Aryan Knights Defendant Sentenced For Unlawfully Possessing Firearms

Defendant in Other Aryan Knights Case Pleads Guilty

BOISE – James Everette Hood, 40, of Parma, Idaho, was sentenced today in federal court to 30 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for unlawful possession of firearms, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge also ordered Hood to forfeit the three firearms he illegally possessed and pay a $1,500 fine.

Hood was indicted by a federal grand jury on April 11, 2012. On October 30, 2012, he pleaded guilty to count one of the indictment, admitting that on April 3, 2012, he knowingly and illegally possessed a .32 revolver; a .357 revolver; and a .38 revolver. According to court documents, Hood is prohibited from possessing firearms due to a prior conviction, on December 19, 2003, of retaliating against a witness or informant and aiding and abetting, a crime punishable by a term of imprisonment exceeding one year.

In another Aryan Knights related case, Philip Allen Warren, 45, of Twin Falls, Idaho, pleaded guilty on Monday to counts one and two of an information charging him with distribution of methamphetamine and unlawful possession of a firearm.

According to court documents, on March 15, 2012, Warren knowingly and intentionally distributed 50 grams or more of actual methamphetamine. Warren further admitted that on June 13, 2012, he unlawfully possessed a.40 semi-automatic pistol. He was previously convicted on October 26, 2006, of possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, a crime punishable by a term of imprisonment exceeding one year.

Warren faces a mandatory minimum of 20 years in prison, a maximum fine of $10 million, and at least 10 years of supervised release for distribution of methamphetamine. The firearms violation is punishable by up to 10 years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000 and up to three years of supervised release. Warren is set for sentencing on July 22, 2013, before Chief U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill at the federal courthouse in Boise.

Hood and Warren were charged last year as a result of a long term investigation by the Treasure Valley Metro Violent Crimes Task Force. The investigation began when the task force focused on illegal drug distribution by the “Aryan Knights,” a gang active both in prison and on the streets throughout Idaho.

The joint investigation by the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) included the cooperative law enforcement efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, and U.S. Marshals Service. The Twin Falls Police Department, Twin Falls Sheriff’s Office, Idaho State Police, and District 3 Probation and Parole also participated in the investigation.