We're glad that this information is reaching a wide audience, & Phil Williams has done fantastic work covering the far right. We'd also like to note that our group originally exposed Ian Michael Elliott in 2021 & also first discovered & published the location and ownership of the compound in 2024.
HOW TO GET A TAXPAYER-FUNDED XMAS DINNER: White supremacist Sean Kauffmann was being taken into custody until he could post a higher bond on a DV charge. Then he shot a bird at NC5’s cam, landing himself 10 days in jail for contempt and getting his bond revoked. 🎥: Bryan Staples
Wishing all Antifa informants and freelance OSINT weirdos a pleasant evening
Screenshot of a December 10, 2025 Substack article by Rob Rundo, founder of the neo-nazi Rise Above Movement and active club network. The headline reads “When the Spotlight Turns Into a Scope: What My Life Taught Me About Journalists, Narratives, and Power.” Rundo writes: “You know, the real terror isn't the state... It's the swarm. People still wait for the big dramatic Gestapo knock at 3 a.m. That's not how it works anymore. Today, it's a loose, borderless ecosystem of journalists, NGOs, Antifa informants, freelance OSINT weirdos and intelligence-adjacent hipsters who all trade favors in the same group chats. One guy gets a grant from the NED, another gets a Guardian byline, a third gets to feel like Jason Bourne for a weekend. Nobody's officially in charge, yet everyone moves in perfect formation. It's not a dragon, it's a swarm of mosquitoes with MacBooks; and mosquitoes can follow you across three continents and still ruin your life.”
Rob Rundo - founder of the neo-nazi active club movement - cries on Substack about antifa journalists trying to ruin his life: “That’s not journalism, that’s an intelligence operation with a press badge.”
Patriot Front and Active Clubs are working with a Russian fight promoter to sell pay-per-view tickets to its fight club events. The article includes previously unidentified PF/AC guys like Thomas Denton a former member of the accelerationist group the Base. 1/4
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
Screenshot of Patriot Front member Andrew Lindgren’s Tinder profile.
Archived for posterity.
archive.is/42fG2
Fun fact: Patriot Front dork Andrew Lindgren once posted screenshots of his Tinder profile to the r/RateMyTinder subreddit seeking “imput” because he wasn’t getting any matches.
archive.is/ZETFg
cannot overemphasize that small numbers of community members across the U.S. have *voluntarily* done more to protect you from your local fascists than all the lawyers, policymakers, cops, judges, and lawmakers combined.
After he committed to unmasking extremist groups in North Carolina and beyond, reporter Jordan Green got a first-hand look at how a movement known as ‘militant accelerationism’ operates. www.theassemblync.com/media/neo-na...
Thanks to @theassemblync.bsky.social for giving me the opportunity to tell the full story about how neo-Nazi terror came to our doorstep, and how their harassment campaign exposes the long tentacles of the militant accelerationist community. www.theassemblync.com/media/neo-na...
NEW, from me: I found Patriot Front trying to boost recruitment by secretly controlling a large part of the active clubs network according to audio messages and a leaked document I reviewed.
www.splcenter.org/resources/ha...
February 2025 audio recording of Tennessee Active Club lead Sean Kauffmann:
“Just so everyone in here knows, I have worked heavily with Patriot Front. I have been a part of Patriot Front… I have a track record for honesty and transparency.”
A punch drunk Thomas Grady takes another L.
In the meantime, we would like to extend a hearty fuck you to Smoky Mountain Active Club lead and professional MMA fighter Thomas Grady III of Etowah TN.
Consider this another one for your loss column. We'll be praying for you, bub. 🪤
Phil Williams' explosive report on the 122-acre compound in Eastern TN begs the question, what are these dudes training for? In our next installment, we'll examine a growing white nationalist problem in the MMA community and dig deep into Patriot Front's role in the broader Active Club network.
Members of Tennessee Active Club pose with a TAC flag at Shelbyville BJJ Academy in Shelbyville, TN. On the left is Smoky Mountain Active Club lead Thomas Grady. With his arm around Grady is Sean Kauffmann. Second to right holding one end of the flag is South Central Tennessee Active Club lead Chase May.
As bad as Thomas Grady's opsec is, his 0-6-0 record as a professional MMA fighter isn't much better. In one of his losses, he squared off against a fighter from Shelbyville BJJ Academy which, as we previously pointed out, has their own ties to Tennessee Active Club.
January 18, 2025 Facebook post from Dagda Capital offering his services as a licensed and insured electrician. The post included a phone number with a 423 area code and is signed Thomas Grady.
As “Dagda Capital” on FB, Thomas Grady advertises himself as a licensed electrician and handyman in Eastern TN. A quick search on the TN SoS website shows Dagda Capital LLC as an active business entity registered to Thomas Grady of Englewood TN. Previously, Grady operated an MMA studio in Etowah TN.
Screenshot of a Telegram account belonging to "Dagda Tuatha" aka Thomas Grady of Etowah, TN.
January 5, 2025 post on the Smoky Mountain Active Club Telegram channel signed "Dagda." The post reads in part: "We are seeking men of sound character... We offer free training (martial arts, trades), labor, coaching, mentoring, employment assistance, and so much more."
On Telegram, Thomas Grady previously went by the alias "Dagda Capital" and was a member of the Tennessee Active Club chat. The bio reads: "Veteran Owned Business, East TN. Residential and Industrial; Mech/Elec"
Screenshot of a Facebook account named Dagda Capital with an identical profile pic and similiar bio to that of the previous Telegram account.
On Telegram, Thomas Grady goes by the alias “Dagda Tuatha.” In a post earlier this year on the SMAC Telegram channel, “Dagda” offered training and employment opportunities to prospective recruits. Grady previously went by “Dagda Capital” on Telegram which is the same name he uses on Facebook.
Video still from an August 2022 fight showing Smoky Mountain Active Club leader Thomas Grady III of Etowah, TN.
Video still from an September 2024 fight showing Smoky Mountain Active Club leader Thomas Grady III of Etowah, TN.
Although his face and distinctive ribcage tat was blurred in the video, we soon identified this individual as Thomas Cornelius Grady III of Etowah TN. Grady is a pro MMA fighter who represented Athens Jiu-Jitsu as recently as September 2024 and is the current lead of Smoky Mountain Active Club.
Video still from November 2024 bare knuckle competition at "Academy One" in Tellico Plains, TN. The image shows a tattooed Ian Michael Elliott sparring with a shirtless man with an unkempt beard and distinctive ribcage tattoo.
Video still from November 2024 bare knuckle competition at "Academy One" in Tellico Plains, TN. The image shows a tattooed Ian Michael Elliott sparring with a shirtless man with an unkempt beard and distinctive ribcage tattoo.
Video still from November 2024 bare knuckle competition at "Academy One" in Tellico Plains, TN. The image shows a tattooed Ian Michael Elliott sparring with a shirtless man with an unkempt beard and distinctive ribcage tattoo.
Video still from November 2024 bare knuckle competition at "Academy One" in Tellico Plains, TN. The image shows a tattooed Ian Michael Elliott sparring with a shirtless man with an unkempt beard and distinctive ribcage tattoo.
If drinking from skulls in a circle with a bunch of shirtless dudes isn’t your thing, the November 2024 “Winter Nights” event also included a bare knuckle boxing competition. In video from that event, one participant seen sparring with Elliott caught our eye in particular.
Video still of November 2024 interview between Ian Michael Elliott and Northwest Tennessee Active Club lead William Allen Migala.
Undated photo of Northwest Tennessee Active Club lead William Allen Migala wearing a bright red swastika tshirt in his kitchen.
Members of TAC who were present included Kauffmann and William Allen Migala. Migala is a former member of the now-defunct NatSoc Florida and current lead of the Northwest Tennessee Active Club. Migala was hilariously dunked on by "Sarah McLachlan" after he was doxxed and fired from his job in 2023.
June 2022 mugshot of Kieran Patrick Morris following his arrest with members of Patriot Front in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.
Undated photo of Josiah Daniel Buster of Patriot Front and Lone Star Active Club.
November 2024 photo of Graham Jones Whitson of Patriot Front and Lone Star Active Club at "Academy One" in Tellico Plains, TN.
Fort Worth, TX-based Lone Star Active Club was represented at the November 2024 event in Tellico Plains by duckfaced potato and LSAC lead Kieran Patrick Morris as well as Josiah Daniel Buster and Graham Jones Whitson.
November 2024 photo showing Seth Waggener of the Wolves of Vinland drinking from what looks to be a child's skull at "Academy One" in Tellico Plains, TN.
Seth Waggener from Wolves of Vinland and the Virginia-based Devotion Jiu-Jitsu is a frequent guest on the property Elliott once bragged is tax exempt as a place of worship. Here’s Waggener drinking from a child-sized skull in a “circle of honor ritual” during the November 2024 “Winter Nights” event.
November 7, 2024 post from the Patria Gloria Telegram channel annoucning the grand opening of "Academy One" in Tellico Plains, TN. The post reads in part: "Winter Nights. The grand opening of Academy One, for Patria Gloria American Jiu-Jitsu was a resouding success. Grapplers gathered from across many States, for fierce competitive rolls, training, and jubilant celebration. There will be more posts, pictures, and videos of the spectacular event, which also included Bare Knuckle Boxing, HEMA Swordsmanship, and Restorative Yoga."
November 9, 2024 post from the Lone Star Active Club Telegram channel announcing their participation in the grand opening of "Academy One" in Tellico Plains, TN. The post reads in part: "6 Members of LSAC traveled from Fort Worth to Eastern Tennessee for the Grand Opening of Patria Gloria's first gym - Academy One. Members partook in Circle Of Honor Friday night, phenomenal grappling all weekend, Ritual, and enjoyed the feasting fellowship and festivities thoroughly." The post includes a photo of eight men, some with their faces blurred, holding a Lone Star Active Club flag.
November 2024 photo showing members posing with a Lone Star Active Club flag at "Academy One" in Tellico Plains. Some of the men's faces are blurred in the photo. Those whose faces are unblurred include from L to R: Seth Waggener of the Wolves of Vinland, Patriot Front leader Thomas Rousseau, Ian Michael Elliott, Graham Jones Whitson, and Kieran Patrick Morris.
In November 2024, Patria Gloria announced the grand opening of “Academy One” at the 122-acre compound in Tellico Plains which saw a who’s who of chuds including members of Tennessee Active Club (TAC), Smoky Mountain Active Club (SMAC), Lone Star Active Club (LSAC), and the Wolves of Vinland.
May 2024 photo of the Patriot Front Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu team Patria Gloria. From L to R: Paul Michael Gancarz, Ian Michael Elliott, unknown, and Stephen James Trimboli.
Originally from Washington state before moving to Florida in 2021, Trimboli is a network director for Patriot Front and a member of the PF Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu team Patria Gloria with Elliott and Paul Michael Gancarz.
February 2024 photo showing the owner of Athens Jiu-Jitsu in Athens, TN posing with Stephen James Trimboli.
January 2024 photo of Ian Michael Elliott and Stephen James Trimboli flexing in Tellico Plains, TN.
Indeed, fellow Patriot Front member Stephen James Trimboli was also spotted in multiple posts from Athens Jiu Jitsu. Following Daily Beast's August 2024 story, Athens Jiu-Jitsu scrubbed images of Elliott from their social media, but posts showing Trimboli remain.
February 2024 photo showing the owner of Athens Jiu-Jitsu in Athens, TN posing with Ian Michael Elliott.
September 2024 statement from Athens Jiu-Jitsu in response to a Daily Beast story about Ian Michael Elliott's ties to the studio. The statement reads: "In light of a recent article, we would like to address and correct some information that was given. It was implied that we knew of a member's past and background, yet allowed him to stay at our school, regardless. That is simply false. We don't do background checks on students. We can only address and take care of situations that we are aware of. We have kicked members out of our school for far less that what we are being accused of participating in. It has been brought to our attention that a few of those who WERE part of our community and school, did not align with our core values. They were asked to leave and not return. Our integrity is a valued possession and we will contine to do the right things. Thank you for your support as we continue to be active in making our community a better place."
Ian Michael Elliott made headlines last year when it was reported he was a "friend & training partner" of an eastern TN-based Jiu-Jitsu academy. While Elliott was the only neo-Nazi named in the story, a statement from Athens Jiu-Jitsu suggested they may have been aware of "a few" bad apples.
Video still from November 2022 fight showing Smoky Mountain Active Club leader Thomas Cornelius Grady III of Etowah, Tennessee.
Video still from March 3, 2025 report from News Channel 5 investigative reporter Phil Williams on the 122-acre Patriot Front compound in Tellico Plains, TN. The image shows a tattooed Ian Michael Elliott with his back to the camera sparring with a beared man with his face blurred in a bare knuckle fight. The beared man with his face blurred has been identified as Smoky Mountain Active Club leader Thomas Cornelius Grady III of Etowah, TN.
In this installment, we will meet a few of the chuds Ian Michael Elliott has been networking with at his mojo dojo casa house in Eastern Tennessee.
Plus, meet Thomas Grady of Etowah TN, a former marine and current professional MMA fighter who currently leads Smoky Mountain Active Club. 🧵
Patriot Front weirdo Ian Michael Elliott’s “Aryan tribal land” in Tellico Plains TN is in the news. First identified by Atlanta Antifascists in 2024, this 122-acre compound located 75-miles northeast of Chattanooga has hosted multiple neo-Nazi groups including Sean Kauffmann's Tennessee Active Club.
Undated photo of William "Chase" May representing Gracie Barra Murfreesboro.
Undated photo of William "Chase" May of Shelbyville, TN.
Undated photo of William "Chase" May of Shelbyville, TN.
Undated photo of William "Chase" May of Shelbyville, TN.
Until then, let's welcome Tennessee Active Club's newest "chief" to the sunlight, 28-year-old William "Chase" May of Shelbyville, TN.
Sucks to be you, bud.
February 2021 photo of Chase May at a North American Grappling Association (NAGA) event in Nashville, TN.
February 2021 photo showing Chase May representing Gracie Barra Murfreesboro at a North American Grappling Association (NAGA) event in Nashville, TN.
As an amateur MMA fighter, Chase May has represented Gracie Barra Murfreesboro & Shelbyville BJJ Academy in competitions. In our next installment, we'll take a look at another Tennessee MMA studio with a Nazi problem and check in on Ian Michael Elliott's "Aryan Tribal Land" in Tellico Springs, TN.