FLORENCE, S.C. — A white supremacist faces up to 10 years in prison for illegally buying a gun that authorities say he planned to use in a hate crime attack similar to the South Carolina church shootings.

Benjamin McDowell, 30, pleaded guilty Monday to being a felon in possession of a weapon, according to reports by multiple news outlets. He also could be fined $250,000 when he is sentenced at a later date.

Authorities first began investigating McDowell in December 2016, when he threatened a Myrtle Beach synagogue on Facebook. Local officials had already been keeping tabs on him because he made friends with white supremacist groups and got tattoos associated with racist groups while in prison on a felony burglary charge, according to the FBI.