Nab White Supremacist

New York Daily News/October 25, 2000
By Warren Woodberry Jr. and Alice McQuillan

White supremacist who collects hate literature and guns was charged yesterday with amassing an arsenal of weapons inside his Flushing apartment. Steven McFadden admitted to detectives that he is a member of the National Alliance, one of the largest and most active neo-Nazi organizations in the country.

According to the Anti-Defamation League, dozens of violent crimes - including murders and bombings - have been traced to National Alliance members or appear to have been inspired by the group's literature.

Yet authorities believe McFadden, 39, had no dangerous schemes in mind. "We think his intention was just to collect guns," said a law enforcement source. "It does not appear that he was planning any violence."

Inside McFadden's Justice Ave. flat, cops found 18 handguns, 14 rifles, two shotguns, a blackjack, brass knuckles, seven swords and 8,000 rounds of ammunition. He had no permit for any of the firearms, according to a criminal complaint.

His home library included "The Turner Diaries," the novel by the Alliance's leader that is said to have inspired the 1995 bombing of the Oklahoma City federal building.

Also found in the apartment were books on Adolf Hitler, white Aryan newspapers and Alliance stickers like the ones plastered across northern Queens in recent months.

Police were led to McFadden by a former friend who had a falling out with him and called 911 with the tale of the arsenal, sources said. When detectives knocked on McFadden's door Monday evening, he showed them the weapons and said he has been collecting guns since childhood.

A neighbor said McFadden was an Army veteran who kept to himself and took computer graphic design classes at a technical college. His employer, Moving Right Along, a moving firm, had no comment.

"He was not too friendly," said the neighbor who requested anonymity. "We didn't see him too much."

McFadden, who does not have a criminal record, was accused of 43 counts of weapons possession and other charges. He was expected to be arraigned in Queens Criminal Court last night.