Keith Michael Novak, 25, who served in Iraq with the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division before joining the Minnesota Army National Guard, stole the identity information in a scheme to fund and provide fake identities for his militia unit, according to a federal criminal complaint.The case was the latest example of extremists in military units, a problem that the Southern Poverty Law Center SPLC has focused much public attention on over the years. In 2006, the SPLC’s Intelligence Report detailed a large number of extremists in the military, eventually leading to a tightening of military regulations.In the Minnesota case, Novak told two undercover FBI agents he had the 400 encrypted identities — a “battalion’s worth of people” — for use if someone “ever wanted to disappear and become someone else,” the document says.Novak also is believed to possess other items stolen from the military, including flak jackets, riot gear and communication equipment, the FBI complaint says.
via Minnesota Militia Leader Arrested in Military ID Ripoff | Hatewatch.
