Albany

Glendon Scott Crawford visited a North Carolina-based imperial wizard of the Ku Klux Klan in 2012 hoping to win support for a mobile death ray he allegedly planned to use on Muslims — unaware the high-ranking Klan leader was working for the FBI.

Chris Barker, leader of the Loyal White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, showed no loyalty to Crawford as he secretly tape-recorded the 51-year-old Crawford, a reputed Klansman from Saratoga County, on Aug. 24, 2012. It was one day before the so-called wizard was to hold a national Klan rally at a rural location straddling the border of North Carolina and Virginia.

Crawford courted the Klan leader, describing President Barack Obama on the recording as a "treasonous bed wetter we got hijacking the White House." As for himself, Crawford said friends view him as a "cross between Darth Vader and Forrest Gump."

But Crawford's primary focus was the alleged device.

"If you're the imperial wizard, you're probably in touch with lots of other imperial wizards. Get them together for a chit-chat," Crawford told Barker. "See the potential here? We could stomp the (expletive) new world order out of (expletive) existence. "

Crawford, who on other recordings had referred to "treasonous maggots," was adamant that his device never be used on American troops. And he told Barker he thought it was wrong that the Klan previously targeted Sikhs because he believes they are "very peaceful." Crawford left no such praise for followers of Islam.

"First, the Mexican invasion, now the Muslim invasion. They are trying to strike the death blow to American culture," Crawford told the imperial wizard. "Technology is such that you can build a (device) and put it in the van ... a couple of Klans, a couple of chapters, would have to get together."

Barker's recording was played Tuesday during the second day of Crawford's trial on terrorism-related charges before Chief Judge Gary Sharpe in U.S. District Court. He faces at least 15 years in prison if convicted. His former co-defendant, Eric Feight of Columbia County, who previously pleaded guilty to providing material support to terrorists, was mentioned as Crawford's "software guy" Tuesday, but his voice is yet to be heard at the trial.

Crawford initially reached the imperial wizard in July after calling a Klan hotline number and sending the Klan an email explaining he was interested in "restoring our nation to greatness."

Barker, who was facing felony charges, went to the FBI in Charlotte to inform it of Crawford's call. Agents there checked and saw that Crawford was the subject of an investigation by the bureau's Albany office. The FBI wired him to surreptitiously record Crawford as he spoke to Barker on a phone call.

"I think you'll find it to be your cup of tea," Crawford said, coyly referring to the mobile death ray device.

On the eve of the Klan rally — which ballyhooed awards and a "cross lighting" — Crawford suggested to Barker that the device, if properly used, "could kill the entire United Nations."

Earlier Tuesday, the United Nations also surfaced when an FBI agent testified under an assumed name, Special Agent Jeff, about his meetings with Crawford earlier in 2012. A secretly recorded video showed the undercover agent and a paid FBI informant inside a room with Crawford in a Schenectady hotel where Crawford reviewed two small tubes for a would-be X-ray device.

At another meeting in the hotel, Crawford said on the video: "My ultimate wet dream would be to nuke the freaking U.N. from across the bay ... What we're doing is crazy. The thing is, our children's future is at stake here."

Testimony continues Wednesday.

rgavin@timesunion.com • 518-434-2403 • @RobertGavinTU