WASHINGTON — U.S. prosecutors on Monday unveil criminal charges against two alleged leaders of a white supremacist gang, saying they used the Telegram social media site to launch attacks on Black people, Jews, LGBTQ people and immigrants in a bid to incite a race war.
In an indictment unsealed in federal court in Sacramento, California, prosecutors said a group called “The Terrorgram Collective” used the site to celebrate white supremacist attacks around the world and promote racially motivated violence.
Dallas Humber, 34, of Elk Grove, California, and Matthew Ellison, 37, of Boise, Idaho, face 15 criminal charges, including promoting hate crimes and conspiracy to provide material support to terrorism.
Officials said both were taken into custody; it was not immediately clear whether they have lawyers.
The most serious charges carry penalties of up to 20 years in prison.
US Justice Department officials said during an online press conference that the group's targets also included US government officials and critical infrastructure sites, with the overall goal being to create social collapse in the United States.
“This indictment reflects the Department’s response to the new technological face of white supremacist violence, as those seeking mass violence expand their reach online to encourage, solicit, and facilitate terrorist acts,” said Kristen Clarke, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.
According to the indictment, Humber and Ellison helped create and promote a document that was intended to justify the group's ideology and contained detailed instructions on how to carry out terrorist attacks, including making bombs.
Prosecutors alleged that the two had also compiled a list of “high-value” targets to assassinate, including a sitting U.S. senator and a federal judge who were considered enemies of the white supremacist cause.
According to the indictment, Humber and Ellison became leaders of the group in 2022, and helped oversee a network of Telegram channels and group chats that provided support for users to commit white supremacist violence.
The messaging app has been under scrutiny since its founder, Russian-born Pavel Durov, was arrested. He was detained in France last month The investigation relates to child pornography, drug trafficking and fraudulent transactions involving the app.
Durov, who has now been released, condemned the decision to detain him, sparking a renewed debate about freedom of expression and the responsibility of social media authorities for content on their platforms.
Durov said vowed to deal with criticism For more information on the app's moderation policies, please click the link below.
A Telegram spokesperson could not immediately be reached for comment on the indictment.
