Concord man who allegedly threatened mass murder of Jews, cops to plead guilty in federal case

OAKLAND — A Concord resident who was arrested and charged last year with making Nazism-inspired threats of a mass shooting targeting Jewish people is expected to plead guilty in a federal case alleging that he lied his way into the U.S. Army, court records show.

Ross Anthony Farca, 24, was charged in federal court last year with making false statements in order to join the military. The complaint alleges he misrepresented his mental health history, and successfully joined the army in 2017. The ruse wasn’t discovered until he assaulted a fellow recruit at a training camp in Fort Benning, Georgia, prosecutors said.

Farca faces up to six months in jail for making false statements, which means he will likely be released upon entering his guilty plea, his attorney wrote in court records. The defense has requested that his change of plea hearing be moved to next week. It is currently scheduled for June.

Once Farca’s federal case resolves, he still has felony charges in Contra Costa County to reckon with. The District Attorney has charged him with making criminal threats, as well as illegal possession of a homemade AR-15-style rifle. The threat charges stem from Farca’s alleged online comments, which were made under his screen name, “Adolf Hitler (((6 Million))).”

“I would probably get a body count of like 30 (Jews) and then like five police officers because I would also decide to fight to the death,” Farca said in one post, using a derogatory term to refer to Jewish people, according to court records. In other posts, he allegedly discussed picking a “better target than some random synagogue,” and referred to Jews as “subhumans.”

On Thursday, a federal just rejected Farca’s motion to free him from jail. The defense had argued that Farca should be released to his father in Woodland. The motion argued in part that Farca will have spent seven months in jail by his scheduled June change of plea date, which would outweigh his likely sentence of six months.

Even if Farca had been released, Contra Costa Judge Theresa Canepa issued a no-bail warrant for his arrest in December, prosecutors said. That means he will be immediately transported to a county jail to face the threats and gun possession case.

“For Mr. Farca, who suffers from Autism, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and Misophonia, COVID-19 poses an even greater risk as Mr. Farca’s disabilities make it difficult for him to engage in constant hand-washing and other recommended steps to keep COVID-19 at bay without it triggering his OCD and Misophonia,” Farca’s attorney, assistant federal public defender Joyce Leavitt wrote in a release motion. “COVID-19 is a changed circumstance which warrants reconsideration of Mr. Farca’s request that he be released from custody, especially in light of his disabilities and vulnerability.”

Leavitt also refuted the prosecution allegation that Farca assaulted a fellow recruit. She described it as a mutual fight that arose after, “other recruits ridiculed Mr. Farca because he hadn’t bathed and then either threatened, or actually attempted, to forcibly make him shower.”

The U.S. Attorney’s office countered that Farca was at a low risk for contracting a serious case of COVID-19.

“Farca’s father told federal agents that he works nights and weekends; Farca’s computer records reflect that most of his dangerous online activity occurs late at night and in the early morning hours,” assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly Hopkins wrote in a motion. “His father also told agents that as a result, he could not ensure that Farca will abide by the court ordered release conditions.”