ALEXANDRIA, La. – Three members of a white supremacist group pleaded guilty in connection with the death of an Evangeline Parish man.

David Wayne Williams, 38, of Sulphur, a senior leader in the gang, and Leland Hamm, 43, of Tulsa, Oklahoma, pleaded guilty to being accessories-after-the-fact in the violent crimes in aid of racketeering murder of Clifton Hallmark, 51, of Turkey Creek, before U.S. District Court Judge Dee D. Drell in the Western District of Louisiana. The three are members of the Aryan Circle. Williams also pleaded guilty to narcotics trafficking and weapons possession, stated in a release. According to officials, another member of that gang murdered Hallmark to increase his status in the group.

On July 25, Richard Alan Smith, 47, of Little Rock, Arkansas, also pleaded guilty to the accessory-after-the-fact charge in the racketeering murder of Clifton Hallmark, stated Joseph.

According to the plea agreements of the defendants, the AC is a powerful race-based, multi-state organization that operates inside and outside of state and federal prisons throughout Texas, Louisiana, and the United States. The AC was established in the mid-1980s within the Texas prison system. Recently, the AC’s structure and influence expanded to rural and suburban areas throughout Texas, Louisiana, and Missouri. The AC emerged as an independent organization during a period of turmoil within the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas. The AC was relatively small in comparison to other prison-based gangs, but grew in stature and influence in the 1990s, largely through violent conflict with other gangs.

The plea agreements further state that the AC enforces its rules and promotes discipline among its members, prospects and associates through murder, attempted murder, assault, robbery and threats against those who violate the rules or pose a threat to the organization. Members, and oftentimes associates, are required to follow the orders of higher-ranking members without question.

By pleading guilty to the accessory charge, Williams, Hamm, and Smith admitted to being members of the AC criminal enterprise. Williams admitted to being a senior leader of the gang, stated in the release.

Sentencing for Williams and Hamm has been scheduled for Nov. 20 and Dec. 13, respectively, before Judge Dee D. Drell. Sentencing for Smith has been scheduled for November 20.

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Posted: Mar 20, 2018

LAFAYETTE, La. – Eight alleged members or associates of the Aryan Circle (AC) have been indicted and arrested for their alleged roles in the 2016 murder of an alleged fellow AC gang member in Evangeline Parish, according to US Attorney Alexander Van Hook.

An indictment, returned by a federal grand jury on March 14, charges seven defendants with being accessories-after-the-fact in violent crimes in aid of racketeering murder of Clifton Hallmark, a press release states.

The defendants charged in the superseding indictment are 36-year-old David Wayne Williams, aka Big Dave, of Sulphur, Louisiana; 38-year-old Christina Marie Williams of Sulphur, Louisiana; 36-year-old Brian Elliot Granger, aka Sneak, of Beaumont, Texas; 43-year-old Leland Edward Hamm of Tulsa, Oklahoma; 47-year-old Richard Alan Smith of Little Rock, Arkansas; 34-year-old Michael Paul Auxilien of Mamou, Louisiana; and 49-year-old Stone Haynes of Beaumont, Texas.

Another indictment charges alleged AC gang member 38-year-old Jeremy Jordan of Orange, Texas, for the racketeering murder of Clifton Hallmark. That indictment was returned by the federal grand jury on Dec. 14, 2017, and unsealed today.

According to the indictment, the AC is a race-based, multi-state organization that operates inside and outside of state and federal prisons throughout Texas, Louisiana, and the United States.

The following information was provided by the Department of Justice:

The AC was established in the mid-1980s within the Texas prison system (TDCJ). Recently, the AC’s structure and influence expanded to rural and suburban areas throughout Texas, Louisiana, and Missouri. The AC emerged as an independent organization during a period of turmoil within the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas (ABT). The AC was relatively small in comparison to other prison-based gangs, but grew in stature and influence within TDCJ in the 1990s, largely through violent conflict with other gangs, white and non-white alike.

The indictment further alleges that the AC enforces its rules and promotes discipline among its members, prospects, and associates through murder, attempted murder, assault, robbery and threats against those who violate the rules or pose a threat to the organization. Members, and oftentimes, associates, are required to follow the orders of higher-ranking members without question.

This case is being investigated by a multi-agency task force consisting of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; the Drug Enforcement Administration; Federal Bureau of Prisons; Louisiana State Police; Evangeline Parish, Louisiana Sheriff’s Office; Evangeline Parish District Attorney’s Office; Texas Department of Public Safety; Houston Police Department-Gang Division; Texas Department of Criminal Justice; the Carrollton, Texas, Police Department; and the Montgomery County Constable Precinct 1 in Texas.