The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has launched a full-scale investigation into a Virginia high school administrator and his brother after authorities say the pair were overheard plotting violent attacks against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.
According to federal authorities, the “chilling” plot potentially involved ambushing agents with high-caliber rifles and explosive rounds.
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin confirmed Wednesday that John Wilson Bennett, an assistant principal at Kempsville High School in Virginia Beach, and his older brother Mark Booth Bennett are now in federal custody following their arrests last week.
The two were allegedly recorded discussing plans to travel to Nevada and “kill police officers and ICE agents,” claiming the agency was carrying out “kidnapping[s]” during recent immigration enforcement operations.
“It’s chilling that a human being, much less a child educator, would plot to ambush and kill ICE law enforcement officers—offering such specifics as to getting a high-caliber rifle that would pierce the law enforcements’ bulletproof vests,” McLaughlin said.
“Thanks to Homeland Security Investigations and our partners, these men are behind bars.”
Off-Duty Officer Overheard Deadly Plot
According to DHS, an off-duty Norfolk police officer dining at a Vietnamese restaurant on November 17 overheard the two men describing plans to kill ICE agents.
Mark Bennett allegedly stated that he intended to meet “like-minded people” in Las Vegas and purchase firearms with explosive rounds.
On November 19, authorities arrested Mark Bennett at Norfolk International Airport just before boarding a flight connecting through Charlotte to Las Vegas.
His brother, John Bennett, a longtime faculty member at Kempsville High since 2009, was arrested the same day.
The school has since placed him on leave.
Both men are charged with conspiracy to commit malicious wounding.
DHS: Threats Against ICE Have Skyrocketed
McLaughlin said the case fits a disturbing pattern amid a more than 1,150% surge in assaults on ICE officers and an 8,000-fold spike in death threats in recent months.
“They risk their lives every single day to remove the worst of the worst, including murderers, rapists, pedophiles, terrorists, and gang members,” she said.
“From bounties placed on their heads for their murders, threats to their families, stalking, and doxxing online, our officers are experiencing an unprecedented level of violence and threats against them and their families.”
The remarks echo earlier DHS warnings that anti-ICE rhetoric from left-wing politicians and activists is fueling a dangerous climate for law enforcement.
Defense Attorney Calls Conversation Misinterpreted ‘Seinfeld’ Banter
Mark Bennett’s attorney, Happy O’Brien, disputed the authorities’ account, telling the Norfolk Virginian-Pilot that his client was simply flying to Nevada for a Formula One event with his child.
O’Brien reportedly compared the restaurant conversation to a comedic misunderstanding, saying it resembled discussions from Seinfeld, where characters casually debated outrageous scenarios in a diner.
Despite that characterization, both brothers remain charged as the federal probe continues.
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