On Monday, the Federal Bureau of Investigation apprehended a Tennessee resident, Paul Faye, for the illegal possession of a firearm component and a silencer that lacked the necessary registration. The 55-year-old man had reportedly voiced intentions to target migrants at the US-Mexico border, expressing to undercover agents his desire to use explosives and sniper rifles to combat what he perceived as an incursion of migrants.
These alarming revelations emerged after Faye had been under FBI scrutiny for over a year, initially flagged due to interactions with a member of a Tennessee militia who faced indictment. Faye’s discussions about violent actions at the border had been ongoing, with plans in the works for more than 18 months. In a conversation with undercover agents in December, Faye had outlined his hopes to synchronize efforts with militia groups across various states in bringing explosive devices to the border.
The charges against Faye stem from an incident where he attempted to sell a prohibited suppressor to an undercover agent. This has led to an indictment on the count of possessing an unregistered firearm. If convicted, Faye could face up to a decade of incarceration.
Public records shed light on Faye’s background, indicating that he was self-employed in the carpentry and remodeling sector, also running a lawn care business when weather conditions were favorable. Despite filing for bankruptcy in 2016, which was subsequently dismissed, Faye resided in a mobile home located near his former wife’s property until his arrest.
Faye’s online presence, particularly on Facebook and TikTok, paints the picture of a man deeply entrenched in certain ideologies. His Facebook bio proclaims him as someone who understands the distinction between right and wrong, grounded in values of God, family, and country. His activity on TikTok, although often featuring his pet raccoons, also included content that indicated his affiliations and viewpoints, with one video showcasing a patch emblematic of a militia group.
The legal proceedings reveal that Faye had not only been planning acts of violence at the border but also sought to recruit others for such causes. However, his son, Joseph Faye, contests the allegations, dismissing them as absurd and questioning his father’s ability as a marksman, referencing a hunting episode where Paul struggled to shoot a deer. Joseph portrays his father as habitually untruthful and suggests that his mental health issues, exacerbated by an overzealous FBI investigation, are to blame for his current predicament.
As the debate intensifies over the handling of right-wing extremism, there is division on the appropriate level of law enforcement’s response. Some argue that the prosecution of far-right militias and Capitol rioters represents an overreach of government authority, while others assert that the threat posed by such extremism is not being taken seriously enough.
In a twist to the narrative, Joseph claims the firearms found at his father’s residence are actually his own, stored at the rural property where the family engages in hunting and target shooting. He maintains that the sole weapon belonging to his father is a shotgun inherited from a grandparent.
The case against Paul Faye continues to unfold, with both the FBI and federal attorney refraining from issuing statements. Efforts to reach Paul Faye’s public defender have been unsuccessful, leaving the unfolding case shrouded in a degree of uncertainty as the legal process proceeds.
