A neo-Nazi, who called himself a 'political prisoner,' dressed up as the Joker and talked of 'accelerat[ing] a race war' on social media, sobbed Tuesday during his sentencing for firearms offenses.
Paul Miller, 32, will serve 41 months in jail for possessing ammunition and an unregistered short-barreled rifle, which were uncovered when the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force swarmed his home in Fort Lauderdale.
On March 2, Miller was arrested for lying about his convicted felon status while applying for a concealed carry permit in 2018 - 400 rounds of ammunition and the unregistered rifle were uncovered during the FBI raid on the same day.
The agency ramped up efforts to combat domestic terrorism following the January 6 insurrection at the Capitol, and pinpointed Miller. Its Joint Terrorism Task Force swarmed his Fort Lauderdale residence, and found an unregistered rifle and 400 rounds of ammunition.
He told agents that he was preparing for a 'coming civil war', according to the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida. Prosecutors argued in court that he was 'on the precipice' of doing something with them. He was convicted June 22.
The evidence against him included hundreds of posts 'publicizing his animosity toward... minorities' and videos he filmed of approaching black individuals, calling them the N-word and threatening to attack them.
Phone calls and messages sent to his online followers from his jail cell in July, showing his confidence in a light sentence, were played by prosecutors during the Tuesday sentencing.
Paul Miller, 32, was arrested in March for lying about his status as a convicted felon when applying for a concealed carry permit in 2018 after the FBI ramped up efforts to combat domestic terrorism following the January 6 insurrection at the Capitol
Phone calls and messages sent to 32-year-old Paul Miller's online followers from his jail cell in July (pictured), showing an apparent indignance at his arrest and confidence in a light sentence, were played by prosecutors during the Tuesday sentencing hearing
'I believe that I'll probably serve, if everything goes well, 18 months if everything goes okay,' Miller tells the caller, imploring the fan to 'spread the word'. His longer sentence led to tears in the courtroom Tuesday.
Miller complains to the caller that his 'life had been ruined': 'It’s scary dude, they’re gonna send me to prison, there’s nothing I can do about it.'
'I was trying to do everything I could for us, trying to help our cause, trying to help our people and they just destroyed my life, man, they destroyed everything,' he says.
The sentiment contradicts Miller's words to a judge via a Zoom call from a Broward County jail cell in March: 'I am very sorry about this,' Miller told the judge. 'I really am.'
After his jail sentence, Miller will face an additional three years of supervised release, according to prosecutors with the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida.
'They blew up my house… they came with tanks, they pointed guns at me, they pointed flashbang grenades at me... they took my phone, they took my computer, they just ruined my life, man,' Miller says in the June 22 phone call.
Miller's face lit up when the caller told him that his content online had been 'blowing up' and getting '400,000 likes and stuff' on TikTok.
Miller had 40,000 followers on Telegram and had became increasingly popular on Omegle, an online chat app where he harasses women and minorities while dressed as Batman's nemesis, the Joker
He bemoaned that, because his family didn't 'want to get involved with the stuff online' and his fiancée had left him, there was no one to run his social media pages.
In a July 23 message posted for his followers, he assured them that he would resume his online presence upon his release, and that his page wasn't 'losing people.'
'I can’t wait to come home to all of you and talk to you all and see how I’m going to do things when I come back,' he tells them in the minute-long clip. 'I know it seems like my page is losing people, but it’s just because it’s been banned by apple.'
'In here, guys, it’s like a f***ing dungeon. I’m surrounded by these animals. But... once I’m sentenced, I’ll be sent off to a nicer prison.'
Although his CashApp account was removed by the platform, Miller sought out donations for his family.
In a videos described in his indictment, Miller is seen wearing body armor, flashing weapons and giving Hitler salutes while delivering an ideological lecture urging for a race war
Miller (right) standing with Ian Smith (left) a Bellmawr, New Jersey, gym owner who has attracted media attention for violating New Jersey coronavirus orders
In 2007 and 2009, Miller was convicted of drug manufacturing and distribution, according to New Jersey records, establishing him as a felon.
Miller, who goes by 'Gypsy Crusader', has more than 40,000 followers on Telegram, a messaging app and social media network popular with far-right extremists.
Investigators were suspicious of Miller's social media activity, considering him sympathetic toward and affiliated with the extreme right-wing group the Proud Boys and the 'Boogaloo' movement.
The FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force raided Miller's Fort Lauderdale home and found 400 rounds of ammunition and an unregistered rifle - he told agents that he was stockpiling for a 'coming civil war'
Investigators were suspicious of Miller's social media activity, connecting him as being sympathetic toward and affiliated with the extreme right-wing group the Proud Boys and the 'Boogaloo' movement
During a court hearing in June, Miller pled guilty from his jail cell via Zoom. He was being held there due to his history of threatening behavior
In one of the videos posted online and included in the indictment, Miller is seen donning body armor, flashing weapons and giving Hitler salutes while delivering an lecture urging a race war.
In another video previously uploaded to Bitchute, an internet video sharing platform, Miller shows a pistol and said: 'I am armed to the teeth tonight...I have two new guns.'
'I hate the Jews. I want to gas 'em,' he adds.
When a follower asks if Miller has an army ready, Miller replies, 'I'm trying to build one.'
In a October 8, 2020 video posted on Telegraph, Miller (pictured) claimed he was 'doxed' by antifa and the Black Lives Matter movement, furiously blaming them for his radicalization
In a October 8, 2020 video posted on Telegram, Miller claims he was 'doxxed' by ANTIFA and the Black Lives Matter movement, furiously blaming them for his radicalization.
'I'm done with them. I don't want to talk any more. There is no more debate. Alright? There's no more b******t, yeah let's talk it out, yeah let's give them some rights. F**k them. F**k these (N-words). F**k these Jews.'
The current case against Miller came as the FBI's ramped up efforts to detect and combat domestic terrorism following the January 6 insurrection on the U.S. Capitol. Officials warn that far-right extremism poses the greatest threat of violence
Prosecutors (pictured) asserted that Miller was stockpiling weapons for 'a coming civil war' and was 'on the precipice' of doing something with them
In a October 9 video, Miller is seen attending a New Brunswick, New Jersey, Trump rally, where he approaches a black woman holding a 'Black Lives Matter' poster and says, 'only white lives matter' and 'Heil Hitler.'
Miller also became increasingly popular on Omegle, an online chat app where he harasses women and minorities while dressed as Batman's nemesis, the Joker.
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