CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — Two men from Chesterfield County, Virginia are facing federal charges after the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) uncovered a plot to commit acts of violence against Black and Jewish places of worship.
Robert C. Doyle and Ronald Beasley Chaney, III are both charged with conspiracy to possess firearms after having been convicted of a felony.
Doyle has previous charges in Chesterfield from 2002 and 2007 for distribution of marijuana as well as embezzlement charges from 2004. Chaney has charges from 2007 in Henrico on his record including attempted robbery, use of a firearm in commission of a felony and two counts of malicious wounding that stem from the double shooting of an 18 and 16-year-old.
Federal court documents say the suspects are accused of being white supremacists.
In September, court documents say the FBI learned of a planned meeting at Doyle’s home, located in the 9800 block of Candlelamp Lane, with other unknown people to discuss bombing or shooting occupants of Black churches and Jewish synagogues, conducting acts of violence against people of the Jewish faith and doing harm to a gun store owner in Oklahoma.
In October, Doyle and Chaney began meeting with undercover FBI agents about purchasing weapons, including pistols, automatic weapons and silencers, according to court documents.
A third suspect, Charles Halderman, is also facing a federal charge in connection to the case.
Court documents say Halderman had discussions with Doyle and Chaney about possibly robbing and killing a local jeweler, robbing an armed car and “doing harm” to a local gun store owner. In these discussions, Doyle claimed he wanted to use proceeds from these acts to purchase land and stockpile weapons for the “upcoming race war.”
After numerous meetings and discussions, the suspects were taken into custody Sunday.