One of the four Ford County residents accused of committing crimes to support a private militia group changed his plea to ‘guilty’ in federal court in Urbana Tuesday. Ellis “EJ” Mack has agreed to cooperate with authorities.

A federal grand jury in Minnesota has indicted three Ford County men on civil rights and hate crimes violations, related to the bombing last summer of a mosque in suburban Minneapolis. The indictment follows up on a criminal complaint of arson filed in March.

Four men from Ford County were in a federal courtroom in Urbana Thursday, pleading ‘not guilty’ to charges related to alleged activities as a militia group called the “White Rabbits”.

Three Ford County men accused of bombing a Minnesota mosque last summer are expected to remain in Illinois for the time being to face charges in a related case.

Four men from Ford County --- three of them accused of bombing a mosque in Minnesota last summer --- entered not guilty pleas Monday to a separate charge of possessing a machine gun.