US News

Tennessee dad Paul Faye arrested over plot to snipe migrants at the border

By
Social Links for Ronny Reyes
Published Feb. 8, 2024, 9:14 p.m. ET

A Tennessee man was arrested and accused by the federal government of plotting to join a militia to snipe migrants at the southern border — but his son claims he’s just a “compulsive liar.”

Paul Faye Sr., 55, of Cunningham, was arrested on Monday after telling an undercover FBI officer who was investigating a far-right militia that he would be ready to “stir up the hornet’s nest” at the border and take out any opposition with a sniper rifle, according to the criminal complaint filed in US District Court in Tennessee first reported by Court Watch.

“The patriots are going to rise up because we are being invaded,” Faye had said in a May 11 phone call with the undercover agent, referring to the crisis at the border.

After taking Faye into custody, law enforcement officers found several firearms on his property, including a short-barreled shotgun and a Springfield XD pistol, a firearm silencer, a militia patch and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.

Officials noted that they also found multiple jars of Tannerite, “a brand of explosive targets that can be converted into improvised explosive devices.”

Paul Faye Sr., 55, of Cunningham, was arrested on Monday after telling an undercover FBI officer who was investigating a far-right militia that he would be ready to "stir up the hornet's nest" at the border and take out any opposition with a sniper rifle, according to the criminal complaint filed in US District Court in Tennessee first reported by Court Watch.
Paul Faye Sr., 55, of Cunningham, Tenn., was arrested on Feb. 5 over an alleged plot to “stir up the hornet’s nest” at the border and take out any opposition with a sniper rifle, according to the criminal complaint. NBC News

Faye was ultimately charged with unlawful possession and transfer of an unregistered firearm silencer, which he gave to an undercover agent last month as they prepared to travel with the goal of targeting migrants.

During his conversations with the FBI agent, whom he met on TikTok last March, Faye touted himself as a master marksman with a talent for “sending rounds down the range,” according to the complaint.

He allegedly assured the agent that he would be able to protect him and other militia members with his sniping abilities.

A group of migrants are processed by Border Patrol after crossing the river illegally near the highway on February 4, 2024 outside Eagle Pass, Texas. Eagle Pass, about 20 miles (30 kilometers) from Quemado, has become the epicenter of a prickly conflict between Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, and the Biden administration. The federal government is suing Abbott for taking control of Shelby Park that includes an access ramp to the river, and for laying barbed wire along the riverbank. (Photo by SERGIO FLORES / AFP) (Photo by SERGIO FLORES/AFP via Getty Images)
“The patriots are going to rise up because we are being invaded,” Faye said in a May 11 phone call with the undercover agent of the migrant crisis. AFP via Getty Images
Border Patrol processes a group of about 60 migrants near the highway on February 4, 2024 outside Eagle Pass, Texas. Eagle Pass, about 20 miles (30 kilometers) from Quemado, has become the epicenter of a prickly conflict between Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, and the Biden administration. The federal government is suing Abbott for taking control of Shelby Park that includes an access ramp to the river, and for laying barbed wire along the riverbank. (Photo by SERGIO FLORES / AFP) (Photo by SERGIO FLORES/AFP via Getty Images)
Border Patrol processes a group of about 60 migrants in Eagle Pass, Texas, on Feb. 4, 2024. AFP via Getty Images

Faye’s son, Joseph, however, said his father has no such skills and claims his father had no real intentions to harm anyone at the border.

“They think my dad is a terrorist,” Joseph told NBC News. “He’s not a terrorist. He talks a big game, but it’s all lies.

“He’s not a sniper,” he added. “We went hunting and my dad had to shoot at a deer standing still three different times before he hit it.”

The 30-year-old claimed that his father suffered from mental health issues and accused the FBI of instigating his father to make up plans to attack migrants.

He claimed the FBI agents often took his father out for food and brought him gifts, and that Faye repeatedly ignored his son’s warning that he was meeting with a federal agent.

The FBI and the local US Attorney’s Office declined to comment on the case. A public defender representing Faye could not be reached for comment.

Faye is scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary and detention hearing on Feb. 12. If convicted, he faces a maximum fine of $250,000 and a maximum sentence of 10 years.