SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A Bay Area man accused of plotting with a friend to blow up the Democratic headquarters building in Sacramento because he was convinced then-President Donald Trump won the 2020 election pleaded guilty to the crime Friday in federal court in San Francisco.
Ian Benjamin Rogers, 47, of Napa pleaded guilty to conspiracy to destroy a building by fire or explosives, possessing an unregistered explosive device and possession of a machine gun, part of a plea agreement that could net him seven to nine years in prison.
Rogers, appearing by video from the Santa Rita Jail in Dublin, appeared somewhat hesitant when Senior U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer asked him if he was convinced the government could prove its case against him if the matter went to trial.
“It’s possible,” Rogers replied, adding, “I could see how a jury would believe what the government is saying.”
Rogers was indicted in July of plotting with Jarrod Copeland, a Sacramento man, to blow up the John L. Burton Democratic headquarters building at 1830 Ninth St. following Joe Biden’s victory over Trump in the presidential election.
The two allegedly began plotting attacks on Nov. 25, 2020, and settled on the Democratic headquarters on Nov. 29, court papers say.
“Rogers and Copeland believed that the attacks would start what they called a ‘movement,’” court papers say. “They discussed the attack in detail and on numerous occasions.”
Copeland’s case is still pending.
The Justice Department says federal agents seized at least 49 guns from Rogers’ home, thousands of rounds of ammunition and five pipe bombs, and found a sticker on his car “that is commonly used by so-called ‘Three-Percenters,’ people who ascribe to extreme anti-government, pro-gun beliefs.”
Rogers, who owned a British auto repair shop in Napa, also was charged in state court with weapons violations, and court papers say the early stages of his plot included a desire to blow up the Governor’s Mansion in downtown Sacramento.
“I want to blow up a democrat building bad,” Rogers wrote in a text, according to court papers. “The democrats need to pay.”
He faces sentencing Sept. 30.
Copeland, 38, is a former tool salesman, Army deserter and steroid user, but had no history of violence, court papers say. He remains in custody at the Santa Rita Jail.
