Guilty Plea in Aryan Knights Case
| U.S. Attorney’s Office November 19, 2012 |
BOISE—Joshua Trent, 31, of Boise, Idaho, pleaded guilty today in United States District Court in Boise to possessing an unregistered firearm, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced.
According to the plea agreement, Trent admitted that on May 7, 2012, he was in possession of two sawed-off shotguns, which he then sold to an individual who was working with law enforcement officers. Trent was also prohibited from possessing the shotguns because he was previously convicted of the felony crime of aggravated assault in 2000. Trent’s case is a part of a larger, ongoing investigation involving the Aryan Knights gang.
The charge of possessing an unregistered firearm is punishable by up to 10 years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000, and up to three years’ supervised release.
Sentencing is set for February 5, 2013, before Chief U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill, at the federal courthouse in Boise.
A trial for co-defendant Christina Shantell Massie, 35, of Boise, is set for December 3.
This indictment and 12 others charging 21 defendants is the result of a joint investigation of the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), which 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; U.S. Marshals Service; and the Treasure Valley Metro Violent Crime Task Force, a task force composed of federal, state, and local agencies, including the Boise Police Department, Ada County Sheriff’s Office, Caldwell Police Department, Nampa Police Department, Meridian Police Department, and Canyon County Sheriff’s Office; the Twin Falls Police Department; Twin Falls Sheriff’s Office; Idaho State Police; and District 3 Probation and Parole.
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. Through the investigation, law enforcement agents identified Aryan Knights gang members who were trafficking methamphetamine, as well as associates of the gang who were the source of that methamphetamine.
The Trent case is being prosecuted by the special assistant U.S. Attorney hired by the Treasure Valley Partnership and the state of Idaho to address gang crimes. The Treasure Valley Partnership is composed of a group of elected officials in southwest Idaho dedicated to regional coordination, cooperation, and collaboration on creating coherent regional growth. For more information, visit treasurevalleypartners.org.