accused of plotting to overthrow the United States federal government and conspiring to assassinate federal officials. The fourteen defendants were acquitted after a two-month trial. One of the jurors later married one of the defendants, while another said they agreed with many of their views.

The Universal Aryan Brotherhood (UAB), also known as the Universal Family, are an active neo-Nazi white supremacist prison gang in the United States. Primarily based out of Oklahoma, the gang also has members in federal custody, as well as in several states across the country.

Joshua Matthew Sills is an American football offensive guard for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at West Virginia and Oklahoma State.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ryan Walters (politician)</span> American politician

Ryan Walters is an American educator and politician who has served as the elected Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction since 2023 and who served as the appointed Oklahoma Secretary of Education between September 2020 and April 2023.

References

  1. 1 2 Novak, Robert D. (October 20, 1997). "A STING OPERATION GONE AWRY?". Washington Post. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
  2. ↑ "White supremacist Dennis Mahon gets 40 years for Az. Bombing". CBS News . May 22, 2012.
  3. ↑ "White Supremacist Dennis Mahon Found Guilty in 2004 Bombing". Archived from the original on November 30, 2018. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
  4. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on December 6, 2018. Retrieved December 6, 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. ↑ "The Oklahoma City Bomb Trial". The Denver Post Online.
  6. ↑ "Backgrounder: Arizona Mail Bomber Dennis Mahon to be Sentenced ⋆ Institute for Research and Education on Human Rights". May 21, 2012.
  7. ↑ "P.O.W." Archived from the original on February 14, 2019. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
  8. 1 2 "Ogle twins in court over firearms arrests".
  9. 1 2 Baldwin, Diana (July 17, 1997). "Separatist Asks for Immunity Witness Takes the Fifth Before Grand Jury". The Oklahoman. Retrieved February 11, 2022.
  10. ↑ Mills, Melody. "Klan Seeks White Homeland Supremacists' Ideas Differ, Grand Dragon Says". The Oklahoman. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
  11. 1 2 Zeskind, Leonard (May 21, 2012). "BACKGROUNDER: ARIZONA MAIL BOMBER DENNIS MAHON TO BE SENTENCED". irehr.org. Institute for Research & Education on Human Rights. Retrieved January 13, 2019.
  12. 1 2 Morris, Mark; Thomas, Judy. "Former Kansas City KKK leader indicted in 2004 mail bomb". McClatchy DC Bureau. Retrieved January 13, 2019.
  13. 1 2 Keller, Larry. "FEDS INDICT WHITE SUPREMACISTS IN ARIZONA BOMBING". www.splcenter.org. Southern Poverty Law Center . Retrieved January 13, 2019.
  14. ↑ "Tulsa KKK Leader Recruits Germans". The Oklahoman. November 15, 1991. Archived from the original on February 11, 2022. Retrieved February 11, 2022.
  15. ↑ "Ex-Klan leader in mayor race." Tulsa World, July 15, 1992: 19A. NewsBank: America's News. https://infoweb-newsbank-com.eu1.proxy.openathens.net/apps/news/document-view?p=NewsBank&docref=news/0EB54786107D608A.
  16. ↑ "Little has changed at Elohim City, including the beliefs of the residents". April 26, 2015.
  17. ↑ "VI. PRIOR WARNING, ATF INFORMANTS, AND POSSIBLE "OTHERS UNKNOWN." McVEIGH PETITION FOR WRIT OF MANDAMUS - MARCH 25, 1997".
  18. ↑ Baldwin, Diana (December 13, 1998). "Some Still Hunt for John Doe 2 FBI Maintains 'Accomplice' Really Innocent Army Private". The Oklahoman. Retrieved February 11, 2022.
  19. ↑ Ronson, Jon (May 5, 2001). "Conspirators". The Guardian . Retrieved January 13, 2019.
  20. ↑ "Arizona bombing trial begins for Illinois brothers". January 10, 2012.
  21. ↑ "City of Scottsdale - Diversity".
  22. ↑ "Court upholds conviction in Scottsdale office bombing".
  23. 1 2 Martin, Nick R. (January 10, 2012). "How The Feds Brought Down Arizona's Suspected White Supremacist 'Serial' Bombing Brothers". Talking Points Memo. Retrieved January 13, 2019.
  24. ↑ "Arizona bombing trial begins for Davis Junction twins". January 9, 2012. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
  25. ↑ "Feds defend ex-stripper's spy role". Archived from the original on December 2, 2018. Retrieved December 2, 2018.
  26. ↑ "Informant dubbed a 'trailer park Mata Hari'". Deseret News . February 21, 2012. Retrieved February 11, 2022.
  27. ↑ "Ex-Tulsans indicted in blast". Tulsa World. June 30, 2009. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
  28. ↑ "Former Tulsan on Trial for Racially Motivated Bombing". January 12, 2012. Retrieved February 11, 2022.
  29. ↑ "Jury: White supremacist guilty in Arizona bombing". February 24, 2012.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.