Michael Fortier
Included on the basis of: Associated participant / materially involved — Oklahoma City Bombing
This inclusion basis documents a material connection to a qualifying record above; it does not classify Michael Fortier as an extremist or as anti-democratic, or assert that they personally meet any of ExtremismLedger's inclusion criteria.
Had advance knowledge of the Oklahoma City bombing plot and did not report it. Fortier was never charged as a co-conspirator in the bombing itself; he pleaded guilty to related federal offenses (concealing knowledge of the plot, transporting stolen firearms, and making false statements to the FBI) and testified against Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols. This profile documents Fortier's material connection to the qualifying incident; it does not classify him as an extremist or assert that his own conduct independently meets ExtremismLedger's inclusion criteria (see note below).
Documented claims
Fortier sold firearms that Terry Nichols had stolen from a gun collector and gave Timothy McVeigh $2,000 of the proceeds; the government stipulated at trial that it could not trace this money to specific bombing-related expenditures, per the Tenth Circuit's opinion.
- United States v. Fortier (10th Cir.) — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit [Primary]
Fortier was indicted in August 1995 on charges of concealing knowledge of the bombing plan and weapons offenses; he pleaded guilty, pursuant to a plea agreement, to four federal offenses -- conspiracy to transport stolen firearms, transporting stolen firearms, making a false statement to the FBI, and misprision of a felony -- and testified against McVeigh and Nichols. He was sentenced on May 27, 1998 to 12 years in prison, with a fine later reduced on resentencing from $200,000 to $75,000, and was released from custody in January 2006.
- United States v. Fortier (10th Cir.) — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit [Primary]
- McVeigh, Nichols and Fortier Indicted in Oklahoma City Bombing — U.S. Department of Justice (08/10/1995) [Corroborating]
- Oklahoma City Bombing — The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture, Oklahoma Historical Society [Corroborating]
According to the Tenth Circuit's opinion in United States v. Fortier, "McVeigh informed Fortier of the plan to bomb the Murrah building and provided him with many details of the operation months before the bombing," but Fortier "refused to take part in the conspiracy and has not been charged as a co-conspirator."
- United States v. Fortier (10th Cir.) — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit [Primary]
Relationships
04/19/1995
- United States v. Fortier (10th Cir.) — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit [Primary]