Vegas man tied to extremist group gets life sentence for terrorism plot targeting 2020 protests

LAS VEGAS (AP) — A man with ties to a far-right extremist group advocating the overthrow of the U.S. government has been sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole for his role in a plot to firebomb a Black Lives Matter protest in Las Vegas in 2020.

A state judge in Las Vegas sentenced Stephen Parshall on Tuesday as part of a plea agreement, court records show.

Prosecutors have said he was one of three white men who planned to firebomb and damage federal buildings at the protests against racism and police violence. They described the trio as part of the boogaloo movement — a loose, far-right alliance that says it is preparing for another American Civil War.

Parshall pleaded guilty in June to assisting, socializing or conspiring to commit an act of terrorism, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

In March, Parshall was sentenced to 33 years in federal prison with lifetime supervision upon release after pleading guilty to sexually abusing a young girl. That abuse was uncovered in 2020 while police and federal authorities were investigating Parshall’s plot to cause violence at the Black Lives Matter protests in Las Vegas. The abuse started when the victim was younger than 10, according to federal prosecutors.

Authorities say Parshall was first arrested by Las Vegas police in May 2020 with two co-conspirators while the men filled glass bottles with gasoline in a plan to firebomb the Black Lives Matter protest. He originally was indicted on four counts related to terrorism or explosive charges, though the plea agreement negated several of them.

Parshall’s lawyer did not immediately respond to an email request for comment Wednesday evening.