Among those charged are Bryan Omar Roa, 24, of Calimesa, and Michael Alan Thomas, 32, of Pinon Hills. Also named in the case are Tycen C. Proper, 19, of Danville, Ohio; Daniel K. Eskridge, 32, of Kidder, Missouri; and Abraham Hermosillo Alvarez, 31, of Omaha, Nebraska.

 According to federal prosecutors, the group conspired to organize an attack during the UFC Freedom 250 event, allegedly planning to use drones equipped with explosives to trigger panic and force an evacuation. Investigators said the suspects then intended to position snipers to target selected individuals as crowds fled the area.

 The FBI said it became aware of the alleged threat on June 10 and launched an investigation that ultimately led to the arrests and charges.

 Court documents describe a mixture of anti-government beliefs, antisemitic rhetoric and conspiracy theories among members of the group. Investigators said some participants expressed anger over the federal government’s handling of files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and promoted claims involving secret elites controlling the government.

 “Protecting the President of the United States and the White House grounds is priority number one for the U.S. Secret Service,” Secret Service Director Sean Curran said in a statement. “The landscape has changed, and as a result we have seen a dramatic rise in threats against our protectees.”

 Authorities said the investigation gained momentum after Proper’s mother contacted law enforcement with concerns about her son’s recent firearm purchases and online activity.

 Federal investigators allege members of the group communicated through encrypted messaging platforms, where discussions reportedly included targeting elected officials, business leaders and critical infrastructure such as power grids.

 According to an FBI affidavit, Thomas allegedly told investigators the group’s objective was to overthrow the U.S. government. The affidavit states Thomas subscribed to conspiracy theories claiming that powerful individuals secretly controlled government institutions and were being protected by public officials.

 Investigators also cited messages allegedly exchanged in a group chat on June 7. In one message, Thomas reportedly wrote, “$1300 gets us the drones and the charges. Yes we should all pitch in and we need it asap.”

 Federal authorities further allege that Thomas discussed meeting with Roa in Southern California for firearms and marksmanship training. Investigators said messages referenced preparing for what participants described as “gorilla style warfare.”

 During a June 13 search of Thomas’ residence, FBI agents reportedly recovered a rifle, multiple extended-capacity magazines, a pistol and approximately 180 rounds of ammunition.

 A search of Roa’s home and vehicle allegedly uncovered a rifle, handgun, ammunition, tactical gear, a two-way radio and an infrared laser aiming device. Investigators also reported finding messages on Roa’s phone linking him to conversations about the planned attack.

 According to court filings, Roa told agents he intended to attend the event as a protester but said he was unable to travel after experiencing vehicle problems.

 If convicted of conspiracy to commit murder, each defendant could face a maximum sentence of life in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Prosecutors said a separate charge involving conspiracy to commit violence on White House grounds carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison.

 President Donald Trump attended the UFC Freedom 250 event Sunday, which coincided with his 80th birthday celebration. Trump previously had a social relationship with Jeffrey Epstein years before Epstein’s criminal conduct became public. Epstein died in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges.

Sources: Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Secret Service, federal court filings and charging documents.

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Future Smash Global Heavy Weight Champion?

With a professional record of 9-4, Jared Vanderaa can now be considered a “veteran” in a sport where most professionals only fight 3 or 4 times.  But Jared is on a mission: he wants to hear his name called by legendary announcer Bruce Buffer in the UFC. The sound of Bruce Buffer yelling in the mic, “It’s Time!” keeps Jared moving forward toward his dream even though his professional career has been full of adversity. Despite his professional record being 9-4, Vanderaa is a great fighter and his record doesn’t tell the whole story. Two of the losses were very questionable decisions-one where Vanderaa actually dominated the fight.  the other could have gone either way. Vanderaa also fell to a “Kimura” against Richard Odoms in the 5th round of one of the losses. Many of the judges and fans had Vanderaa winning that fight: he just got caught in bad position. It is very reasonable to imagine Jared Vanderaa being a 13-1 fighter, his sole loss coming from Renan Ferreira this past August due to a Triangle Choke in the second round.

Vanderaa was very much in that fight, the two heavyweights swinging away with serious power. Renan just looked to be bigger and faster with a longer reach than Vanderaa. “Stand and Bang” isn’t really what Vanderaa is known for: he is a wrestling & jiu jitsu fighter who possess very technical striking skills. Even though he will go out and brawl with people, that’s just not his game. Jared’s hand speed is amazing for the weight class. He doesn’t have that Walk-off Knockout power like Mark Hunt or Francis Ngannou. which he admits, “I just don’t believe I hit that hard.” I would call Jared Vanderaa’s fighting style the crazy love child of Stipe Miocic & Cain Velasquez. He fights best when he is landing precise jabs and punishing leg kicks, which both serve to set up his ground game where he is comfortable laying on a heavy “Ground and Pound” assault or seeking a submission finish.

Jared will wrap up his hands and strap down the gloves one more time this year, at a Smash Global (December 19th) event in Los Angeles, California. Vanderaa with be staring across the cage at a true, seasoned veteran of the sport: Tony Lopez. Multiple websites have Tony Lopez’s MMA record listed at 64-31.  That’s a lot of fights. He is also very active in the Kickboxing circuit. Tony Lopez is best known for his Karate style in the cage, with long legs and kicks that come from weird angles. However, he isn’t scared to throw a punch as he proved when fighting in Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship. Tony Lopez also has a submission arsenal in his back pocket. Out of his 64 wins 52 (26ko/tko & 26 sub) were finishes, with only 12 decisions.  It seems that Vanderaa is on the cusp of a UFC contract, especially since the UFC (United Fighting Championship) just welcomed LFA (Legacy Fight Alliance) into their Network. He needs to go into this Smash Global event and win in dominant fashion, get back into LFA and stack a couple wins in a row. Dana White will certainly have his eyes on this Young Heavyweight prospect and now it is his time to shine.

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A Tough Match For Our Hometown Heavyweight Champ

Jared Vanderaa took on Renan Ferreria at the Riverside Municipal Auditorium last Friday night. Legacy Fighting Alliance put on the fight; it was a heavyweight bout that was important to both men. Jared Vanderaa is currently the Heavyweight Champion in South Africa for EFC, Renan Ferreria is a fighter from Brazil training underneath legendary Brazilian fighters “Big Nog” & “Little Nog” it was heavily suggested before this fight that the winner would get an opportunity to challenge for the LFA Heavyweight Belt or might even get that call that most MMA fighters dream of from Dana White at the UFC.

In the first round, both fighters looked excited and ready to fight; they met in the center of the cage and started trading hard punches and leg kicks. There were a few scrambles and grappling exchanges, but the majority of the first round consisted of great striking exchanges. Jared Vanderaa weighed in at 264 and is listed as 6’5″ he is certainly a huge man, but his opponent Renan is listed as 6’10” and weighed in at 248 pounds. Renan definitely looked like the bigger man, but that doesn’t always mean better, Jared looked great in the grappling transitions and to me appeared to be stronger and got the better of those exchanges. 

In the second round, Renan landed a great right straight that came right down the pipe. Renan’s arms are so long that it looked like Jared miscalculated the distance and let the punch clip him. Vanderaa is usually great at slipping shots like that. The punch put Jared on the mat, but didn’t really hurt him. He appeared to be composed and defended Renan’s barrage of punches from the top. Renan landed a couple of huge elbows that split Jared’s forehead and opened him up, Vanderaa fought his way up to a standing position. The fighters were now both on their feet. Vanderaa executed a beautiful trip and took Renan to the ground. Vanderaa was controlling this position until it looked like he took a deep breath in and threw a punch straight down, at that moment Renan started to position himself to finish the fight, seconds later Jared Vanderaa was caught in a deep triangle choke and tapped out.

Renan Ferreria will have his eyes set on the LFA Heavyweight Championship since currently, the title is vacant. His next bout will probably be in early 2020 and for the belt or in the UFC as a rookie with that organization.

Jared Vanderaa will have to wait for the California Commission to make a decision about a medical suspension since Vanderaa took some huge shots. Vanderaa will be looking at Dana White’s Contender Series for his next fight in order to regain traction on the road to the UFC. Maybe there is a title defense in his future. Either way, we expect Jared Vanderaa to bounce back stronger than ever and keep representing Hemet & San Jacinto in the cage. 

The Hemet & San Jacinto would like to congratulate Jared Vanderaa on an amazing fight and can’t wait for his next match! We wish you a speedy recovery Champ!

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