Highland County man charged with attempted hate crime related to plot to conduct mass shooting of women, illegal possession of machine gun

 CINCINNATI – A federal grand jury has charged a local, self-identified “Incel” with attempting to conduct a mass shooting of women and with illegally possessing a machine gun.

Tres Genco, 21, of Hillsboro, Ohio, allegedly plotted to commit a hate crime, namely, a plan to shoot women at a university in Ohio. He was arrested by federal agents today.

Genco identified as an Incel or “involuntary celibate.” The Incel movement is an online community of predominantly men who harbor anger towards women. Incels advocate violence in support of their belief that women unjustly deny them sexual or romantic attention to which they believe they are entitled.   

According to the indictment, Genco maintained profiles on a popular Incel website from at least July 2019 through mid-March 2020. Genco was a frequent poster on the site.

In one post, Genco allegedly detailed spraying “some foids and couples” with orange juice in a water gun. Foids is an Incel term short for “femoids,” referring to women. According to the charging document, Genco compared his “extremely empowering action” to similar conduct by known Incel Elliot Rodger. In May 2014, Rodger killed six people and injured 14 others, including shooting individuals outside a University of California, Santa Barbara sorority house. Prior to his mass attack, Rodger shot a group of college students with orange juice from a water gun.

Genco also allegedly wrote a manifesto, stating he would “slaughter” women “out of hatred, jealousy and revenge…” and referring to death as the “great equalizer.” As part of this investigation, law enforcement agents discovered a note of Genco’s that indicated he hoped to “aim big” for a kill count of 3,000 people with a reference to the same date as Elliot Rodger’s attack, and intended to attend military training. The investigation revealed that the day he wrote his manifesto, he searched online for sororities and a university in Ohio.

It is alleged that in 2019, Genco purchased tactical gloves, a bulletproof vest, a hoodie bearing the word “Revenge,” cargo pants, a bowie knife, a skull facemask, two Glock 17 magazines, a 9mm Glock 17 clip, and a holster clip concealed carry for a Glock.

Genco attended Army Basic Training in Georgia from August through December 2019. He was discharged for entry-level performance and conduct.

In January 2020, Genco allegedly wrote a document entitled “isolated” that he described as “the writings of the deluded and homicidal.” Genco signed the document, “Your hopeful friend and murderer.”

The charging document alleges Genco conducted surveillance at an Ohio university on Jan. 15, 2020. That same day, he allegedly searched online for topics including “planning a shooting crime” and “when does preparing for a crime become an attempt?”

On March 12, 2020, Highland County sheriff’s deputies responded to Genco’s residence. At the residence, in the trunk of Genco’s vehicle, police officers found, among other things, a firearm with a bump stock attached, several loaded magazines, body armor and boxes of ammunition. Inside the residence, police officers found a modified Glock-style 9mm semiautomatic pistol, with no manufacturer’s marks or serial number, hidden in a heating vent in Genco’s bedroom. 

Genco is charged with one count of attempting to commit a hate crime and one count of illegally possessing a machinegun. The hate crime charge is punishable by up to life imprisonment.  The machinegun charge is punishable by up to 10 years’ imprisonment.

Vipal J. Patel, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Chris Hoffman, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Cincinnati Division; Roland Herndon, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF); and Highland County Sheriff Donnie Barrera announced the charges. Assistant United States Attorney Megan Gaffney Painter and Assistant Deputy Criminal Chief Timothy S. Mangan are representing the United States in this case.

An indictment is merely an allegation, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.