A 24-year-old man from Orange County, Calif., who bombed a Planned Parenthood and planned other attacks, including on Jewish homes, was sentenced to nine years in federal prison on Monday, said the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.
“This defendant’s deep-seated hatred led him to commit a firebombing and plan many other acts of violence, including starting a race war,” stated Martin Estrada, U.S. attorney for the Central District of California. “This prosecution sends a message that we will act decisively to protect all members of our community from acts of violence and that we will remain united against hate.”
Chance Brannon planned to attack the power grid in Orange County “in furtherance of a race war,” Dodger Stadium “during an LGBTQ+ pride night celebration” and “home invasions of Jewish homes in Los Angeles,” per the U.S. Department of Justice.
Brannon, who was an active-duty U.S. Marine stationed at Camp Pendleton during the time of the firebombing, has been in federal custody since June 2023. In November, he pleaded guilty to one count each of conspiracy, malicious destruction of property by fire and explosives, possession of an unregistered destructive device and intentionally damaging a reproductive health services facility in violation of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act.
Judge Cormac Carney said that Brannon “engaged in cruel and indefensible domestic terrorism.” The judge also ordered Brannon to pay $1,000 in restitution.
Brannon and two co-defendants—Tibet Ergul, 22, of Irvine, Calif. and Xavier Batten, 21, of Brooksville, Fla.—considered targeting the San Diego office of the Anti-Defamation League before opting instead to bomb a Planned Parenthood building in early 2022.
“Brannon was motivated by an extremist neo-Nazi ideology, prosecutors wrote in their sentencing memorandum. Brannon frequently greeted his friends using ‘88,’ which is coded language for ‘Heil Hitler,’ and he called Adolf Hitler ‘a great man who loved his people and tried to save us all from the Jews,’ according to the sentencing memorandum,” per the Justice Department. “Brannon possessed antisemitic writings, drawings and literature in his bedroom at the time of his arrest and made comments to his fellow Marines including ‘All Jews deserve to die.’”
Days before he was arrested, he also planned to rob Jewish Hollywood Hills residents, according to the Justice Department.
