3 Utahns accused in a failed Congo coup plead not guilty

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — The three Utahns accused of participating in a failed coup attempt in the Democratic Republic of Congo appeared in a federal court in Utah on Thursday.

Joseph Peter Moesser, 67, Tyler Thompson, 22, and Marcel Malanga, 22 were presented before a federal judge at 2 p.m. on Thursday. All three were wearing Weber County Inmate shirts.

Malanga, Moesser, and Thompson all pleaded not guilty. They are facing several federal charges, including conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction, conspiracy to bomb places of government facilities, and conspiracy to kill or kidnap persons in a foreign country, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

On April 8, Congo agreed to return the three Americans to U.S. soil to serve their sentences in their own country. All three men initally made court appearances in New York before being moved to Utah.

Malanga and Thomson claim to have evidence to support their innocence. The U.S. Department of Justice said they will work with the defendants to understand the case. A Discovery Conference is set for June 10 at 10 a.m.

All four men involved have detention hearings set to determine whether they can be released before their trial. Moesser will have is hearing on May 15, while the other three men have their hearing on May 28 at 1:30 p.m.