US prosecutors have indicted two alleged leaders of the white supremacist group “The Terrorgram Collective” for using the encrypted messaging app Telegram to solicit violent attacks against Black, Jewish, LGBTQ individuals, and immigrants. Identified as Dallas Humber, 34, of Elk Grove, California, and Matthew Allison, 37, of Boise, Idaho, the defendants face a 15-count indictment which includes charges of soliciting hate crimes, soliciting the murder of federal officials, and conspiring to provide material support to terrorists.
According to the charges filed in the federal court in Sacramento, California, the group celebrated terrorist incidents worldwide and encouraged further attacks. Humber and Allison, who allegedly took on leadership roles in 2022 after the prior leader’s arrest, are accused of actively seeking to induce violence during the July 2023 French riots and after bomb threats were made against Nashville, Tennessee’s 2023 pride events. Prosecutors assert that their goal was to escalate tensions and hasten the government’s downfall.
In a statement, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland emphasized the significance of the indictment, noting, “Today’s indictment charges the defendants with leading a transnational terrorist group dedicated to attacking America’s critical infrastructure, targeting a hit list of our country’s public officials, and carrying out deadly hate crimes—all in the name of violent white supremacist ideology.” He further added that the arrests signify a zero-tolerance approach towards hate-fueled crimes orchestrated in obscurity through internet platforms.
The legal repercussions for Humber and Allison are severe, with potential sentences amounting to 200 years in prison, fines up to $3.75 million per person, and criminal forfeiture. The indictment highlights one count of conspiracy, four counts of soliciting hate crimes, three counts of soliciting the murder of federal officials, and three counts of doxing federal officials, among others.
Simultaneously, Telegram’s founder and CEO, Pavel Durov, was arrested in Paris last month. He faces charges related to allegations of his messaging app’s complicity in illicit activities and his refusal to cooperate with law enforcement entities.