Thirteen more people were federally indicted Thursday in connection with the July 4 shooting at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in Alvarado, court records show — some of whom are pleading guilty, according to federal prosecutors.
Eighteen people total face charges for the shooting that injured an Alvarado police officer outside Prairieland Detention Center. The alleged shooter is also accused of firing toward two correctional officers outside the facility.
"This is the first indictment in the country against a group of violent Antifa cell members,” Acting U.S. Attorney Nancy E. Larson said in a press release Friday. “The charges the Grand Jury has leveled against these defendants, including material support for terrorists, address the vicious attack perpetrated by an anti-ICE, anti-law enforcement, anti-government, anarchist group."
Benjamin Song, Savanna Batten, Meagan Morris, Maricela Rueda, Elizabeth Soto, Ines Soto and Daniel Sanchez Estrada have been indicted alongside Autumn Hill and Zachary Evetts. Their charges range in severity depending on their alleged roles leading up to the events of July 4.
If convicted, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Song, Arnold, Evetts, Morris, and Rueda could face anywhere from 10 years to life in prison. Batten, Elizabeth Soto and Ines Soto face 10-50 years in federal prison. Sanchez Estrada faces up to 20 years in federal prison on each count.
Nathan Baumann, Joy Gibson, Susan Kent, Rebecca Morgan, Lynette Sharp and John Thomas face only one charge: providing material support to terrorists. Codefendant Seth Sikes was indicted separately last week on the same charge. All except Kent will plead guilty in the coming weeks.
Elizabeth Soto's attorney said her client will be pleading not guilty, and they "look forward to presenting our case in court."
Attorneys for Kent, Hill, Sharp and Ines Soto declined to comment at this time. KERA News has reached out to attorneys for the defendants and will update this story with any response.
‘He would not be going to jail’
The indictments refer to the group as the “North Texas Antifa Cell.” It comes after President Donald Trump designated “antifa” as a domestic terrorist organization in September — a first-of-its-kind designation — and instructed federal authorities to prioritize investigating it. The move has been questioned due to antifa’s broad definition and decentralized nature and the lack of a federal mechanism to specifically prosecute domestic terrorism.
According to the indictment, most of the cell looked to Song as a leader. He allegedly recruited members from “various ideologically aligned groups.”
Court records show he was also part of a self-described anti-fascist North Texas gun group that clashed with Christian nationalists at a protest two years ago.
Leading up to July 4, the indictment states, there was a core group chat in the encrypted messaging app Signal consisting of people who did reconnaissance and planning: Evetts, Song, Morris, Gibson, Rueda and Sikes. Rueda and Evetts allegedly attended a peaceful protest at Prairieland earlier in the day to scout out the facility and relayed that information to the group.
The indictment states Rueda wondered whether bringing rifles would “make the situation more hot,” but Song allegedly said the guns would be used to intimidate law enforcement.
“Cops are not trained or equipped for more than one rifle so it tends to make them back off,” Song is quoted as saying.
Song advertised the July 4 plans to a larger chat but left out details so he wouldn’t be identified as one of the organizers, according to the filing. Members of the large chat discussed the event as a “noise demonstration” involving fireworks.
Prosecutors say Ines Soto and Rueda “attempted to downplay concerns” about law enforcement, urging action and referring to noise demonstrations as low-risk.
According to the filing, Hill asked if they’d bring guns to Prairieland during a gear check at Morris and Hill’s home in Dallas. Song allegedly said they would because “he would not be going to jail.”
“Song repeated words to this effect multiple times throughout the evening,” prosecutors wrote, “putting everyone there on notice of his intent to shoot at police rather than be arrested.”
Defendants, their attorneys and supporters say they were protesting Trump's immigration policies when they gathered outside the detention center, and that not everyone intended for shots to be fired.
Hill, Evetts, Song, Batten, Morris, Rueda, Elizabeth Soto, and Ines Soto are charged with rioting, providing material support to terrorists, conspiracy to use and carry an explosive and use and carry of an explosive — the explosive being fireworks, according to the indictment.
Song is charged with attempted murder of officers and employees of the United States and discharging a firearm during, in relation to, and in furtherance of a crime of violence. Hill, Evetts, Morris and Rueda are charged with aiding and abetting.
Rueda and Sanchez Estrada are charged with conspiracy to conceal documents. Rueda allegedly called Sanchez Estrada from jail and asked him to conceal incriminating evidence, namely a box of “antifa materials.”
Estrada is charged with corruptly concealing a document or records for allegedly taking this box from his home in Garland to a location in Denton.
Ongoing state cases
Those who are federally charged were arrested on charges that include terrorism and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon against a peace officer causing serious bodily injury. Not everyone has been indicted.
Janette Goering, the latest arrestee, was accused of giving Song a Faraday bag and helping plan his escape from Prairieland. Dario Sanchez is accused of deleting texts from the Signal group chat.
Kent and Sharp, who prosecutors say both participated in helping Song escape, have pleaded not guilty. Kent is set for trial in March.
Toluwani Osibamowo is KERA’s law and justice reporter. Got a tip? Email Toluwani at tosibamowo@kera.org.
KERA News is made possible through the generosity of our members. If you find this reporting valuable, consider making a tax-deductible gift today. Thank you.
