(KRON) -- A Santa Clara man was federally indicted after he allegedly lied several times about having never previously been committed to a mental institution on forms necessary to purchase weapons. He appeared in court for arraignment on Friday.
The suspect, Clayton Girard, 27, was allegedly committed to an institution in New York in 2017 after authorities found his journal where he "threatened former classmates [and] authored a manifesto describing horrific acts of violence" according to federal prosecutors. The journal contained outlined plans shoot up his school and capture and murder a specific target, prosecutors said.
Despite this, in 2026, he was able to purchase 11 firearms, a large amount of ammunition, high-powered magazines and several large knives after repeatedly answering that he had never been in a mental institution on the Firearms Transaction Record, according to prosecutors.
“Federal firearms laws provide critical safeguards designed to protect our communities, and making false statements to circumvent those safeguards is a serious crime," said United States Attorney Craig H. Missakian.
Girard was arrested on Oct. 22 and is in custody in San Jose. He faces up to 10 years in prison if found guilty.
