Cotopaxi, CO – A white supremacist who was obsessed with guns wanted to establish a ‘private’ community where young children would be taught an ‘antisemitic curriculum by military style personnel’, a court filing says.
Chad Edward Keith, who described himself as a Nazi who would die for his believes, wanted to establish the community in Colorado, it is alleged.
Investigators say the plans emerged after the 41-year-old was arrested for possession of a firearm by a prohibited person.
An investigation was launched by the FBI after several reports that Keith was illegally in possession of firearms. He was barred from handling weapons after a previous felony conviction.
He was charged with possession of a firearm by a prohibited person due to a previous federal weapons conviction. If convicted on the most recent charges, he could spend up to 10 years in prison.
The FBI recruited an informant who obtained undercover pictures of Keith’s weapons and learned about his white supremacist views. The haul consisted of 11 weapons and included rifles, handguns and shotguns, according to investigators.
He was pictured by an FBI informant handling guns at a 2.6-acre property in Cotopaxi, Colorado where he planned to start the private community where children would be taught the ‘antisemitic curriculum’.
The mountain property is described as ‘100 percent off grid’ and also included a radio tower and water well that is 462-feet deep, according to a court filing.
Keith appeared in court facing the charge and is expected to attend another hearing on June 12. A trial is set for July 24.
In a criminal complaint, Special Agent Holly Andersen said the FBI started to receive tips in around October 2020 about ‘Keith’s possession of attempts to obtain firearms’.
According to the complaint, Keith describes himself as a ‘national socialist and a Nazi ‘and ‘frequently makes comments disparaging Jews and notes how he is unhappy that Jews control all financial and scientific aspects and run the world’.
The complaint adds: “Keith has discussed buying more neighbouring properties in order to own a piece of land large enough to build and operate a school, which he would name Ravensridge or Ravensrock.
“Keith has stated he needs more land because he does not currently have enough space to do hard core weapons training.
“The purpose of the school would be to teach various skills, including weapons training, and to instil ideology consistent with white supremacy.”
The complaint further says: “Keith’s target age group is younger than high school. Keith has discussed specific plans for the school, including an antisemitic curriculum. Keith hopes to recruit military personnel to help instruct at the school.”