Arizona man charged with planning mass shooting at Atlanta concert to ‘incite race war’

PHOENIX (AZFamille) — A federal grand jury indicted a Prescott man Tuesday on charges of selling guns intended for a planned mass shooting at a crowded concert in Atlanta.

Mark Adams Prieto, 58, faces several charges related to planning an attack during a Bad Bunny concert at State Farm Arena in May. He planned to target African-American spectators and other minorities to incite a race war ahead of the 2024 U.S. presidential election, a spokesperson for the FBI’s Phoenix field office said.

The indictment against Prieto alleges that he discussed this plan with two undercover FBI agents between January and May of this year. He did not know the agents were undercover and instead believed they shared his extreme beliefs and his desire for a race war.

His plan was for Bad Bunny’s May 14-15 performances at State Farm Arena, Atlanta’s multi-purpose arena with a capacity of nearly 16,000 concerts.

After further discussions with the undercover agents, the indictment alleges that Prieto sold two rifles to one of them: an AK-style rifle on February 25 and an AR-style rifle on March 24. The FBI monitored Prieto’s movements throughout its investigation.

Prieto was stopped by officers on May 14 while driving east on I-40 from Arizona through New Mexico. He had seven guns in his possession and was taken into federal custody. During a search of his Prescott residence, officers found additional weapons, including an unregistered short-barreled shotgun.

His indictment includes charges of firearms trafficking, transferring a firearm for use in a hate crime and possession of an unregistered firearm.

If convicted of gun trafficking and transferring a firearm for use in a hate crime, Prieto faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both. If convicted of possessing an unregistered firearm, Prieto faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both.

The FBI Phoenix Field Office is investigating the case, with assistance from several local and state agencies. The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona, with assistance from the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.

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