DA Bragg indicts right-wing extremist for allegedly selling guns from federal prison

A man who sold guns and gun components to right-wing extremists via a Telegram group chat – from a federal prison in Louisiana, no less – has been indicted by the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, after allegedly sold guns to an undercover NYPD officer. A chat user allegedly committed the 2022 mass shooting at the Tops supermarket in Buffalo, New York, which specifically targeted black victims.

Prosecutors say Hayden Espinosa, 24, moderated the “3D Amendment” chat during a 22-month prison stay at the Pollock Federal Correctional Complex in Louisiana. To do this, he allegedly used contraband cell phones. Indeed, Espinosa apparently made the offer because of his prior use of social media to sell guns, meaning his initial sentence did not act as a deterrent.

Espinosa was immediately arrested again after completing his detention on June 4. He faces multiple charges of transporting and selling firearms.

Prosecutors note that Telgram chat members are motivated by “neo-Nazi and white supremacist ideologies and (right-wing) accelerationism, the belief that violence, including through obtaining guns and weapons, is necessary to achieve a total collapse of the status quo. and create a new far-right socio-political reality.

DA Alvin Bragg noted that he has assisted in this case with federal agencies including Homeland Security Investigations, the United States Postal Inspection Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms and Explosives. It was part of the Ghost Gun Initiative, which aims to slow the spread of hard-to-track — and often 3D-printed and home-assembled — weapons across America.

“While incarcerated, Hayden Espinosa allegedly sold firearms and firearm parts using contraband electronic devices. Additionally, we allege that Espinosa operated a Telegram channel that is a hub of ethnically and racially motivated extremist ideology. The combination of extremism and guns is incredibly dangerous and threatens the safety of many New Yorkers,” said DA Bragg.

“This investigation demonstrates the power of collaboration across agencies, borders and jurisdictions. Agents and officers have worked tirelessly to identify and disrupt this illegal trafficking scheme, stopping the flow of illegal machine guns and other firearms into our community,” said Brian Miller, Special Agent in Charge of the Division of ATF grounds in New York.

Prosecutors say Espinoza used the username “Treason 3DA” in the chat he moderated, under which he posted advertisements for various gun parts; these reportedly included silencers, high-capacity magazines, and Glock-style handguns. He also advertised automatic entry systems, prosecutors said, that can convert semiautomatic weapons into machine guns.

In a related Instagram post shared by prosecutors, Espinoza allegedly told customers to “#hmu (hit me up)” for items such as “#guns” and a “#switch” – a switch being a slang term for automatic entry. It then asked buyers to redirect to the Telegram page. A buyer then allegedly sent Espinosa a photo of a gun, with a “switch” attached. “I got the change, thank you very much bro,” he wrote.

Another screenshot shared by prosecutors reportedly depicts Espinosa sitting in a car, wearing a swastika armband and a balaclava.

For selling such automatic machines, Espinosa received his sentence in Louisiana in December 2022. Prosecutors said Epsinosa then began selling guns to an undercover police officer on three separate dates in 2023, causing him to earned his last case.

On August 7, 2023, he allegedly sold two automatic triggers – one for a Glock-style handgun and one for a 3D-printed AR-style rifle – to the police officer. On Aug. 25, he tried to sell the officer a Glock-19, prosecutors said. On November 12, he sold two silencers to the cop, they added.

Espinosa is scheduled to be arraigned in New York on June 24.