Another Guilty Plea in Aryan Knights Investigation
Defendant Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Distribute Meth
| U.S. Attorney’s Office February 07, 2013 |
BOISE—Joseph Anthony Goulart, 42, of Caldwell, Idaho, pleaded guilty today in United States District Court to conspiring to distribute methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced.
According to information presented in court today, Goulart admitted that he entered into a conspiracy with other individuals to distribute methamphetamine. In September 2012, law enforcement agents served a search warrant on Goulart’s residence, where agents found approximately one and one-half pounds of methamphetamine.
A federal grand jury indicted Goulart on October 10, 2012. The indictment and 13 others were the result of a long-term investigation by the Treasure Valley Metro Violent Crimes Task Force. The investigation focused on illegal drug distribution by the “Aryan Knights,” a gang active 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 charge is punishable by a minimum term of 10 years up to life in prison, a maximum fine of $10 million, and a minimum term of five years of supervised release.
Sentencing is set for April 30, 2013, before the Hon. John C. Coughenour, U.S. District Judge for the Western District of Washington, at the federal courthouse in Boise.
The cases were 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 comprised 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 Aryan Knights cases are 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 comprised 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.