The sentencing of a 21-year-old Savage man caught trying to buy machine gun conversion devices from an FBI informant has been pushed back a week, shortly after a federal judge listened to hours of testimony about the man's extremist views and statements hoping for a deadly conflict with police.

Senior U.S. District Judge David Doty rescheduled Thursday's planned sentencing of River William Smith to Jan. 30 in Minneapolis, according to a notice issued after Wednesday's evidentiary hearing in the case. That hearing was convened at the request of federal prosecutors seeking a 10-year sentence for a man they say poses a unique threat to the public — far above the 18-month term his attorney is calling for.

Doty did not disclose a reason for the rescheduling, and messages have been left seeking further detail from the parties involved.

The FBI stepped up its probe of Smith in 2022 following tips from concerned citizens regarding his behavior at a south metro gun range. Agents observed Smith firing a high volume of rounds around barriers and while lying on the ground — all while donning body armor, tactical gear and a "punisher" mask they say has been adopted by violent extremist groups.

Smith was allegedly recorded making frequent statements against Muslims, Jews, Black people and those from the LGBTQ community. Smith expressed an interest in a Nazi paramilitary group and also made numerous references to two FBI informants about his desire for in a deadly armed conflict with law enforcement. He was arrested peacefully in December 2022 after purchasing two machine gun conversion devices, or "switches," and three inert hand grenades from one of the informants. Law enforcement found a trove of weapons and nearly 1,000 rounds of ammunition in his vehicle.

Smith has been held in Sherburne County jail since his arrest. He entered a straight plea to one charge associated with the machine gun parts and is fighting the government's case for a 10-year prison sentence. Jordan Kushner, Smith's attorney, has called the government's position "outrageous" while arguing that Smith has not harmed anyone and instead describing his shooting range behavior as mimicking his favorite video games.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Winter countered Wednesday that Smith has continued to ramp up his violent rhetoric through monitored phone calls with his mother and grandmother, including an October 2023 discussion in which he longed for his sentencing to get over with so that he can "focus on the warpath."