A.C. Thompson

Reporter

Photo of A.C. Thompson

A.C. Thompson is a staff reporter with ProPublica. His stories, which often examine the criminal justice system, have helped lead to the exoneration of two innocent San Francisco men sentenced to life in prison and the prosecution of seven New Orleans police officers. In addition to working as a print and web journalist, Thompson has reported extensively for television, serving as a producer and correspondent for the PBS documentary series Frontline. His life was fictionalized on the HBO show “Treme.”

Despite Crackdowns, White Supremacist and Neo-Nazi Videos Take Stubborn Root on YouTube

The ideas in a treatise by Brenton Tarrant, the alleged gunman responsible for the massacres at two New Zealand mosques, are also circulating on many of the world’s most popular social media platforms.

Member of White Supremacist Group Pleads Guilty to Assaults at 2017 Rally

Tyler Laube is one of the eight members or associates of the Rise Above Movement who were arrested on federal riot charges.

An Atomwaffen Member Sketched a Map to Take the Neo-Nazis Down. What Path Officials Took Is a Mystery.

Some experts and former officials see the case as part of a larger pattern, evidence that federal agencies are understaffed and out of position in confronting the threat of white supremacist terrorism — even as the FBI’s latest report shows a spike in hate crimes for the third straight year.

Brothers Whom Authorities Linked to Pittsburgh Shooting Suspect Had Flyer Supporting Neo-Nazi Group, Officials Say

Prosecutors indicated that the contents of the Washington, D.C., house they searched bolstered their fear that Jeffrey and Edward Clark might well have been bent on violence.

Brothers Who Were Online Friends With Pittsburgh Shooting Suspect Had Ties to Violent Neo-Nazis

The authorities said they arrested a Washington, D.C., man who had hailed the suspect and might have known more about the attack. The man and his brother had talked of wanting to kill Jews and blacks, prosecutors said.

4 Members of Violent White Supremacist Group Face Riot Charges, Federal Authorities Say

The charges against members of the Rise Above Movement come weeks after four other members or associates of the group were indicted on riot charges in Virginia.

48 Hours in Charlottesville: Fear, Nausea, and a Sad Lack of Surprise

The violence didn’t shock me; the inaction in the face of it did.

A Day After Report, Violent White Supremacist Loses Job With Defense Contractor

The CEO of Northrop Grumman told employees he was saddened by ProPublica and Frontline’s report concerning Michael Miselis, an aerospace engineer who took part in the violence in Charlottesville last year.

American Hate Group Looks to Make Allies in Europe

Trips to Ukraine. Mixed martial arts events with a white supremacy flavor. California’s Rise Above Movement goes on the road.

He Is a Member of a Violent White Supremacist Group. So Why Is He Working for a Defense Contractor With a Security Clearance?

Michael Miselis took part in the violent Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville. So far, it hasn’t damaged his standing at Northrop Grumman.

U.S. Marine to Be Imprisoned Over Involvement With Hate Groups

Vasillios Pistolis had bragged online about his affiliations and his role in the violence in Charlottesville last year. He is now likely to be forced from the Marine Corps. 

Have You Encountered White Supremacists or Neo-Nazis in the Military? Tell Us.

We want to know more about these service members. We want to know what the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines are doing about them.

An Alarming Tip About a Neo-Nazi Marine, Then an Uncertain Response

A former Marine says he alerted the Corps to a white supremacist in its ranks last October. Six months later, he wonders how seriously the Corps is investigating.

Marines Open Investigation into Active-Duty White Supremacist

The inquiry begins after a ProPublica and Frontline investigation and as a congressman calls on Department of Defense to better police its ranks.

Ranks of Notorious Hate Group Include Active-Duty Military

A Marine took part in the violent assaults in Charlottesville last summer and later bragged about it online with other members of Atomwaffen, an extremist group preparing for a race war. The involvement of current or former service members — often with sophisticated weapons training — in white supremacist groups has long been a concern.

Atomwaffen, Extremist Group Whose Members Have Been Charged in Five Murders, Loses Some of Its Platforms

Three technology companies have banned the neo-Nazi group from using their online services after reporting by ProPublica. Atomwaffen’s t-shirt retailer is out, as well.

Inside Atomwaffen As It Celebrates a Member for Allegedly Killing a Gay Jewish College Student

ProPublica obtained the chat logs of Atomwaffen, a notorious white supremacist group. When Samuel Woodward was charged with killing 19-year-old Blaze Bernstein last month in California, other Atomwaffen members cheered the death, concerned only that the group’s cover might have been blown.

California Murder Suspect Said to Have Trained With Extremist Hate Group

The 20-year-old man charged in Orange County with killing a gay Jewish college student earlier this month is said to have belonged to Atomwaffen Division, a neo-Nazi group.

Hate Crime Training for Police Is Often Inadequate, Sometimes Nonexistent

Only a fraction of bias crimes ever get reported. Fewer still get successfully prosecuted. Perhaps the widespread lack of training for frontline officers has something to do with that.

Will Texas Massacre Finally Get Military to Improve its Criminal Reporting System?

The Air Force’s apparent failure to send the criminal records of the airman behind Sunday’s mass killings to civilian authorities allowed him to obtain guns. Such reporting failings are widespread and longstanding.

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