Former North Carolina soldier charged with arms trafficking and ties to a racist group faces trial on Thursday

As a former Fort Liberty soldier prepares for a detention hearing in federal court Thursday, more details are emerging about his alleged ties to a nationwide white supremacist group.

Kai Liam Nix, 20, also known as Kai Brazelton, was arrested last week after a grand jury indicted him on charges of selling a stolen firearm, unlawful trafficking in weapons and making a false statement to the government, according to a press release from U.S. Attorney Michael Easley's office.

The latter allegation stems from Nix's security clearance form, in which he allegedly stated that he had “never been a member of any group whose goal was the use of force or violence to overthrow the United States government,” the press release said.

According to court documents, from December 10 to February 5, Nix sold firearms without a license throughout the eastern half of the state “and elsewhere,” and on December 16 and January 5, he sold stolen firearms.

If convicted, he could face up to 30 years in prison, the press release said.

Alleged links to a white racist group

Easley's office declined to comment on Nix's alleged affiliation with any groups, but Jeff Tischauser, a researcher at the Southern Poverty Law Center, says he identified Nix as a member of the Patriot Front after nearly a year of research.

According to the Anti-Defamation League, Patriot Front is a white supremacist group based in Texas. The group split from another racist group, Vanguard America, after the deadly 2017 “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Tischauser said the project that led to Nix began in the spring of 2023 when he learned of a Patriot Front member named “Patrick NC” who was photographing neo-Nazi Fight Club events in Nashville, Tennessee. With the help of independent researchers and other local sources in Tennessee, Tischauser found that the person behind “Patrick NC” had participated in a number of Patriot Front activities, including:

• Proposal for an anarchist bookstore in Asheville to be a target for vandalism.

• Recruit at least seven people for the Patriot Front via Instagram.

• Attending an anti-vaccine and anti-mask rally in Raleigh on July 24, 2021.

• Participation in a Patriot Front training session in November 2021.

• Attended two anti-vaccine rallies in Raleigh in February 2022.

Tischauser conducted his research as part of Hatewatch, the Southern Poverty Law Center's monitoring program for far-right groups. The program relies largely on tips from sources to identify potential groups, Tischauser said. He said he came to believe Nix was “Patrick NC” after reviewing leaked Patriot Front images and messages from the Unicorn Riot journalist collective.

Court records in the Nix case do not indicate whether the alleged gun sales were tied to group membership. Tischauser said he had no knowledge of the alleged arms deal but contacted the Army last week because he suspected Nix had ties to the Patriot Front.

“I was surprised at the timing,” he said. “It's nice that Kai is now taking on responsibility.”

Denies membership in the Patriot Front, “separate” from the army

An August 18 New Yorker article about far-right groups also details the allegations against Nix. According to author David D. Kirkpatrick, Nix denied being a member of the Patriot Front over the phone.

Nix will appear in court in Raleigh at 10 a.m. Thursday for a detention hearing. He is currently in federal custody at the Wake County Detention Center, jail records show.

Lt. Col. César Santiago, public affairs director for the 82nd Airborne Division, said in a written statement Thursday that Nix was a private in the 82nd who arrived at Fort Liberty in 2023. Nix, an infantryman, joined the Army in 2022 and was “administratively discharged from the Army” on Tuesday, Santiago said.

NC Reality Check is an N&O series that holds the powerful to account and highlights public issues affecting the Triangle or North Carolina. Have a suggestion for a future story? Email [email protected]