MAN RAIDED BY FBI, ATF, CANADIAN LAW ENFORCEMENT AFTER HANDING OUT 'SUBVERSIVE' ALEX JONES MATERIAL
Gun seller questioned on militia, ownership of George Washington speeches

Paul Joseph Watson & Alex Jones/Prison Planet.com | July 6 2006

A Dillon, Montana man had his home raided by 40 FBI, BATF and Canadian law enforcement agents after handing out Alex Jones' material to his local Sheriff which was subsequently deemed 'subversive'.

Richard Celata sells 80% completed firearms kits intended for purchasers who want to avoid having to register their weapons in government databases. The kits are completely legal in Montana.

Celata was politically active in disseminating the material of Alex Jones and others in his area, including handing out material to his local Sheriff.

"On Monday morning the Sheriff called me and said, I've read all your stuff, I would like to speak to you on Wednesday, could you come in," Celata told GCN radio host Jack Blood.

Celata said he thought the scheduled meeting on Wednesday was strange because there was an election on the Tuesday and the Sheriff wouldn't have known whether he'd still be in office or not.

"Wednesday morning I get a phone call saying 'I lost the election and it's even more important that we have our meeting than it was before'."

Celata collected material he had previously handed out to the Sheriff and traveled to his office.

"I walk into the room and there's way too many people in the Sheriff's office," said Celata.

Celata said he knew he was in trouble as he was introduced to BATF and FBI agents and handed a search warrant and a promise that his premises were going to be raided.

"I read the search warrant and low and behold there's no signed affidavit," said Celata.

Celata told the Sheriff that the search warrant was therefore void to which the FBI and BATF responded that the affidavit was secret and sealed by the court.

"Now they can make up the affidavit to match what they found if they want to," said Celata as he was told that the agents would carry out the search anyway.

Celata was then escorted by an estimated 40 FBI, ATF and Canadian law enforcement agents to his property. Celata asked if he could call his wife so as to enable her and their two small children to leave the property before the SWAT team arrived but was refused on the grounds that he was giving her a secret code to destroy evidence. However, the Sheriff allowed the call to be made and the family was able to leave. At no point was Celata shown any identification by any of the agents.

The cadre of agents, which now included Canadian AFT agents, then began the process of methodically cataloguing and seizing Celata’s possessions - bizarrely urinating on the exterior of the property ignoring the two bathrooms located inside the building.

Celata was told, without being shown any supporting evidence, that five of the pistols he had sold were used to commit murders in Canada.

"I said look, guns don't kill people - people kill people," said Celata.

Following the raid Celata was questioned on his ownership of a Citizen's Rulebook, speeches by George Washington and Alex Jones' books and videos. He was asked why he read and listened to them and if he believed them.

The agents asked Celata if he was in a militia or if he knew anyone that was. Celata had previously sent out material asking why Montana didn't have a state organized militia when it was required by law.

The agents then specifically asked Celata about specific individuals in the freedom movement, including JPFO's (Jews for the Preservation of Firearm Ownership) Aaron Zelman, author Devvy Kidd and constitutional attorney Edward Vieira. The only way the agents could have known about Celata's interest in the work of Kidd and Vieira was if they had gained access to his e mail.

After this three hour interrogation the agents took Celata’s entire inventory of 80% finished frames, copied his computer hard drive (causing the computer to break down), and left.