(Ken Silva, Headline USA) Virginia man Brad Kenneth Spafford was arrested Tuesday for having an unregistered short-barrel rifle—a relatively minor charge made possible thanks to an FBI informant who spied on him for at least roughly two years, and perhaps a lot longer than that.
According to recently unsealed court records, an FBI informant first told the government in January 2023 that Spafford had disfigured his hand on July 4, 2021, while working with a homemade explosive, and that he was stockpiling weapons and ammunition. The criminal complaint says the FBI informant observed Spafford’s hand both before and after the July 4 mishap—suggesting that the two have known each other for many years.
THREAD: On Tuesday, Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) officers with the Norfolk FBI and assistance from the ATF arrested Virginia man Brad Spafford for possessing an unregistered short barrel rifle (SBR).
The arrest was the result of a multi-year Confidential Human Source (CHS). pic.twitter.com/PXbHYSuxi6
— Ford Fischer (@FordFischer) December 19, 2024
Also in January 2023, the FBI informant reported that Spafford and his friends were “preparing for something that Spafford would not be able to do alone.” Spafford allegedly told the informant he was making about 50 rounds of ammo per day.
In May 2023, the informant and Spafford both went to a gun range. The informant brought a registered short barrel rifle—the complaint doesn’t say whether he told Spafford that it was registered—and Spafford brought a rifle that the informant said “appeared to be under 16 inches.”
The informant also allegedly saw Spafford’s “go box”—a cache of medical supplies, weapons and other equipment needed for survival—which also had what appeared to be a short barrel rifle.
In November 2023, Spafford allegedly told the informant he had a 10-inch barrel.
Nearly a year later, two months ago the informant again told the informant about his short barrel rifle, telling him he doesn’t believe in registration.
“Spafford informed the CHS that he moved many hundred-pound boxes of ammunition to the SUBJECT PREMISES, but he does not have 10,000 rounds yet,” the complaint said.
Local media reported that neighbors near Spafford reported hearing loud booms on the rural property in Smithfield Tuesday night, and that a reporter heard a loud booming sound while near the area.
Ken Silva is a staff writer at Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/jd_cashless.
