Ex-Marine exposed on neo-Nazi forum charged with allegedly manufacturing illegal guns while still on active duty

A lance corporal who was kicked out of the Marine Corps last month after he was identified as a frequent contributor to a neo-Nazi message board has surfaced in a federal indictment on charges that he and two other men conspired to illegally manufacture weapons, ammunition, and suppressors.

Liam Montgomery Collins, 21, was arrested Oct. 20 on a federal charge of “conspiracy to manufacture, possess, and distribute various weapons, ammunition, and suppressors,” according to the Department of Justice.

Also charged were Jordan Duncan, 25, and Paul James Krsycuk, 35. All three were arrested in Boise, Idaho.

Both Jordan and Collins previously served at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

Collins, who joined the Marine Corps in Aug. 2017 as an infantry rifleman and served with the 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, separated from the service just last month, military records show.

“Collins’ premature discharge is indicative of the fact that the character of his service was incongruent with Marine Corps’ expectations and standards,” said Capt. Joe Butterfield, a Marine spokesman. “Due to the associated administrative processes, further details are not releasable.”

Duncan, who worked for the 2nd Radio Battalion, served for five years as a cryptologic language analyst before leaving the Corps in Sept. 2018 at the rank of corporal.

Related: The Marine Corps is investigating a deployed machine-gunner who seems to be a Nazi fanboy

According to court documents, Collins and Kryscuk allegedly manufactured and sold “hard to obtain firearms and firearm parts” outside the purview of the federal government, which requires a license for firearms manufacturers and has additional requirements for the sale of short-barreled weapons and suppressors.

“From May 2019 to the present, Collins made multiple money transfers through his personal account to Kryscuk to purchase firearms to include a 9mm pistol and suppressor and a short barrel rifle. In turn, Kryscuk purchased items from vendors to manufacture the firearms and suppressors,” the DoJ release says.

Kryscuk then allegedly mailed the weapons from Idaho to North Carolina under an alias and shipped an unregistered short barrel rifle to Collins.

“Duncan was aware of and participated in the conspiracy,” the release said.

Collins and Krsyscuk face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison if convicted, while Duncan faces up to five years.

“The serious allegations are not a reflection of the Marine Corps, do not reflect the oath every Marine takes to support and defend the constitution, and do not align with our core values of honor, courage, and commitment,” Butterfield said.

Collins was among three members of the U.S. military identified in Nov. 2019 as registered members of “Iron March,” a now-defunct neo-Nazi forum linked to incidents of violence and terrorism he was apparently using to recruit for a ‘racial holy war.’

More than two dozen Marines have come under suspicion for extremist or racist views since 2017, with at least 14 cases of “dissident and protest activities” substantiated by the Corps, an official said.

Indeed, the Marine Corps kicked out an infantryman on Sept. 11 who was investigated for sharing white supremacist material days before it booted Collins on Sept. 21.

Two other Marine veterans were arrested earlier this month for their alleged involvement in trying to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. 

More than a dozen people have been charged in the plot, according to The New York Times, which allegedly involved the abduction of the governor, the targeting of police officers, and trying to start a civil war that would lead “to societal collapse.”

A report prepared by the Anti-Defamation League in February outlined a number of “alarming incidents of white supremacy” in the military, which the ADL attributed to a “higher percentage” of white supremacists joining the military and the development “of white supremacist leanings” among some who are currently serving.

“The overall percentage of extremists in the military remains quite low compared to the approximately 2.2 million men and women serving in the military on active duty or in the reserve components — but extremists cause problems far disproportionate to their numbers,” the report said, referencing incidents of physical injury to fellow service members, theft of military equipment, security breaches, and harm to morale and unit cohesion.

Related: Neo-Nazi group membership may not get you booted from the military, officials say