PLEASANT PRAIRIE, Wis. (KMOV.com) -- Two Missouri men have been charged with illegal possession of firearms after the FBI was tipped off that the pair was headed to Kenosha, Wisconsin.
The FBI said they found Michael Karmo, 40, and Cody Smith, 33, at a hotel in Pleasant Praire, Wisconsin which is about seven miles outside of Kenosha.
A law enforcement agency in Iowa tipped off the FBI that Karmo and another man were driving to Kenosha to loot and possibly "pick people off," according to charging documents. Karmo allegedly sent a photo to the tipster of himself holding a rifle with the other man holding what appeared to be a shotgun, the FBI said. He sent another text with a photo of himself with a rifle saying "This is the game changer."
Agents tracked the pair to the hotel on Sept. 1. They were given permission to search the hotel room and the men's car. the FBI said they found an Armory AR-15 assault rifle, a Mossberg 500 AB 12-Gauge shotgun, two handguns, a silencer, ammunition, body armor, a drone and marijuana. Smith told the FBI that he and Karmo lived together and left Missouri Monday, Aug. 31 and got to Kenosha early Sept. 1. He said they attended a rally for President Trump outside of a high school in Kenosha, and that they wanted to see proof of the rioting.
Smith also told the agents that they bought four guns while in Kenosha.
Karmo told agents that he would be willing to "take action" if police were defunded. Karmo has prior felony convictions for burglary, vehicle theft and parole violations, the FBI said, and Smith has a misdemeanor conviction for domestic battery. Both were barred from possessing guns or ammunition on Sept. 1, 2020.
Karmo was charged with possession of a firearm by a felon. Smith was charged with aiding a felon's possession of a firearm, possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and unlawful use of a controlled substance.