Ex-Army private gets 45 years for plotting against his unit

A former U.S. Army private from Kentucky who was devoted to a violent extremist group seeking to erode or destroy Western civilization was sentenced to the maximum 45 years in prison Friday for plotting a murderous terrorist attack on his paratrooper unit.

Ethan Melzer's hands trembled as the judge said he deserved the maximum because of the lasting harm he caused by sharing U.S. military secrets with other followers of a radical violent group known as the Order of Nine Angles, or 09A, and other terrorist groups.

U.S. District Judge Gregory H. Woods rejected the 24-year-old's claim to be a remorseful, reformed man, saying it was more likely he was “playing another role” in pursuit of leniency just as he had “played soldier” so he could conspire to try to murder fellow paratroopers.

Melzer's lawyers had asked that he get no more than 15 years behind bars. He pleaded guilty last June to trying to murder service members, supporting terrorists and illegally transmitting defense information.

“I still regret everything I did,” Melzer told the judge before his sentence was announced. He said he wished “I could say I'm sorry to my platoon” and wanted to show he could still be a productive member of society.

Shackled at the ankles, Melzer, of Louisville, Kentucky, was later escorted from the courtroom by deputy U.S. marshals.

Without a plea deal, Melzer could have faced a life prison term.

Calling Melzer a traitor, Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Hellman said his actions constituted “one of the most stunning betrayals from within the ranks of the armed forces ... ever to be prosecuted in a federal court.”

Capt. Joshua Kraus, a military intelligence officer, told the judge Melzer created a “psychological cancer” within his unit as the trust soldiers must put in their commanders and fellow service members was thrown into question with his May 30, 2020, arrest as his platoon was about to board buses to Italy.

The unit was heading to a military base where they were to guard an isolated and sensitive military installation.

Kraus said information Melzer shared online “with our sworn enemies” will never be able to be recovered and has caused allies to doubt whether they can share sensitive information with the United States.