Two members of the Aryan Circle were sentenced this week for crimes they committed as part of their roles in the white supremacy prison gang.
William Glenn Chunn, aka Big Head, 40, of Conroe, Texas, was sentenced yesterday to life imprisonment for Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) violations stemming from his leadership in the organization. On Nov. 26, 2021, he was convicted by a jury in the Eastern District of Texas of racketeering conspiracy for an attempted murder he ordered relating to a violent stabbing. On Oct. 3, he was also convicted by a jury in the Southern District of Mississippi of Violent Crime in Aid of Racketeering (VICAR) Attempted Murder and is awaiting sentencing in that case.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Aryan Circle is a race-based and violent prison gang with hundreds of members operating throughout the country, both inside and outside of prisons. The Aryan Circle enforces its rules and promotes discipline among its members, prospects, and associates through threats, intimidation, and acts of violence including, but not limited to, acts involving assault and murder. Members are required to follow the orders of higher-ranking members without question.
Evidence presented at trial demonstrated that Chunn is one of the highest-ranking Aryan Circle leaders in the nation. He used his leadership role to order violent stabbings against rival gang members and other victims, as well as to seek out and retaliate against those he believed were cooperating with law enforcement.
In another case, Mitchell Farkas, aka Lifter, 52, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, was sentenced on Dec. 5 to 30 years in prison for VICAR Attempted Murder and related charges stemming from his role in a separate violent prison stabbing he committed on behalf of the Aryan Circle. On Aug. 10, he was convicted by a jury in the Eastern District of Kentucky. Evidence presented at trial demonstrated that Farkas, along with another Aryan Circle member, stabbed an inmate at USP Big Sandy in Martin County, Kentucky, who the Aryan Circle believed had violated gang rules. As a result, the victim permanently lost vision in one eye.
Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Brit Featherston for the Eastern District of Texas, and U.S. Attorney Carlton S. Shier, IV for the Eastern District of Kentucky made the announcement.
The cases were investigated by the following agencies: the ATF; DEA; BOP; Texas Department of Public Safety; Houston Police Department-Gang Division; Montgomery County (TX) Precinct One Constable’s Office; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations; Texas Department of Criminal Justice; New Jersey Department of Corrections-Special Investigations Division; Indiana State Police; Fort Smith (AR) Police Department; Arkansas Department of Corrections; Arnold (MO) Police Department; Jefferson County (MO) Sheriff’s Department; St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department; St. Louis County Police Department; Indiana Department of Corrections; Carrollton (TX) Police Department; Montgomery County (TX) Sheriff’s Office; Travis County (TX) Sheriff’s Office; Tarrant County (TX) Sheriff’s Office; Evangeline Parish (LA) Sheriff’s Office; Smith County (TX) Sheriff’s Office; McCurtain County (OK) Sheriff’s Office; Montgomery County (TX) District Attorney’s Office; Liberty County (TX) District Attorney’s Office; Harris County (TX) District Attorney’s Office; Mercer County (NJ) Prosecutor’s Office; Evangeline Parish (LA) District Attorney’s Office; and the Sebastian County (AR) District Attorney’s Office. The Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces provided valuable assistance.
Trial Attorney Rebecca Dunnan of the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section, Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Rapp for the Eastern District of Texas, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory Rosenberg for the Eastern District of Kentucky prosecuted the cases.
