Gastonia man accused of conspiring to kill military members is indicted

A Gastonia man has been indicted in connection with an alleged conspiracy to kill members of the U.S. military.

Walter Eugene Litteral, 50, was indicted on Thursday for allegedly conspiring to violate federal firearms laws and related gun and drug charges, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina. If convicted of the worst charges, Litteral could spend up to 20 years in prison.

Two co-defendants — Christopher James Barker, 41, of Gastonia, and Christopher Todd Campbell, 30, of Mount Holly — were indicted separately on Thursday and indicated that they will plead guilty, the statement said. They each face a maximum of 10 years in prison for firearms charges.

The three came under investigation beginning in June when law enforcement was told that Litteral and Barker were trying to make explosive devices, prosecutors said. By July, investigators had learned they were creating live grenades out of “dummy grenades” sold as artifacts.

Litteral had also begun purchasing .338 rifle ammunition, radios with throat microphones, military-issued Kevlar helmets, body armor and balaclavas – cloth headwear that disguises most of the face, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Prosecutors say Litteral and Campbell had also begun piecing together the equipment needed to make pipe bombs.

They believed all of this was necessary, prosecutors said, because they thought the U.S. would use its military to impose martial law. They planned to resist violently.

The charges carry a potential penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The three are being held in federal custody.

This story was originally published September 17, 2015 at 7:35 PM with the headline "Gastonia man accused of conspiring to kill military members is indicted."