Cowboy State Daily
White Supremacist With Wyoming Ties Sentenced to Life In Prison
A white supremacist gang leader previously convicted of crimes in Wyoming was sentenced to life in federal prison this week.
A white supremacist gang leader previously convicted of crimes in Wyoming was sentenced to life in federal prison this week.
Published
4 years agoon
By
News Release
This story first appeared on Cowboy State Daily
By Ellen Fike, Cowboy State Daily
A white supremacist gang leader previously convicted of crimes in Wyoming was sentenced to life in federal prison this week.
Harlan Hale, 55, a leader of the Idaho prison gang known as the Aryan Knights, was sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to one count of participating in a racketeering conspiracy and one count of committing a violent crime in furtherance of racketeering activity.
Chief U.S. District Judge David C. Nye in Idaho ordered this life sentence be served after Hale finishes serving his sentences from cases in Idaho and Wyoming.
Hale was sentenced to 32 years in prison in connection with a car hijacking in Wyoming.
According to the Associated Press, in 2005, police in Idaho found Hale in possession of a gun, although he was barred from owning weapons due to a previous conviction. He fled in a vehicle before he could be apprehended, leading law enforcement on a chase.
He was captured and taken to a jail in Boise before escaping. Police said he hijacked a woman’s car and fled to Wyoming, later stealing a truck at gunpoint. He was pursued by Wyoming authorities until the truck crashed and he was arrested.
According to court records, Hale held a leadership role in the Aryan Knights and participated in drug trafficking and violent assaults. The drug trafficking was extensive and involved significant quantities of methamphetamine.
When debts went unpaid, the gang used violence to collect, according to records
For example, in 2015, Hale assaulted another inmate for failing to pay a drug debt, then provided that inmate with additional drugs and required he sell the drugs in order to pay back the debt.
In 2016, Hale and two other gang members assaulted a former Aryan Knights member with improvised knives, with Hale stabbing the victim repeatedly.
“The life sentence imposed on this defendant recognizes the devastating effects that prison gangs, and especially white supremacist prison gangs, have on the rehabilitative mission of correctional institutions and individual inmates who sincerely hope to use their period of incarceration to successfully reenter society,” said U.S. Attorney Rafael M. Gonzalez, Jr. “Violent crime will not be tolerated, whether out of prison or in prison, and I commend the FBI and investigators at the Idaho Department of Correction for creating an effective partnership to root out the type of racketeering activity uncovered through this investigation.”
According to an indictment, the Aryan Knights was formed in the mid-1990s within the Idaho prison system. The gang operates both within and outside of the Idaho Department of Corrections.
The gang was founded to organize criminal activity for a select group of white inmates within IDOC custody. The Aryan Knights have white supremacist and white separatist ideologies, and the group is believed to have more than 100 members.
The gang uses violence and threats to target non-white inmates and other marks. They also use drag trafficking, extortion and gambling to generate revenue, which is then shared among members.
“The crimes of organized prison gangs often go beyond the prison walls, bringing more drugs and violence into our communities,” said Special Agent in Charge Dennis Rice of the Salt Lake City FBI. “This life sentence should be a message to others involved in violent gang crimes—regardless of where it takes place—that law enforcement will investigate and hold them accountable.”
Ten members of the AK were charged in this case. Seven of these defendants have pleaded guilty so far, with three being sentenced.
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Charles Cole
April 5, 2021 at 12:46 pm
See? No need for more Democrat-sponsored gun control laws. Just enforce the ones on the books now. Works better than passing laws to restrict gun ownership from law-abiding citizens while leaving the thugs armed to the teeth such as has been going on in Chicago for decades now.
Mitch Smith
April 5, 2021 at 2:05 pm
well said
Mark Smith
April 7, 2021 at 6:53 pm
I believe one could argue that journalists bear a degree of responsibility for what happens in cities like Chicago. By ignoring (beyond the city limits) the magnitude of deaths among (especially) young Black males – and diverting attention to events (mass shootings by the angry White male with a rifle) that fit a narrative – there’s is no plan to deal with the 79.2% of shooting homicides in Chicago, were Black (mostly male). This in a city that has a roughly even distribution of races (30% Black, Hispanic, White). It’s sold as a ‘gun violence’ problem, but if that were true, the distribution would more closely mirror demographics (and they aren’t EVEN close). Poverty, unemployment, education (achievement/opportunity)…. are real issues, not ‘gun violence.’
Mark Smith
April 7, 2021 at 11:00 am
Why does your article specify that Harlan Hale is a White supremacist? I just read nine articles on Gangster Disciples sentenced to prison. Not one of them used the term “Black street gang” in the title and NONE mentioned the race of the street gang in the article. So, why invoke rave when it’s related to a White gang? He is a criminal prosecuted as RICO case (it seems) and belongs behind bars. He committed a number of crimes, but none were because, “He’s a White supremacist.” Don’t support his ideology or way of life. I just don’t understand your motivation. Or, if you’d title/text a convicted Gangster Disciple was the member of a Black street gang
Candice Youngblood
June 14, 2021 at 5:24 am
Where is the ‘investigative,’ or ‘independent,’ journalism? For Sheridan Media to be a legitimate news source, your readers expect due diligence and validation.
Using direct quotes from the district’s Acting AUSA, Rafael M. Gonzalez Jr, Fike fell short of a Pulizer however, she’s definitely a candidate for yellow-journalism.
The majority of Ellen Fike’s ‘reporting,’ is regurgitated information taken from the defendant’s sentencing memorandum. Clearly Prosecutor Gonzalez has a flair for the dramatics. Using sensationalism and innuendo both in legal pleadings and the courtroom is generally frowned upon.
Mr. Hale was already serving a life sentence w/out parole. The inmate’s sister claimed her brother “refused to take a plea.” While this may appear unsound to most, Hale “had his reasons” for bypassing the judicial process and simply pleading guilty.
The discovery in this case does not support several of the Government’s claims. For instance, the claim of ‘operating inside and outside the prison system,’ is unfounded.
Identifying this ragtag group of misfits as ‘Separatist and Supremacist’s,’ is almost laughable. Six of the co-defendant’s are married to women of color. One member is hispanic.
Personally, I feel Mr. Hale’s sentence is appropriate given his recent conduct and extensive criminal history. However, the lack of jurisprudence, or ‘justice,’ for that matter is evident.