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Gunnar Ebert allegedly posted this photo on the social media platform Telegram with the caption, "If I ever do anything out of pocket, I need you boys to make sure this is one of the pictures the sent to the news media."

Gunnar Ebert, 27 at the time of his arrest, agreed to plead guilty to charges related to unlawful firearm possession by a drug user under an agreement with prosecutors. That offense carries up to 15 years in prison.

Because marijuana is classified as a Schedule I narcotic, its use by members of the U.S. armed forces is prohibited. Federal law also makes it a crime for anyone using drugs of any kind to possess firearms or ammunition.

The case against Ebert

Ebert was taken into custody on Oct. 8, 2024, after FBI agents searched his Dickinson home and seized 10 weapons, including handguns, shotguns and rifles. The search of Ebert's residence came after an investigation that began in June 2023, when the FBI received an anonymous tip regarding posts on the platform Telegram that were potentially related to domestic terrorism by a user identified as Goober Waffen, according to a federal affidavit.

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This .223 caliber semiautomatic rifle was featured in a post Gunnar Ebert allegedly made in a Telegram discussion with another user. It's listed among the 10 weapons seized when FBI agents searched Ebert's home in Dickinson on Aug. 8.

Posts allegedly made by Ebert under the name Goober Waffen in June 2023 showed him in uniform and were captioned, "If it's any consolation, the name and pictures associated with my account are my real name and face lol," and "If I ever do anything out of pocket I need you boys to make sure this is one of the pictures the(y) sent to the news media."

The FBI matched the Telegram photos with a photo of Ebert provided by the U.S. Department of Defense, the affidavit stated.

In other Telegram posts, Ebert described a number of his weapons and stated he has a 3D printer, adding, "Once I configure it right I wanna start trying to print guns too." He also reportedly discussed, "Writing up my rifle like the saints," which pays tribute to Brenton Tarrant, an Australian man who was convicted of killing 51 people in mass shooting attacks on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, in 2019, the affidavit stated.

U.S. Border Patrol and FBI Joint Task Force Officer Steven Takacz, who helped investigate Ebert’s case, interviewed him and was present during his arrest in Dickinson. At an October hearing, Takacz testified that Ebert made posts on Telegram glorifying white supremacists and disparaging non-whites, calling other ethnicities “a problem.” He said Ebert also referenced “The Jewish Question,” a 19th-century debate over the treatment of Jewish people.

Ebert didn't deny authoring the posts, Takacz said. Instead, he tried to make reasonable argument for his positions and admitted to considering committing a mass shooting himself, according to Takacz.

No charges were filed against Ebert in relation to the posts on Telegram, according to court documents.

When describing the search of Ebert's home, Takacz testified that officers found ammunition in two vehicles, as well as in the the house. Some of that ammunition included six loaded magazines of .223 ammunition in what was described as a "battle belt," according to Takacz.

Ebert's history in the U.S. military

A review of Ebert's records, provided by the Army, showed that in September 2021 he was a patient at a behavioral health facility in El Paso, Texas, where he told a psychiatric evaluator that he used marijuana “most days to self-medicate,” according to both Takacz and the affidavit.

Ebert also allegedly bought from dispensaries in the Montana cities of Sidney and Glendive in 2022 and 2023. On Oct. 1, investigators learned he failed a urine test for THC before Reserve drills.

He joined the Reserves in November 2019 after he completed a four-year enlistment in the Marine Corps, according to information provided by the Army Reserve Command. Ebert is a specialist and, in March 2024, was assigned to the 612th Engineer Detachment, where his Military Occupational Specialty was listed as plumber. His service verification lists various awards. Ebert has not been deployed while serving in the Army Reserves.

In 2021, while assigned to a previous Reserve unit, Ebert reported to Fort Bliss, Texas, for pre-deployment training but refused to take the required COVID-19 vaccine, according to the affidavit. As a result, he was disqualified from deployment and ordered to return home while his Reservist status was reviewed. The documents also state that Ebert received a formal letter of reprimand in September 2023 but was allowed to return to Reserve duty.

During the October hearing, Takacz said he was told the Army Reserves is beginning administrative proceedings to separate Ebert from the service. The status of that was not immediately clear Tuesday.

Ebert remains in federal custody pending sentencing, scheduled for Aug. 25.

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