HARDY CARROLL LLOYD

WHEELING — A Follansbee man who allegedly claimed himself as a “reverend” in a white supremacy movement was arrested Thursday morning on charges related to alleged obstruction and witness tampering in the recent Tree of Life shooting trial in Pittsburgh.

Hardy Carroll Lloyd, 45, was arrested without incident Thursday, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of West Virginia. He has been charged with obstruction of due administration of justice, transmitting threats in interstate and foreign commerce and witness tampering. He faces up to five years in prison for the threats charge, 10 years in prison for the obstruction charge and 20 years in prison for the tampering charge.

A spokesperson with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District said Lloyd will remain detained at Northern Regional Jail until his detention hearing Tuesday before U.S. Magistrate Judge James Mazzone in Wheeling. On that day, Mazzone will determine whether Lloyd is eligible for pretrial release.

“Jury trials are a hallmark of the American justice system and attempts to intimidate witnesses or jurors will be met with a strong response,” said United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld. “The use of hateful threats in an effort to undermine a trial is especially troubling.”

According to the criminal complaint, Lloyd is accused of making threatening social media posts, website comments and emails toward jury members and witnesses in the trial of Robert Bowers. Bowers was convicted of a mass shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh that killed 11 people and wounded six, including several Holocaust survivors.

He ultimately was found guilty on 63 federal charges, including 11 counts of obstructing the free exercise of religious beliefs resulting in death, and sentenced to death.

Lloyd also is accused of placing or having others place stickers in predominantly Jewish areas of Pittsburgh, directing people to the website containing his threats and anti-Semitic messages.

According to the criminal complaint, Google contacted the FBI in March about troubling comments made on YouTube by someone under the username “Reverend Lloyd.” Many of the comments contained anti-Semitic, racist and anti-LGBTQ language and directed people to a website of a “church” that advocated for complete racial separation.

The website had an “enemies” page, the criminal complaint said, which engaged in publicly “doxxing” — publicizing personal information for the purpose of harassing or intimidating the target – law enforcement and private citizens. According to the complaint, on May 18, a post was made to the website’s “enemies” page soliciting public information for the 70 jurors that were part of the Bowers trial. The day before, Lloyd allegedly sent an email to various Pittsburgh media outlets, demanding Bowers be freed and announcing that people will be watching jurors and taking pictures of all cars and people who left the courthouse.

Between May 19 and 20, the complaint stated, white supremacy-themed stickers were found in several areas of Pittsburgh with a web address that directed visitors to the “church” website. On May 30, the day opening statements in the Bowers trial began, media outlets reported that multiple people found anti-Semitic stickers and flyers at a Squirrel Hill playground.

On June 2, according to the complaint, a post was made to the “church” website’s “enemies” page directing comments toward Bowers trial witnesses.

“The safety and security of all citizens in our communities is a priority for the FBI,” said FBI Pittsburgh Special Agent in Charge Mike Nordwall. “Threats of violence used to intimidate or influence a community or jury cannot and will not be tolerated. The FBI makes it a priority to investigate crimes based on religious bias. In this case, the Jewish community was specifically targeted by these threats. I want to thank the community for sharing information that helped lead to (Thursday’s) arrest.”