Two men with ties to Central Washington anti-government militia indicted on federal charges

Two Central Washington men with ties to the “boogaloo” anti-government militia group have been indicted on charges tied to explosive devices allegedly intended for use on law enforcement.

Daniel J. Anderson of Kennewick and Connor D. Goodman of Auburn were indicted by a grand jury Tuesday on conspiracy charges to make or possess unregistered explosive devices. Anderson, who has been in custody following a search of his home in mid-December, also was charged with possession of an unregistered destructive device. Court records did not list an attorney or detention status for Goodman on Wednesday.

The FBI worked with a confidential informant beginning in June to infiltrate the “Verified Bois” group that discussed stealing explosive materials and committing violence against law enforcement officials, according to court documents.

Anderson, 26, used commercial fireworks to construct homemade explosive devices in glass mason jars, according to a sworn statement by Special Agent Justin Bodes of the FBI. Goodman is identified as the leader of the group who provided Anderson with a shotgun at a meeting in September.

The FBI also received chat messages in which Anderson called the explosives “distraction devices” that could “throw birdshot at least 20 yards.” The confidential source told police that Anderson listened in to Kennewick Police radio chatter in April, and put on body armor and armed himself when officers responded to his apartment complex on a call of a suicidal neighbor.

In one meeting, the informant captured video evidence of Anderson holding the explosive device. It was seized during the search Dec. 16, according to court records.

The anti-government “boogaloo” movement is made up of a loosely connected network of people who believe the United States is on the brink of a second civil war, according to research by the Washington, D.C.-based security think tank the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

“This idea supports the use of violence against any political side in order to foment increasingly violent reactions and further accelerate the demise of the government,” Bodes wrote in his sworn statement.

Anderson is listed in custody of the Benton County Jail. The charges against him carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. Goodman’s charge carries a maximum five-year penalty.

A hearing in the case is scheduled for Jan. 12.