Universal Aryan Brotherhood Members Sentenced to Decades in Prison

OKLAHOMA CITY – Two members of the Universal Aryan Brotherhood have been sentenced to decades in prison in separate cases, announced U.S. Attorney Timothy J. Downing of the Western District of Oklahoma.  CHRISTOPHER CHAD POOL, aka "Cityboy," 40, will serve 20 years in prison for drug and gun crimes, while OWEN HENRY LONG, JR., aka "Ardmore," 38, will serve more than 28 years in prison for a drug offense.

A federal grand jury indicted Pool on August 21, 2018, for possessing methamphetamine with intent to distribute and possession of a machine gun, a silencer, and an illegally modified rifle.  The indictment also charged him with being a felon in possession of three firearms and possessing those firearms in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime.  All of this conduct took place in Canadian County.  On March 8, 2019, Pool pleaded guilty to the first five of these six crimes.  He has been in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service since August 2018.

On August 26, 2019, U.S. District Judge Charles B. Goodwin sentenced Pool to 240 months, or 20 years, in federal prison.  After imprisonment, he will be on supervised release for five years.  In addition, he will forfeit military-style body armor, $5,789 in cash, and more than 30 firearms.  At sentencing, the court heard information about Pool’s threats to kill multiple law enforcement officers and their families.

Pool’s co-defendant, CHRISTINA LORAL POOL, aka Christina Loral McNees, aka "Citygirl," 26, pleaded guilty to the same offenses on March 8, 2019, and was sentenced on August 9, 2019, to 72 months, or six years, in prison, to be followed by four years of supervised release.

In a separate case, Long was indicted on July 17, 2018, for crimes in Beckham County: possessing methamphetamine with intent to distribute, being a felon in possession of a semi-automatic pistol, and possessing that pistol in furtherance of drug trafficking.  A jury found him guilty of the drug crime on December 13, 2018, and was unable to reach a verdict on the gun offenses.  He has been in U.S. Marshals custody since July 2018.

Today, U.S. District Judge Joe Heaton sentenced Long to 340 months, or 28 years and four months, to be followed by four years of supervised release.

Long’s co-defendant, ANGELA DAWN SHEPHERD, 38, was sentenced to 24 months, or two years, in prison for methamphetamine possession with intent to distribute on June 2, 2019.  She will be subject to supervised release for three years after service of her sentence.

"These long sentences for Universal Aryan Brotherhood members reflect the violent nature of that gang and will protect the public from the drugs and firearms these sorts of individuals bring into our communities," said U.S. Attorney Downing.  "I appreciate the continuing focus on violent gangs by our partner law enforcement agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives."

"Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents partner everyday with local and state law enforcement agencies in our joint efforts to combat any public-safety threats," said Ryan L. Spradlin, Special Agent-in-Charge of HSI Dallas.  "Gang members and drug traffickers should know that HSI has vast law enforcement resources across the globe to end their ruthless goals of wreaking havoc in our communities."  

The Pool sentence is the result of an investigation by HSI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, with assistance from the Oklahoma City Police Department and the District Attorney’s Offices for Oklahoma and Canadian Counties.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicholas J. Patterson and Wilson D. McGarry prosecuted that case.  The Long sentence is the result of an investigation by HSI, with assistance from the District 2 Drug Task Force, the Elk City Police Department, and the District Attorney’s Office for District 2, which includes Beckham County.  It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicholas J. Patterson and Jason M. Harley.  Both cases are part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a Department of Justice program to reduce violent crime.  In October 2017, the Department announced the reinvigoration of Project Safe Neighborhoods and directed U.S. Attorney’s Offices to develop crime-reduction strategies that incorporate lessons federal law enforcement has learned since the program’s launch in 2001.

Reference is made to court filings for further information.