Another member of the Base, a white supremacist group founded in 2018 to advocate for violence against the government, was sentenced Wednesday by Tuscola County Judge Amy Gierhardt to court supervision and several years of probation.
Tristan Webb, age 19, hosted a “hate camp” at his property in 2019, where participants took part in firearm and tactical training, with various paramilitary techniques being taught. It was after he hosted the camp did he begin the vetting process for full membership; he was 17 years old when he joined the hate group.
For his participation, Webb was sentenced on three counts: a count of gang felonies, resulting in five years of probation; a count of conspiracy to train with firearms for a civil disorder, resulting in three years of probation, one year of jail deferred; and a count of felony fiream, resulting in a two year delay of sentence, to run consecutive to the other counts. A larceny charge was dropped as part of a plea deal.
“The Base” (a literal English translation of the name Al-Quaeda) openly advocates for violence, preparing for a race war to establish white ethno-nationalist colonies in places like Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, and espousing extreme anti-Semitic and Nazi ideology.
Justin Watkins of Bad Axe, the 25-year-old, self-proclaimed leader of the group, claims that the group was training in preparation for “the violent overthrow of the government.” He was sentenced in May of this year on multiple felony counts related to his participation and organization of the hate camps.
