Ohio man accused of hoarding weapons, armor in preparation for race war

An Ohio felon who is linked to a white supremacist group illegally hoarded guns, body armor and ammunition to prepare for a race war, a U.S. prosecutor said. Defendant Richard Schmidt was arrested after federal authorities traced counterfeit goods to his Bowling Green company, Spindletop Sports Zone. A search of a small room near the store turned up 18 guns, body armor and 40,000 rounds of ammunition. Schmidt pleaded guilty to firearm and counterfeit charges in July, and he is set to be sentenced Dec. 19, The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer reported. Although a presentence report states that Schmidt could receive between 63 and 78 months in prison, Assistant U.S. Attorney Duncan Brown is asking for a sentence of more than 10 years. Brown has pointed to Schmidt's writings, which he says indicate his plans to assassinate members of cultural and religious groups. Schmidt is also associated with the National Alliance, a neo-Nazi group, Brown said. Schmidt's attorney, Edward Bryan, denies the allegations, The Plain Dealer said. "Richard Schmidt had no intention of causing harm to anybody or creating some type of racial war,'' Bryan said. "The government is asking to enhance the sentence based on writings from years ago."