Two people pleaded guilty Monday to federal terrorism-related charges for helping hide the man accused of shooting a police officer outside a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in Alvarado July 4.
Dallas resident Rebecca Morgan, 24, and Kennedale resident Susan Kent, 23, pleaded guilty in Fort Worth federal court to one count of providing material support to terrorists, a felony. They face up to 15 years in prison and will be sentenced in March.
But Kent has pleaded not guilty to state charges of engaging in organized criminal activity and hindering the prosecution of terrorism, both first-degree felonies. Her trial is set for March.
Attorneys for Morgan and Kent declined to comment.
Authorities accuse 32-year-old Benjamin Song of being the gunman who shot and injured an Alvarado police officer outside Prairieland Detention Center the night of July 4.
After the shooting and the arrests of nine other defendants at the scene, criminal complaints allege Song hid out in a sunflower field until the next day. Meanwhile, Kent was part of a group that allegedly met at a hotel in Cleburne to plan getting Song away from Prairieland.
Defendant John Thomas, with the help of Lynette Sharp, helped drive Song back to Dallas. Song was arrested at Morgan's apartment in Dallas after an FBI manhunt that lasted more than a week.
Seven defendants have now accepted the government's plea deal. Nine other defendants, including Song, are facing the supporting terrorism charge along with more severe charges — including attempted murder of federal employees — after refusing the government's plea deal, as prosecutors promised in court filings ahead of new indictments earlier this month. At least three have pleaded not guilty.
A total of 18 defendants face a range of federal and state charges.
The government says those arrested in connection with the shooting at Prairieland are part of a so-called "North Texas Antifa Cell" that acted with terroristic intent to carry out the shooting. President Donald Trump designated “antifa” a domestic terrorist organization in September and instructed federal authorities to prioritize investigating it.
That move has been questioned due to antifa’s broad definition, decentralized nature and the lack of a federal mechanism to specifically prosecute domestic terrorism.
Several defendants have denied intending violence or having any ties to antifa.
Toluwani Osibamowo is KERA’s law and justice reporter. Got a tip? Email Toluwani at tosibamowo@kera.org.
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