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IronLionZion

(45,256 posts)
Fri Sep 27, 2019, 07:41 AM Sep 2019

Two AWOL soldiers joined a far-right paramilitary in Ukraine. They returned to kill a couple

Two AWOL soldiers joined a far-right paramilitary in Ukraine. They returned to kill a couple in Florida, feds say.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/09/27/awol-soldiers-ukraine-kill-florida-couple/



The listing said, “For Sale: Lot of Guns,” and Serafin Lorenzo was interested.

The 53-year-old who went by Danny liked to buy expensive items and resell them for a profit, and the cache of guns he found on ARMSLIST.com offered the bargain he was looking for. There were four Glocks, a couple 9mm pistols and nine high-powered rifles. The Florida seller, a guy named Jeremy, wanted just $3,000 cash.

“Leaving the country soon,” Jeremy’s listing said. “Looking to sale all my guns as I can’t take them with me.”

Less than 24 hours after inquiring, Lorenzo and his 51-year-old wife, Deana, were on the road from Brooksfield, Fla., late on the night of April 9, 2018, to meet Jeremy at an address just off Corkscrew Road in Estero. At 10:44 p.m., Lorenzo texted: “I’m at the church.”

Minutes later, the Lorenzos were dead.

Police wouldn’t find Lorenzo and his wife in the church parking lot until the next morning. Next to Lorenzo’s body was a bill of sale for 15 firearms — and a cellphone that would send the FBI down a wild path stretching halfway around the world leading to the alleged perpetrators.

Starting with little more than the online gun listing and the texts to Lorenzo from a Walmart burner phone, authorities say they learned the gunmen were two ex-Army soldiers bent on joining right-wing paramilitary groups involved in armed conflicts worldwide. The gun listing was true in one respect: They were leaving the country — to go to Venezuela to fight the government with the resistance, prosecutors say. The guns were coming with them. They allegedly just wanted the Lorenzos’ $3,000 to fund the journey.


There is straight up terrorism further down the article, but no mention of the t word since the guys are white Americans, not muslims. They do acknowledge a growing problem of right wing political violence and ex-military being recruited on social media.
11 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Two AWOL soldiers joined a far-right paramilitary in Ukraine. They returned to kill a couple (Original Post) IronLionZion Sep 2019 OP
Get thee to the greatest page malaise Sep 2019 #1
That is one wild ass crazy story genxlib Sep 2019 #2
Both excellent points showing big weak spots that should be fixed IronLionZion Sep 2019 #7
Sounds like an Elmore Leonard story central scrutinizer Sep 2019 #11
On MSNBC's special or maybe it was the CNN one they touch upon these groups abroad. Need lots UniteFightBack Sep 2019 #3
This is the global army of white supremacists that Putin tapped into in 2012 and blm Sep 2019 #4
+1 2naSalit Sep 2019 #5
Well, they weren't recruited by *Muslim* extremists, so no probs. nt eppur_se_muova Sep 2019 #6
Evil bastards. What dedicated and thorough work the FBI did to bring them to justice. nt iluvtennis Sep 2019 #8
Moral of the story: Don't go to an empty parking lot at 10:44 at night to buy "lots of guns". Bernardo de La Paz Sep 2019 #9
That's where the good deals are IronLionZion Sep 2019 #10

genxlib

(5,506 posts)
2. That is one wild ass crazy story
Fri Sep 27, 2019, 08:46 AM
Sep 2019

If you submitted it as a movie script, you would get laughed at.

Two takeaways that reference background checks

1. The Lorinzos would still be alive if background checks were universal. These kinds of private sales would not be allowed without a licensed dealer third party. I'm not saying they wouldn't happen illegally but they wouldn't be happening in the open through websites.

2. Second, one of these fuckers was caught with a background check.

IronLionZion

(45,256 posts)
7. Both excellent points showing big weak spots that should be fixed
Fri Sep 27, 2019, 09:55 AM
Sep 2019

for point 1, making it harder to do and more official also adds an element of safety to everyone involved. I bet a lot of dangerous characters go through private sales with one party having no idea who they're dealing with.

central scrutinizer

(11,617 posts)
11. Sounds like an Elmore Leonard story
Fri Sep 27, 2019, 12:41 PM
Sep 2019

Grifters trying to grift other grifters and the whole thing goes sideways.

 

UniteFightBack

(8,231 posts)
3. On MSNBC's special or maybe it was the CNN one they touch upon these groups abroad. Need lots
Fri Sep 27, 2019, 08:49 AM
Sep 2019

of sunlight for this shit.

blm

(112,919 posts)
4. This is the global army of white supremacists that Putin tapped into in 2012 and
Fri Sep 27, 2019, 08:51 AM
Sep 2019

Has been leading quite publicly since 2014. It’s grown immensely since Trump.

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/03/world/americas/alt-right-vladimir-putin.html

Bernardo de La Paz

(48,786 posts)
9. Moral of the story: Don't go to an empty parking lot at 10:44 at night to buy "lots of guns".
Fri Sep 27, 2019, 10:16 AM
Sep 2019

Saving a thousand or two is not worth the risk, ya think?

IronLionZion

(45,256 posts)
10. That's where the good deals are
Fri Sep 27, 2019, 12:41 PM
Sep 2019

for when you need "lots of guns" really fast and don't have time for background checks through a licensed dealer.

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