Defendant Arrested in November 2014 Operation Targeting Members and Associates of Various White Supremacist Organizations
DALLAS - Convicted Aryan Brotherhood of Texas member Casey Rose, 36, of Mesquite, Texas, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Jane J. Boyle to life in federal prison, following his conviction at trial in September 2015 on conspiracy, drug trafficking and firearm charges, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.
Specifically, the jury convicted Rose on one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, one count of possession of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Judge Boyle sentenced him to life in federal prison on the conspiracy conviction, 240 months on the possession conviction and 120 months on the firearm conviction, all to run concurrently.
Rose has been in custody since his arrest in mid-November 2014 following a law enforcement operation led by the Texas Department of Public Safety Criminal Investigations Division (DPS-CID). During that operation, 37 individuals were arrested and charged with similar federal offenses, stemming from their respective roles in a drug distribution conspiracy that operated in North Texas and elsewhere from January 2013 to October 2014. Of those arrested, each defendant pleaded guilty, except Rose, who elected to go to trial. One defendant remains a fugitive.
In November 2015, during the second phase of that investigation, an additional 54 individuals, members and associates of various white supremacist organizations, were charged with federal offenses stemming from their roles in the same drug distribution conspiracy that operated in North Texas and elsewhere from January 2013 to November 2015. Most of these defendants have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing.
Rose was a member of the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas (ABT). Many of the defendants were members of, or associated with white supremacist organizations, such as the ABT, the “Aryan Circle," the “Irish Mob," and the “Dirty White Boys." Despite their differences, they would often collaborate for purposes of drug distribution or other illegal ventures.
The government presented evidence at trial that Rose purchased and distributed methamphetamine throughout the Dallas metroplex and used violence in obtaining large quantities of methamphetamine. The trial also included expert testimony regarding the formation, history, and mission of the ABT.
The DPS-CID Gang Unit and the Dallas Police Department Criminal Intelligence Unit led the investigation. Officer and agents from the Garland Police Department Neighborhood Police Officer Unit, the Mesquite and Rockwall Police Departments and U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) also provided assistance in the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney P. J. Meitl is in charge of prosecuting the nearly 100 defendants charged in these two cases.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
