Blaine man bailed out by Freedom Fund pleads guilty to firearms charges in connection with George Floyd protests

Kristi Belcamino, Pioneer Press, St. Paul, Minn.
·2 min read
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Aug. 8—A Blaine man, who was charged three separate times in connection with protests following George Floyd's murder and bailed out twice by the Freedom Fund, pleaded guilty Friday to possessing eight firearms he was prohibited from owning, according to acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk.

According to court documents, on Aug. 15, 2020, Thomas Wilder Moseley, 29, was identified via video surveillance footage spray-painting the Minneapolis Police Department's 5th Precinct building.

On Oct. 15, 2020, he was arrested in connection with that property damage during a protest inside the Hennepin County Government Center. At the time of his arrest, Moseley was carrying a loaded Glock 9mm semi-automatic pistol.

Following his arrest, a search warrant at Moseley's home in Blaine yielded two more firearms, more than 1,400 rounds of ammunition, 96 grams of marijuana, and other drug paraphernalia.

A search warrant for his Toyota Tacoma yielded three handguns, a shotgun, a semi-automatic rifle, a panel for stopping bullets in a bulletproof vest, a gas mask, a large amount of ammunition, a hatchet, a crowbar, gas masks, and controlled substances, including marijuana, psychedelic mushrooms and cocaine, according to the Hennepin County Attorney's office, which gave the following details about the investigations into Moseley's activities:

In the property damage and the gun possession charges, Moseley secured an unconditional release after the Minnesota Freedom Fund posted $5,000 bail.

Moseley was charged with second-degree riot for a New Year's Eve melee in downtown Minneapolis. That time, bail was set at $60,000 and the Minnesota Freedom Fund paid that, the complaint states.

In another incident after his most recent release, Moseley is under investigation for possibly attempting to purchase semi-automatic weapons from gun stores on Jan. 7 and Jan. 12, using straw buyers, according to the complaint. It would be illegal for him to buy semi-automatic weapons while he is charged with a felony.