Dallas, TX - August 16, 2017 (The Ponder News) -- Prosecutors in the Northern District of Texas have wrapped up what is believed to be the largest prosecution in the nation’s history of individuals connected to violent white supremacist gangs, announced John Parker, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas.
This investigation was led by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS-CID) Gang Unit and the Dallas Police Department Criminal Intelligence Unit with assistance from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); the Garland (Texas) Police Department Neighborhood Police Officer Unit; the Collin County (Texas) Sheriff's Office; and the Texas police departments of Mesquite, Sherman, Denison and Sulphur Springs.
The 89th and last defendant to be sentenced in this case, Jeramy Weatherall, 29, of Dallas, Texas, was sentenced Thursday by U.S. District Judge Jane J. Boyle to 20 years in federal prison, following his guilty plea in March 2017 to one count of possession of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute.
Out of 91 defendants charged, 89 were convicted, one remains a fugitive and is believed to be in Mexico, and one died before trial began. Those convicted received a combined total of 1,070+ years in federal prison. Casey Rose, 36, of Mesquite, Texas, was sentenced to life in federal prison, following his conviction at trial in September 2015 on conspiracy, drug trafficking and firearm charges.
“The Aryan Brotherhood of Texas and the Aryan Circle have essentially been decimated in North Texas,” said U.S. Attorney Parker. “The outstanding collaborative work of the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Dallas Police Department helped ensure that each of the 89 defendants who were arrested have now been convicted and sentenced.”
“Strong law enforcement partnerships and the hard work of all those involved led to a successful investigation and the resulting prosecutions,” said Department of Public Safety Region 1 Commander Jack Webster. “We continue to work with our law enforcement partners to proactively protect the citizens of Texas in an ever-changing threat environment.”
“The Dallas Police Department is proud to have participated in this investigation that resulted in 89 convictions of dangerous gang members who terrorized communities with their criminal activity,” said Interim Dallas Police Chief David Pughes. “It is a great example of the success of local and Federal Law Enforcement working together with the United States Attorney to ensure that the worst career criminals are brought to justice.”
The defendants were members of the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas (ABT), the Aryan Circle, the “Irish Mob,” the “Dirty White Boys,” the “White Knights,” and the “Peckerwood” – all of which are violent white supremacist gangs. Each of these gangs is an organized crime group, but in recent years, the white supremacy ideology of each of these groups has taken a backseat to traditional criminal ventures, such as drug-dealing. The defendants in this case included several high-ranking members of these organizations.
Particularly noteworthy is that collectively, the defendants were held accountable for 956 kilograms (about 2,108 pounds) of methamphetamine, with a conservative street value of just under $10 million, as well as possessing and using 88 firearms and dangerous weapons.
Combined, the 89 defendants had been previously convicted of 736 crimes. Of the 736 previous convictions, 234 were drug-related offenses; 76 were violent offenses; 36 were gun offenses; 37 were burglaries; seven were sex or child abuse offenses; and one was a murder conviction. Fifteen of the defendants were deemed “career offenders” under the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines. Some defendants had as many as 25 prior convictions. And only six of the 89 had no prior convictions.
Assistant U.S. Attorney P. J. Meitl, Northern District of Texas, was in charge of these prosecutions.
