Defendant Identified After Posting Racist Messages,
Identifying Himself as a Neo-Nazi, and Discussing Mass Shootings of Synagogues
on an Online Video Game Website
SAN FRANCISCO – Ross Anthony Farca was charged in a criminal
complaint with making a false statement to a government agency, announced
United States Attorney David L. Anderson and Federal Bureau of Investigation
Special Agent in Charge John F Bennett.
In a complaint filed November 19, 2019, a redacted version
of which was unsealed today, Farca, 23, of Concord, was charged with making a
false statement on an online background check application in his bid to join
the U.S. Army. According to the
complaint, on June 22, 2017, Farca traveled to a U.S. Army Recruitment Center
in Mountain View, Calif., where he completed and submitted the background check
application, also known as an SF-86. The
SF-86 contains language specifically warning that falsifying or concealing a
material fact on the application is a felony which may result in fines or
imprisonment. In this case, the criminal
complaint alleges that Farca nevertheless knowingly made false statements about
his mental health when completing the form.
Specifically, he affirmatively stated that he had not received mental
health treatment, which the complaint alleges was not true.
According to the complaint, Farca had been in regular
contact with a psychiatrist since 2011.
In addition, Farca allegedly had received prescriptions for various
medications and had received treatments to manage his mental disorders. Further, according to the complaint, Farca
understood that because of his diagnosis, he needed a letter of clearance from
a mental health professional before he would be qualified to enlist in the
army. The complaint alleges that Farca
requested a letter of clearance from both his psychiatrist and a caseworker
familiar with his condition; both mental health professionals, however, denied Farca’s
request for a clearance letter. The
complaint further alleges that when Farca completed the SF-86, rather than
admit he had been seeing a psychiatrist and that he was unable to obtain a
letter clearing him for duty, Farca instead denied he had ever had counseling
for his psychological or emotional health.
According to the complaint, Farca reported to basic training on August
28, 2017, and was discharged October 3, 2017.
The discharge paperwork cited "failed medical / physical /
procurement standards" and noted, "erroneous enlistment; medical
condition disqualifying for military service, with no medical waiver
approved."
The complaint suggests that evidence of Farca’s false
statements on the SF-86 was obtained during the June 10, 2019, search of his
home. Officers from the Concord Police
Department executed warrants to arrest Farca and to search his home while
investigating messages Farca posted on an online video game website. The complaint describes several messages
Farca allegedly posted using his online name “Adolf Hitler (((6 MILLION)))”
about carrying out a mass shooting of synagogues and praising terrorists who
have perpetrated recent mass shootings at houses of worship. During the search of Farca’s home, paperwork
relating to his psychiatric condition and his military service discharge were
found.
The complaint charges Farca with knowingly making false
statements to a government agency, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1001(a)(2). The charges contained in the criminal
complaint are mere allegations. As in any criminal case, the defendant is
presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
Farca currently is in federal custody pending a continued
detention hearing currently scheduled before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sallie Kim on
Tuesday, November 26, 2019 at 10:30. If
convicted, Farca faces a maximum statutory penalty maximum sentence of five
years imprisonment and a fine of $250,000, plus restitution, for each violation
of 18 U.S.C. § 1001(a)(2). However, any
sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court after consideration
of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the
imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.
The case is being prosecuted by the Special Prosecutions and
National Security Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in San Francisco and
investigated by the FBI and the Concord Police Department.
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