Man Who Plotted to Bomb a Long Beach Rally Sentenced to 25 Years in Federal Prison

LOS ANGELES – A San Fernando Valley man who planned the bombing of a political rally in Long Beach in 2019 was sentenced Nov. 1, to 25 years in federal prison.

       Mark Steven Domingo, 28, of Reseda, was sentenced by United States District Judge Stephen V. Wilson.

       At the conclusion of a five-day trial, a federal jury on August 11 found Domingo guilty of one count of providing material support to terrorists and one count of attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction.

Judge Wilson sentenced Domingo to 15 years’ imprisonment on the providing material support count and 25 years in federal prison for attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction – both sentences to be served concurrently. The court also ordered Domingo to be placed on supervised release for a term of 20 years once Domingo completes his prison sentence.

Domingo has been in federal custody since his arrest in April 2019.

       The investigation into Domingo was prompted by his online posts and conversations in an online forum in which he expressed support for violence, specifically a desire to seek violent retribution for attacks against Muslims, as well as a willingness to become a martyr. After considering various attacks – including targeting Jewish people, churches, and police officers – Domingo decided to bomb a rally scheduled to take place in Long Beach in April 2019.

       As part of the plot, Domingo asked a confederate – who actually was working with the FBI as part of the investigation – to invite a bomb-maker into the scheme. Domingo then purchased and provided to the confederate and the bomb-maker – who in fact was an undercover law enforcement officer – several hundred 3½-inch nails to be used as shrapnel for the bombs. Domingo specifically chose those nails because they were long enough to penetrate organs in the human body.

      The affidavit also stated that Domingo initially planned to target the white nationalists. Then he learned that United Patriot Front possibly canceled the rally. Domingo also discussed attacking Santa Monica Pier with the FBI source. The FBI source told Domingo that event would still happen and Domingo planned on placing the bomb among the protesters of the white nationalist group.

       Leading up to the attack, Domingo called for an event similar to the October 2017 mass shooting in Las Vegas. Following an attack on Muslims in New Zealand in March 2019, Domingo called for retribution in an online post.

       Domingo selected the Long Beach rally as his target. Demonstrators were there to counter-protest a rally organized by the United Patriot Front, a white nationalist group at Bluff Park in Long Beach. That white nationalist group removed the event from their Facebook page more than two weeks prior and never showed up. 

In April 2019, Domingo drove his confederate and the undercover officer to Long Beach to scout the location he planned to attack. While there, Domingo discussed finding the most crowded areas to place the bombs so he could kill the most people. On April 26, 2019, Domingo received what he thought were two live bombs, but actually were inert explosive devices delivered by an undercover law enforcement officer. He was arrested that same day with one of the bombs in his hands.