Federal prosecutors have charged a far-right podcaster after guns were found in the basement of his house in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The ‘alt-right’ podcaster has strong anti-government views. The arsenal of weapons found in his house includes machine guns.
Joseph Paul Berger (32) has been charged along with his father Joseph Raymond Berger (67).
The charges include several firearms offenses including possessing machine guns and possessing non-registered guns and silencers.
“Defendant Joseph Paul Berger has been charged by indictment with possessing 13 unregistered machine guns and 12 unregistered firearms silencers,” the prosecutors say.
According to a detention memo filed by prosecutors, the guns that were obtained from Berger’s home include Eight AK-style rifles, Two C308 .308 Winchester caliber rifles, Two MP5k submachine guns, and One RPK-style machine gun.
The father-son duo has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Prosecutors claimed in opposition to a bail request that the younger man, a navy veteran, “regularly espouses anti-government and anti-law enforcement views”.
“To be sure, the defendant’s views do not form the basis for these charges, but they provide strong evidence of his anti-government ethos,” they argued. “Based on these views, it is highly unlikely that the defendant will respect or abide by conditions of release set by this court, thereby making him a danger to the community and a risk of flight.”
A global media for the latest news, entertainment, music fashion, and more.
