BOULDER, Colo. – A Boulder man arrested on a federal charge of possessing child pornography had posted "hunting guides" with information about mosques, synagogues and refugee centers, and had recently tried to buy a gun but his purchase was denied, according to federal court documents.
Wesley David Gilreath, 29, was ordered by a magistrate judge on Tuesday to be held in federal custody because of "convincing evidence" that he is a danger to the community, the documents said.
"The charge in this case demonstrates that the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our federal and state law enforcement partners will use every available law enforcement tool not just to prosecute federal crimes, but also to disrupt and prevent potential hate crimes," U.S. Attorney for Colorado Jason Dunn said in a statement. "The investigation of federal crimes beyond that charged in this matter is continuing."
Gilreath also had "numerous" white supremacist documents and had failed to appear in court multiple times, according to U.S. Magistrate Judge Scott T. Varholak's detention order.
Authorities began investigating the case on June 1, when an RTD employee found an iPhone with child pornography on it on a bus in Boulder, according to a criminal complaint filed July 31.
Investigators obtained a search warrant for the phone and traced it to Gilreath. Gilreath also had child pornography on another device and investigators discovered more than a thousand images between the two, according to Varholak's detention order.
As investigators looked into Gilreath's background, they learned that the FBI had been in contact with him in January, when agents learned that Gilreath had posted a "Montana Hunting Guide" online, the criminal complaint said.
Investigators learned that Gilreath had posted other "hunting guides" for Jews, Muslims, the Bureau of Land Management, Montana National Guard facilities and a refugee center, the complaint said.
"Hunting guides," the complaint said, "contain information that may be used to violently target individuals or entities with belief systems, identities, ethnicities, religions, political views or other matters antithetical to their own."
During the FBI interview in January, Gilreath's lawyer was Boulder attorney Jason Savela, who no longer represents him. Gilreath during this time had also been in contact with his father, who asked when the FBI interview was scheduled, the criminal complaint said. The complaint did not say what came of the FBI's initial contact with Gilreath.
When Gilreath tried to buy a gun from a Boulder store in May, he filled out a form from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and provided his Colorado driver's license number. His purchase was denied.
The same day, he texted his father: "You've permanently ruined my ability to buy a gun in CO and other states," the criminal complaint said.
Gilreath's next court date has not been set, according to court documents.