Kriti Mehrotra
As a miniseries living up to its title in every way imaginable and thus even serving as a sequel to Paramount’s ‘Waco’ (2018), Showtime’s ‘Waco: The Aftermath‘ (2023) is truly unlike any other. That’s because it explores not just the federal authorities’ alleged unfair standards of justice following the horrific 1993 titular siege but also the rise of the right-wing extremist “Patriot” movement. Amongst those to hence be carefully profiled in this original to help navigate the same was Paul Gordon Fatta — so now, if you simply wish to learn more about him, we’ve got the details for you.
Who is Paul Fatta?
It was reportedly back in the 1980s when Honolulu, Hawaii, resident Paul first came across the Branch Davidian theology while attending the Seventh-Day Adventists’ Diamond Head Church. However, he didn’t really understand its core meaning owing to his own sect not openly discussing it, that is, until he met charismatic leader David Koresh by chance in San Diego a short while later. The southerner then explained their message to the early 30-year-old, impressing him to such an extent he quickly decided to relocate to their Waco, Texas, compound to be under his guidance.
“I had always sought the truth and believed I had found it,” Paul once candidly stated while speaking of the reason he chose to move to Mount Carmel in the first place. “I saw nothing else to do.” That’s also why he essentially wasted no time going from the personal transportation industry to licensed federal firearms dealing upon settling down, just to soon establish a gun shop called Mag Bag. Nevertheless, as indicated in the series, most of the guns he purchased in the name of business were stored at the compound without any intention of resale — the Branch Davidians were preparing for “war,” and war is what they received in the form of an FBI siege.
Yet it’s imperative to note Paul wasn’t even there when the matter kickstarted in the morning hours of February 28, 1993; he was actually on his way to Austin with his son for a gun show event. “When I got back to Mount Carmel, I found all access blocked,” he revealed in 2013. “I called the sheriff’s office, and they told me federal officers had taken over. They were almost apologetic.” Therefore, owing to his past 1987 arrest for the attempted murder of George Roden alongside David (of which he was acquitted in 1988), his devotion to the denomination, as well as the FBI’s clear intention of not letting the leader have to last word, he was arrested shortly thereafter.
Where is Paul Fatta Now?
The charges against Paul were that of conspiracy to murder federal agents, aiding & abetting the homicides of these agents, carrying a weapon during the commission of a felony, as well as conspiracy to manufacture automatic firearms. But alas, in 1994, following an intense trial involving sworn testimonies, contradictions, as well as physical evidence of every kind, he was merely convicted of conspiracy to possess machine guns, along with aiding David Koresh. So consequently, he was ordered to pay a fine worth $50,000 and sentenced to 15 years behind bars in a federal facility, of which he served only a little over 12½ before being released for good in April 2006.
As for Paul’s current standing, from what we can tell, the now 65-year-old has since settled down in San Diego County, California, where he runs a couple of restaurants alongside his brood. “My suffering or what I went through is nothing compared to my friends who were on the property, and the kids [when it ultimately went up in flames on April 19, 1993),” he said. “They are the ones who really suffered, and to live your life without your” loved ones is awful.
“I would like to see some divine intervention, for God to vindicate his people,” Paul, who still deems himself to be a strong believer as a Branch Davidian, elucidated back in 2013. “All those that have suffered over the years for truth, who’ve been misunderstood, have been mocked, ridiculed [and] thrown in prison.” He also stated, “[The federal agencies] needed their pound of flesh, so they took the survivors and put them on trial. Somebody had to pay. They just want it to go away, and they hope people will forget as time passes. But it’s going to be with me the rest of my life.”
