FORT WORTH, Texas — Eight members of a North Texas Antifa terror cell received historic federal sentences on Tuesday, with prison terms ranging from 30 years to life in prison for their roles in the shooting ambush on an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility. The attack led to the first federal Antifa terrorism prosecution — and later convictions — in U.S. history.
U.S. District Judge Mark T. Pittman sentenced trans ringleader Benjamin Hanil “Champagne” Song to 100 years in prison. Song was convicted of the most serious offenses in the case, including attempted murder and discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. Prosecutors proved at trial that he shot Alvarado Police Lt. Thomas Gross in the neck during the Fourth of July attack last year.
Bradford Morris, a trans militant and sex worker known as “Meagan Morris,” who lived in a Dallas commune with other trans individuals he referred to as his “wives,” was sentenced to 50 years. (The Kessler Heights neighborhood commune also functioned as one of the group’s bases.)
Maricela Rueda was sentenced to 70 years in prison.
Elizabeth Soto was sentenced to 50 years in prison.
Because of the large number of defendants, Chief U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor simultaneously sentenced four additional convicts in a separate courtroom.
Cameron Arnold, a trans-identifying male also known as “Autumn Hill,” received 50 years in prison.
Zachary Evetts received 50 years.
Savanna Batten received 50 years in prison.
Daniel Rolando Sanchez-Estrada, a Mexican national, received 30 years in prison. He was not at the ambush shooting but took instruction from his partner, Rueda, to hide evidence of the cell’s anti-government violent extremist ideology after she and her comrades were arrested.
The defendants were among nine Antifa members convicted by a federal jury in March following the first federal Antifa terrorism trial in U.S. history. Their prison sentences are the longest in American history for convicted violent Antifa members.
The cell plotted and carried out an attack on the Prairieland ICE Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas, on July 4, 2025.
Jurors found the defendants guilty of offenses including providing material support to terrorists, rioting, conspiracy involving explosives and related crimes.
The trial featured extensive evidence regarding the group’s ideology, planning and preparation for the attack.
Seven co-defendants pleaded guilty ahead of trial, and five agreed to cooperate with prosecutors and testify against their comrades. As part of their plea deals, they admitted in signed stipulated facts to the court that they organized behind an antifa ideology.
One of those co-defendants, Lynette Sharp, told jurors that members trained together with firearms and coordinated through encrypted Signal chats. Evidence introduced at trial showed that members operated under aliases and carefully planned the direct action.
Jurors viewed video evidence showing 11 militants arriving dressed in black bloc and equipped with firearms, body armor, medical supplies and explosive devices.
According to testimony, Song acquired 11 firearms and distributed them among members of the group before the operation. Before the attack, he had stockpiled over 50 guns.
The group used explosive fireworks to lure federal agents and facility personnel from the detention center before opening fire.
Lt. Gross survived the shooting. Jurors were shown his blood-stained ballistic vest during testimony.
Investigators recovered a cache of weapons, ammunition and electronic devices stored in Faraday bags designed to block signals. Authorities also later recovered Antifa anarchist propaganda. Testimony established that members of the group had trained together and collectively acquired more than 50 firearms before the attack.
Defense attorneys argued the direct action was a “protest” and that the shooting was not planned. Jurors rejected those arguments after two days of deliberations.
Each day of the trial drew Antifa supporters to the federal courthouse. Some gathered inside the courtroom, while others demonstrated outside. Liberal and far-left activists argued the prosecution criminalized protest activity.
Following the convictions, some online Antifa supporters issued threats against cooperating witnesses, jurors and others involved in the prosecution.
The case was initially delayed after Judge Pittman declared a mistrial. He ruled that a defense attorney’s politically charged clothing during jury selection could improperly influence prospective jurors. A second trial was later scheduled.
The federal sentences handed down Tuesday do not conclude the defendants’ legal troubles. Judge O’Connor also denied the defendants’ motions to overturn the jury verdict and grant a new trial.
In addition to their federal convictions, the 16 convicted defendants and six additional co-defendants still face separate state charges in Johnson County, including allegations of domestic terrorism, conspiracy and attempted murder.
State prosecutors have continued expanding the investigation, securing additional indictments tied to the network that allegedly helped Song evade capture during an 11-day manhunt after the shooting.
Federal trial defendants:
2. Cameron Arnold (“Autumn Hill”)
3. Bradford Morris (“Meagan Elizabeth Morris”)
4. Zachary Evetts
5. Savanna Batten
6. Maricela Rueda
7. Elizabeth Soto
8. Ines Soto
9. Daniel Rolando Sanchez-Estrada
Federal plea defendants:
10. Seth Sikes
11. Joy Abigail Gibson (“Rowan”)
12. Lynette Read Sharp
13. Nathan Baumann
14. John Phillip Thomas
15. Rebecca Morgan
16. Susan Elaine Kent
Additional state defendants:
17. Dario Sanchez
18. Melanie Lynn Estes
19. Andrew Tyler Smith
20. Steven Thomas Reyna
21. Janette Goering
At sentencing, all but Savanah Batten issued statements after learning of their fate.
Trans militant Cameron Arnold cried and said the night of the incident felt like a party and an opportunity to protest. He said he had expected to be back at home partying with his friends after the direct action.
Daniel Rolando Sanchez-Estrada also cried and claimed he was an artist and activist, not a terrorist.
Zachary Evetts promised to continue appealing his conviction.
DFW Support Committee, the Antifa group advocating for the convicts and defendants, released a statement by Song after he was sentenced where he defended his actions. He claimed inspiration from deceased Minnesota anti-ICE rioters Renée Good and Alex Pretti, even though their deaths occurred over half a year after the Prairieland attack.
Song wrote: “I used, No. I was forced to use, by my duty to Life, the minimum defensive force possible. To prevent what happened to Alex Pretti. To prevent what happened to Renee Good.”
Bradford Morris and Cameron Arnold, the two female-identifying trans convicts sentenced on Tuesday, are currently being held in the men’s section of a Texas state jail in Johnson County. The courts have also been referring to them by their real names and pronouns.
The remaining eight co-defendants are scheduled to be sentenced on July 1. They include Ines Soto, Rebecca Morgan, Susan Elaine Kent, Seth Sikes, Joy Abigail Gibson, Lynette Read Sharp, Nathan Baumann and John Phillip Thomas. Most from this batch had accepted pleas deals and cooperated with federal prosecutors.
~ thank you Andy for keeping us apprised of this vital & consequential set of cases. the lefty puerile pseudo jedi mind trick that antifa's not an org, but an idea has been 'debunked' in Federal Court & the state will soon follow. ~
I’d still like to know who funded this activity