Anchorage, Alaska - Five members and associates of a violent white supremacist gang, the 1488s, were convicted Monday in Alaska by a federal jury of RICO conspiracy, murder in aid of racketeering, kidnapping, and assault.
Evidence presented at trial showed that the 1488s are a violent prison-based gang operating inside and outside of state prisons throughout Alaska. The 1488s use Nazi-derived symbols to identify themselves and their affiliation with the gang, including a 1488 “patch” tattoo which depicts an Iron Cross superimposed over a swastika. The tattoo can only be worn by “made” members who generally gained full membership by committing acts of violence on behalf of the gang. The gang has written rules and a code of conduct, including the creed that “the only currency we recognize is violence and unquestionable loyalty.”
Evidence presented at trial showed that Filthy Fuhrer, formerly known as Timothy Lobdell, 45, founded and led the 1488 gang from inside Alaska’s maximum-security prison, where he is serving a 19-year sentence for the attempted murder of an Alaska State Trooper. Fuhrer ordered members of the gang to commit violent kidnappings and assaults in the “free world” outside of prison. Trying to impose greater organization and structure with non-incarcerated members, Fuhrer believed that some members were defying the 1488 code of conduct and diminishing the power and influence of the gang. Fuhrer sent out a trusted lieutenant with a list of directives, these directives culminated in the kidnapping and assault of two low-level gang members on April 2, 2017, and July 20, 2017, and the kidnapping, assault, and murder of Michael Staton on Aug. 3, 2017.
According to evidence presented at trial, 1488 members Roy Naughton, aka Thumper, 43; Glen Baldwin, aka Glen Dog, 40; and Colter O’Dell, 29, worked with Craig King, aka Oakie, 56, who was a member of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club, to kidnap and murder one of the victims, who had previously stolen from both King and the 1488s. King lined a room with plastic, where he and the 1488 defendants beat and tortured the victim. Baldwin and O’Dell then took the victim out to the woods, shot him, and burned his body. O’Dell earned his membership patch into the 1488s by committing the murder of Staton.
“The guilty verdicts today strike a significant blow to the highest levels of the 1488 gang,” said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The Department of Justice and our law enforcement partners remain committed to combating and dismantling violent white supremacist gangs.”
“Violent gangs, especially those based upon racial hatred, are a plague to our society,” said U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker for the District of Alaska. “As this case demonstrates, the crimes of organized prison gangs often go beyond the prison walls bringing violence into our communities. Today’s convictions are a major disruption to the operation of the 1488 prison gang and hold accountable those who order or commit brutal and heinous crimes. We will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to identify, investigate and prosecute violent gang crimes regardless of where they take place. There is no higher priority than keeping our communities and the citizens of Alaska safe.”
“Today’s verdict demonstrates the FBI’s commitment to investigating and dismantling violent gangs, regardless of where they are being operated and who is leading them,” said FBI Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the Criminal Investigative Division. “In collaboration with our federal, state, local and international partners, we will aggressively target and pursue violent offenders. This verdict sends a clear signal to others who engage in gang violence that we will hold them accountable and bring them to justice.”
“The inhumanity shown by members of the 1488 criminal enterprise, to include the kidnapping, torture, and murder of Michael Staton, is a gruesome example of why we must identify and dismantle violent criminal organizations,” said Special Agent in Charge Antony Jung of the FBI Anchorage Field Office. “The morally despicable extremist prison gang has been seriously undermined thanks to the robust and effective, coordinated law enforcement and prosecution efforts shown throughout this case. These convictions will certainly make our community a safer place.”
Fuhrer was convicted of racketeering conspiracy, conspiracy in aid of racketeering, murder in aid of racketeering, kidnapping resulting in death, three counts of kidnapping conspiracy, two counts of kidnapping and two counts of assault in aid of racketeering. Naughton was convicted of racketeering conspiracy, conspiracy in aid of racketeering, murder in aid of racketeering, kidnapping resulting in death, three counts of kidnapping conspiracy, two counts of kidnapping and two counts of assault in aid of racketeering. Baldwin, O’Dell, and King were convicted of racketeering conspiracy, conspiracy in aid of racketeering, murder in aid of racketeering, kidnapping resulting in death, and kidnapping conspiracy. All five defendants face a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole for the murder.
The FBI’s Safe Streets Task Force and the Alaska State Troopers, Alaska Bureau of Investigation, investigated the case in conjunction with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Alaska and the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section (OCGS). Investigative assistance was provided by the IRS Criminal Investigation; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, Anchorage Police Department (APD), and the State of Alaska’s Department of Corrections.
Trial Attorney Jeremy Franker of the Criminal Division’s OCGS and Assistant U.S. Attorneys William Taylor, James Klugman and Chris Schroeder are prosecuting the case.
