Nashotah man sentenced for attacking U.S. Service Member

Acting United States Attorney Richard G. Frohling of the Eastern District of Wisconsin announced that on November 18, 2021, Ian Alan Olson of Nashotah, Wisconsin, was sentenced to 14 months in prison, to be followed by one year of supervised release, for attacking United States Servicemen on account of their status as servicemen, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1389(a).

According to court records, on March 15, 2021, Olson drove his vehicle to the U.S. Army Reserve station in Pewaukee, Wisconsin. Olson’s vehicle was spray painted on all sides with words and symbols associated with the “QAnon” conspiracy theory. Olson then got out of his vehicle, produced what appeared to be a rifle, pointed it at two uniformed U.S. Army servicemen who were in the station’s parking lot, and exclaimed, “This is for America.” Olson then fired the weapon, which turned out to be a paintball gun, directly at the two servicemen. After Olson’s paintball gun jammed, the servicemen tackled him to the ground. Both servicemen initially believed Olson was holding a real firearm, and they feared that Olson intended to shoot and kill them.

In announcing sentence, U.S. District Judge Brett Ludwig noted the seriousness of Olson’s conduct, saying that it showed disrespect for the country, for the rule of law, and for U.S. military service personnel. Judge Ludwig commented that any feelings of anger or frustration that Olson had about world events did not justify his unprovoked attack on the servicemen.

This case was investigated by the FBI and the Village of Pewaukee Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Benjamin Proctor of the Eastern District of Wisconsin and Trial Attorney Justin Sher of the U.S. Department of Justice National Security Division.

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For Additional Information Contact:

Public Information Officer Kenneth Gales 414-297-1700