Self-Proclaimed Boogaloo Bois Member Admits to Illegally Possessing a Firearm after Previously Being Committed to a Mental Institution

Western TX -- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Department of Justice U.S. Attorney’s Office Western District of Texas Tuesday, April

27, 2021

Self-Proclaimed Boogaloo Bois Member Admits to Illegally Possessing a Firearm after Previously Being Committed to a Mental Institution
In San Antonio today, 22-year-old Cameron Emerson Casey Rankin, a self-proclaimed Boogaloo Bois member residing in San Antonio, pleaded guilty to a charge of illegally possessing a firearm after previously being judicially committed to a mental institution.

Appearing before U.S. District Judge Jason K. Pulliam, Rankin admitted that he was in possession of a black semi-automatic rifle on October 28, 2020, when FBI agents executed a search warrant at his apartment.  During the search, agents recovered the rifle along with loaded ammunition magazines and a ballistic plate tactical vest.  Twelve years earlier, Rankin was judicially committed to a mental institution by the Bexar County, Texas, Probate Court No. 1. 

According to court documents on August 11, 2020, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) agents served Rankin written notice at the Manchester, NH airport that he was prohibited from possessing firearms.  The agents also provided him with copies of his mental health records.  On that same day, agents seized a handgun and ammunition from inside Rankin’s luggage.  Rankin threw the notice letter and mental health records in the trash before leaving the airport terminal.

Upon conviction, Rankin faces up to 10 years in federal prison. Rankin, who has remained in federal custody since October 28, 2020, is scheduled for sentencing at 2:00 PM on July 27, 2021, before Judge Pulliam.  

U.S. Attorney Ashley C. Hoff and FBI Special Agent in Charge Christopher Combs, San Antonio Division, made today’s announcement.

The San Antonio FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force and the ATF investigated this case.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys William R. Harris and Mark Roomberg are prosecuting this case.

This case falls within the purview of the Attorney General’s Task Force to Combat Violent Anti-Government Extremism. Launched in June 2020, the Task Force is dedicated to supporting the investigation and prosecution of any person or group who commits violence in the name of an anti-government ideology.

This case is also a part of Project Guardian, which is the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws.

Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the ATF when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and, ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities. Click here for more information about Project Guardian.

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Topic(s): 
Project Guardian
Component(s): 
USAO - Texas, Western
Contact: 
USAO/WDTX Media Relations (210) 384-7257 usatxw-mediainquiry@usdoj.gov
Updated April 27, 2021