Greenleaf Man Sentenced To 78 Months In Prison For Firearms Violation And Assaulting A Federal Officer

BOISE – A Greenleaf man was sentenced to 78 months in federal prison and 3 years supervised release for unlawful possession of a firearm and assaulting a federal officer.

According to court records, Erik Konrad Ehrlin, 33, of Greenleaf, Idaho was investigated for vandalism on U.S. Government Property in the Mann Creak Area starting in March of 2021 by the U.S. Forest Service (USFS). The vandalism included markings of “SAI,” which refers to the Sovereign Alliance of Idaho.  The vandalism also included threats to federal employees.  The USFS identified Erik Ehrlin as a possible suspect.  It was reported that Ehrlin was potentially carrying a firearm.  Ehrlin was previously convicted of Sexual Abuse in the First Degree in Oregon and cannot lawfully possess firearms.

On April 30, 2021, a USFS Special Agent and a Washington County Sheriff’s Deputy contacted Ehrlin at a campsite in the Mann Creek Area.  The deputy observed Ehrlin with a firearm in his possession.  During the encounter, Ehrlin entered his truck, attempted to flee, and struck the USFS agent with a part of the truck.  He was taken into custody shortly after.  In Ehrlin’s campsite, law enforcement located a semi-automatic rifle.  In Ehrlin’s truck, law enforcement located body armor, eight loaded high-capacity magazines, a 9mm handgun with four additional loaded magazines, handcuffs, a red and blue siren, and a “POLICE” patch.  On Ehrlin’s person, law enforcement located a Boise Police badge.  Ehrlin is not a police officer.  Ehlrin also possessed ammunition with that contained writing on it, stating “DIE McLean,” “FUCK FEDS,” and “FUK BLM.”

A search of Ehrlin’s cell phone revealed text messages where Ehrlin described ways to commit mass violence against those with differing political views than him.  Specifically, he described wearing body armor while using an assault rifle to shoot hundreds of protesters. These text messages occurred in the context of discussing Black Lives Matter protests in October of 2020. 

The Federal Bureau of Investigation obtained a search warrant for Ehrlin’s residence in Greenleaf.  At Ehrlin’s residence, agents located a journal with references to SAI and the Sovereign Alliance of Idaho.  The journal also contained a “Sovereign Citizen’s Oath.”  Agents also located two additional firearms, a .22 caliber rifle and a .22 caliber revolver. 

U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit, of the District of Idaho, made the announcement and commended the cooperative efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Forest Service, and Washington County Sheriff's Office, which led to charges.

This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

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