A Mississippi man will spend four years in prison for being a convicted felon possessing firearms while traveling to Georgia.
Joshua Colston, 50, of Corinth, Miss., was sentenced to serve 48 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release by U.S. District Judge Leslie Gardner on Aug. 15.
“Safeguarding our communities from all threats is the top priority of our office and of law enforcement at every level,” said U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. “Illegally armed convicted felons will face federal prosecution when they are caught with guns in the Middle District of Georgia.”
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks ]
Colston is a member of an anti-government extremist group who took part in online discussions to kidnap and attack federal officials on Thanksgiving Day 2022, the FBI learned.
The group used an online chatroom on a Zello chat titled, “NCM Leadership” or National Constitutional Militia.
Colston and other NCM members discussed a plan to kidnap or attack elected federal officials on Thanksgiving Day 2022. However, the plan was never developed due to the group’s lack of resources and the poor health of the members, officials say.