Luke Foster, a 28-year-old resident of Anchorage, was sentenced Tuesday to 18 months in prison for perpetrating acts of hate-motivated property damage and a single drug trafficking offense.
The sentencing comes after an investigation into Foster’s actions, which included vandalizing various locations with Nazi-inspired imagery and trafficking a Schedule I controlled substance.
In May 2021, Foster placed swastika stickers that contained the words “WE ARE EVERYWHERE” at eight different locations across Anchorage.
His targets included the Alaska Jewish Museum, the University of Alaska Anchorage campus, and Mad Myrna’s, a bar. The acts led to his conviction on two counts of damaging religious property.
Foster’s vandalism did not end there. In September 2021, he returned to the Alaska Jewish Museum, where he placed another sticker and carved a swastika into the door. The incident resulted in another count of damaging religious property being added to his charges.
While investigating the vandalism, law enforcement authorities stumbled upon an even darker aspect of Foster’s criminal activities. He was found to be using social media to traffic psilocybin mushrooms, a dangerous Schedule I controlled substance under the Controlled Substances Act.
Foster sold the illicit drugs to an undercover agent and boasted about his extensive collection of weapons, intending to use them to protect his illegal drugs from law enforcement, if necessary.
Federal agents acted on this information, executing a search warrant on Foster’s residence. The search yielded a haul of evidence, including psilocybin mushrooms, items associated with drug production, multiple firearms, ammunition, a substantial amount of cash, and a box of swastika stickers. The items led to Foster’s conviction on an additional count of possession of controlled substances with the intent to distribute.
“Mr. Foster’s hateful acts of pro-Nazi vandalism across our city have caused significant harm to multiple communities, and his trafficking of drugs put the people of Alaska in danger. Anti-Semitic crimes and those targeting the LGBTQ+ community have no place here. Our U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to identify, investigate, and prosecute crimes that target our communities to instill fear and distrust,” U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker for the District of Alaska said.
The FBI’s Anchorage Field Office led the investigation, with support from the Anchorage Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration, showcasing the importance of cooperation among law enforcement agencies to tackle such egregious offenses effectively.
