When FBI agents searched a storage facility that Speed had rented in Alexandria, they discovered three unregistered silencers, for which Speed was charged in Virginia.
According to Speed's attorneys, he never made any modifications to the equipment to make them work as silencers.
Speed was a gun enthusiast who stocked up on limited supplies during the coronavirus pandemic, according to defense attorney Courtney Dixon, who testified in front of the jury.
Authorities claim that Speed admitted to an undercover FBI agent that he stormed the Capitol with members of the extreme right-wing Proud Boys group prior to his arrest in June.
Prosecutors claim that Speed also admitted to discussing using violence against members of the Anti-Defamation League, a Jewish civil rights organization, and for the purpose of advancing his antisemitic beliefs.
In a court document, a prosecutor claimed that Speed spent more than $50,000 at retailers of firearms and firearm-parts after the Capitol riot and purchased at least 12 firearms during that time.
According to Assistant US Attorney Alexis Loeb, this gun buying spree is concerning in light of statements made by Speed in which he advocated using violence to advance his anti-government and anti-Semitic ideologies.