Convicted felon obsessed with Nazis pleads guilty to having guns, including AR-15 style

A convicted felon who authorities say has an obsession with Nazis and mass shootings has pleaded guilty to having guns when he wasn’t allowed to, federal officials said.

Dennis Alan Riggs, 51, of Pittsburgh’s Troy Hill neighborhood, pleaded guilty to one count of possession of firearms and ammunition by a convicted felon, U.S. Attorney Scott W. Brady said.

“Each day, our office and our federal partners investigate and prosecute people who represent threats to our communities,” Brady said. “Riggs is a felon with a history of violence who espoused white supremacist ideology, who illegally possessed multiple firearms and ammunition. Pittsburgh is safer today because Dennis Riggs is behind bars.”

Riggs was arrested Jan. 22 by FBI agents serving a search warrant on his Hatteras Street home. He’s been in federal prison since his arrest and will remain detained pending sentencing, officials said.

A search of Riggs’ home turned up seven guns, six of which were loaded, agents said. Riggs told investigators he knew he could not possess firearms because he’s a felon.

The guns found included: a Ruger .223-caliber AR-15 style rifle; a Ruger .22-caliber revolver; a Harrington & Richardson shotgun; a .38-Special revolver; a Colt .38-caliber revolver; a US 32-caliber revolver, which was loaded and had its hammer cocked; a Harrington & Richardson shotgun; and more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition.

Investigators said Riggs admitted he asked a romantic partner to buy the AR-15 style rifle for him.

According to authorities, Riggs decorated his house with Nazi and Hitler posters and pictures and possessed numerous other weapons, including knives and daggers.

On Riggs’ phone were videos of Riggs wearing Nazi apparel, offering Nazi salutes and loading and unloading an AR-15 style rifle and of the 2019 mosque shootings in Christchurch, New Zealand, that killed 51 people.

Also on Riggs’ phone were images of Riggs with firearms and a photograph of convicted killer Dylann Roof with Roof’s current federal prison contact information.

Riggs’ sentencing has been set for Sept. 17. He faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.