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Idaho feds to-do list: Target elder abuse and cripple the state's most infamous gang
Aug 05, 2024
Show notesSuccessful prosecutions will lead to some key sentencings in the coming months. ( U.S. Department of Justice, 123rf)
The effort to cripple one of the most notorious gangs in Idaho history is heading where law enforcement had hoped: a federal courtroom. And the man in charge at the U.S. Attorney’s office in Idaho know the case all-to-well.
“I was the lead prosecutor on the case before I became U.S. Attorney, and it has been making its way through the system since then,” said Josh Hurwit, U.S. Attorney for the District of Idaho. “It’s been a complex investigation.”
Hurwit visited with Morning Edition host George Prentice to talk about the case against the Aryan Knights, the infamous white supremacist gang operating inside the walls of Idaho prisons. Hurwit also updates listeners on one of his office’s other high priorities: finding and convicting those targeting Idaho’s elderly. The most recent case uncovered a plot by an Idaho couple that kicked an elderly woman out of her own house.
Read the transcript below:
PRENTICE: It's Morning Edition. Good morning. I'm George Prentice. Law and order will frame our conversation for the next several minutes, because we are honored to spend some time again with Josh Hurwitt, the United States Attorney for the District of Idaho. U.S. attorney Hurwitt, welcome back to the broadcast.
HURWIT: Hey, George. Thank you. It's my honor to be with you.
PRENTICE: Absolutely. Up top. I'd like to spend some time talking about a rather grim topic, but we probably need to talk about elder abuse in Idaho and the many forms of abuse that some of our most vulnerable neighbors may be victim to. And this is something that you, your office, and your colleagues have been trying to elevate in our consciousness. So talk to me about elder abuse and the many forms it takes.
HURWIT: Yes. Thank you George. And you're absolutely right. As generally in this country, the population ages Criminals are targeting our older Americans more commonly, more often and more viciously as well. And I would tell you that in terms of the forms of elder abuse that we're seeing, it largely falls into two buckets. The first bucket would be known actor abuse or known actor exploitation, which by by the description you know, signifies that a victim is victimized by someone they know could even be relatives. Which is very sad to say. Wow. Um, who takes advantage of their financial resources and sometimes leaves them, you know, destitute or suffering physically, emotionally or in terms of their health? So that's a very sad form, obviously, of elder abuse. And we call that known actor abuse. The second form is very prevalent. I'm sure that everyone has received attempts to scam them from from criminals online. This is happening far too frequently. Sadly, with our older population, um, there's a whole litany and variety of different schemes that criminals use to again take advantage of our elder population, some of whom are lonely, isolated, looking for support through online means and criminals take advantage of that. And in this situation generally, the the crime is to financially exploit them.
PRENTICE: And I have heard of some criminals even pretending to be, well, officials Social Security Administration officials, which can certainly get their attention pretty darn quick. But that is a scam. Yes. I mean, when they try to get their Social Security numbers or personal identification from them because of their benefits.
HURWIT: That's that's exactly right. We see all types of what we call imposter scams. So criminals posing as, as you mentioned, Social Security Administration employees, law enforcement officers telling people, you know, you have a a fine to pay or a warrant that's outstanding, that you need to pay a fine to avoid. These are all, you know, criminal schemes, law enforcement and federal officials will not just call someone and ask them to to pay a fine without going through a pretty lengthy process if there is an issue. Another sort of red flag to look out for is that a lot of times these criminals are asking people to pay a fine or resolve some issue through payment in cryptocurrency or gift cards. The government, state, local, federal never try to resolve an issue through those types of means.
PRENTICE: Um, in regards to your efforts to catch these bad actors. Talk to me about that. And you have had some success. Yes. You've got a sentencing I know coming up later this summer. Yes.
HURWIT: So we have a really important case to us, um, that exemplifies the first type of abuse that I mentioned, that known actor abuse. What happened in this case is a retired this is local to Ada County, a retired school teacher. Um, was enjoying her retirement. Uh, had a very nice property, sort of a ranch in Ada County and, you know, needed some help with the upkeep and sort of friends of her family. Uh, a married couple moved in, and the husband is now convicted of, uh, engaging in a scheme to essentially obtain that ranch, her property through what appeared to her to be legitimate sort of power of attorney type estate planning documents. But in essence, he was stealing the property from her. They kicked her out of the property, and now they're facing sentencing in August. The husband for the fraud and the wife for obstruction of justice during the course of the investigation.
PRENTICE: Wow. Before I let you go, I have to ask about Aryan Knights. Only because we have been reading more and more about this gang operating inside the walls of Idaho prisons. And most recently, you have secured another conviction, or at least another one of the suspects pleading guilty. Uh, what? What do you tell a stranger about the Aryan Knights? It's a white supremacist gang within the prison, right? Yep.
HURWIT: That's the the very quick summary. Um, it's been operating in Idaho prison facilities for decades now. Our case that we're wrapping up, um, was indicted in 2019 against ten defendants. I know it well, actually, I was the lead prosecutor on the case before I became US attorney, and it's been making its way through the system since that time took a long time, as you can tell. Um, for a variety of reasons, a complex investigation, a complex case. At this time. We're pleased to report, though, that all of the ten defendants that were indicted have now pleaded guilty. Two are yet to be sentenced in the upcoming months.
PRENTICE: And their M.O. is intimidation and violence. Yes.
HURWIT: Essentially, yes. And also drug smuggling. That's that's something that maybe people don't understand occurs within the prison system. It's a huge problem that the FBI and IDoc, the Idaho Department of Correction, are working together on as we speak, and something we'll continue to to prosecute as federal crimes occur. But essentially, the Aryan Knights would obtain power over other inmates through extortion, through threats of violence, through actual violence. One of the defendants in our case was charged and pleaded guilty to an attempted murder. And now he has a life sentence in federal prison. Um, so one of the goals of the case was to break up the gang within the walls of the state prison and disperse them throughout the country to federal prisons. There's still more work to be done when it comes to this gang, but we're very proud of the work that's occurred in my office in this ten defendant case.
PRENTICE: And there are still some sentencings coming up. Yes.
HURWIT: That's correct. I believe we have one in in August and then one in October. And that will, uh, mark the conclusion of this case, which was brought under the Rico act. But as I said, we continue to work very closely and collaboratively with IDoc and the FBI to address any federal crimes that occur in our prison system in Idaho.
PRENTICE: How do you best characterize this? Have you wounded this gang? Have you crushed this gang?
HURWIT: You know, I think time will tell to be perfectly blunt with you, but I certainly think we broke up the leadership at the time. I don't think that it's as powerful and organized and strong as it was, but it certainly still exists and is a threat within the system. And there's also individuals that work with the gang outside of the prison, which is a very concerning and something that we're focused on prosecuting.
PRENTICE: And to be clear, one of your most recent guilty pleas was with one of the leaders of the gang. So you are going right to the head of of the monster, if you will.
HURWIT: You know, the ten individuals that we indicted were essentially the leadership structure. Mhm. Um, and the individual that just pleaded guilty on James Ramsey was the overall leader, um, in the time leading up to our indictment. And, uh, you know, we're pleased to see justice served for him. And in this case, in general.
PRENTICE: Congratulations on that. And thank you for what you do every day. And he is Josh Hurwitz, the United States Attorney for the District of Idaho. And Mr. Hurwit, thanks so very much for giving me some time.
HURWIT: My pleasure. Always great to be with you and take care.
Idaho Matters Reporter Roundtable: August 2, 2024
Aug 02, 2024
Show notesUnited States' Alyssa Mendoza hits Brazil's Jucielen Cerqueira in their women's 57 kg preliminary boxing match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, in Paris, France.(Ariana Cubillos / AP)
It’s Friday, which means it's time for our Reporter Roundtable when Idaho Matters gets you up to date on all the news that made headlines this past week.
What Blaine County is doing to address climate change
Aug 01, 2024
Show notes(<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/mtnclimer67/">andy jalakas</a> / Flickr)
Blaine County has officially completed its first climate action plan, with county officials calling it a monumental endeavor.
The plan is designed to enhance climate change mitigation and adaptation outcomes on a regional level, with the goal of setting a course for sustainability in the future.
Andrew Mentzer, Blaine County Sustainability Manager, joins Idaho Matters to talk more.
Tips to prepare your kids for the first day of school
Aug 01, 2024
Show notes(Barnaby Wasson / Flickr )
As summer winds down, many families are settling back into a routine as they gear up for a new school year.
However, for parents sending their kids off to school for the first time, it can be hard to know how to prepare them for that transition.
Amber Jayne, an early childhood education specialist, joined Idaho Matters to give us a few tips and tricks.
Idaho prepares to celebrate 250 years of independence
Aug 01, 2024
Show notes(<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/105445956@N06/">Veterans can</a> / Flickr)
As the country gets closer to celebrating 250 years of independence, many across the nation are making special preparations for the anniversary.
Here in Idaho, those preparations include a unique look at our state's history.
Janet Gallimore, the executive director of the Idaho State Historical Society, and HannahLore Hein, the Idaho State Historian, join Idaho Matters to talk more about this important milestone.
The Yellow Pine Harmonica Festival returns for its 33rd year
Aug 01, 2024
Show notes( Yellow Pine Harmonica Festival Facebook)
Over the next few days, the road to one of Idaho's smallest towns will be busy as people make their way to the annual Yellow Pine Harmonica Festival.
The event, which kicks off today, is an important one for the tight-knit community.
Longtime supporters of the fest, Brent Palmatier, TeJay Rogers and Jason Stephens join Idaho Matters to talk more about the event.
Idaho Matters Doctors Roundtable: July 31, 2024
Jul 31, 2024
Show notes(Fusion Medical Animation / Unsplash)
Cases of COVID-19 are on the rise once again. In California, cases are rising so quickly that the state is set to meet or surpass the number of cases seen in the summer of 2022, according to the California Health Department.
Here in Idaho, we're also seeing more COVID cases. So what's going on, and how will this potentially impact the start of school for kids in the Treasure Valley?
Dr. David Pate, former CEO of St. Luke's Health System, joined Idaho Matters to help answer these questions.
An economic outlook: Here's how Idaho is doing so far
Jul 31, 2024
Show notes(<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/68751915@N05/">401(K) 2012</a> / Flickr)
Idaho’s fiscal year started on July 1. The state government is already ramping up for next year’s Idaho legislative session, and state agencies have just a few weeks left to send their budget proposals to legislators, who will spend our tax dollars.
Jason Norris keeps a close eye on Idaho's economy. He’s the director of portfolio management at Ferguson Wellman Capital Management, and he was born and raised in Boise, so he knows all about the Gem State and how our economy works.
When we talked to Jason in January, he gave us his predictions about Idaho's unemployment rate, a possible recession, inflation and how Idaho is doing after the height of the COVID pandemic.
We wanted to bring him on to see how the economy has changed over the last few months, so he joined Idaho Matters for a mid-year economic outlook for Idaho.
How a new coalition is working to restore access to abortion care
Jul 31, 2024
Show notesHundreds of pro-abortion rights advocates rallied in front of the Idaho Capitol Saturday May 14, 2022. They were protesting a leaked opinion from the U.S. Supreme Court that's poised to overturn Roe v. Wade, which guaranteed a constitutional right to the procedure.(James Dawson / Boise State Public Radio)
In the two years following Idaho's near-total abortion ban, a new coalition has formed to put new legislation on the ballot.
The group, which is called Idahoans United for Women and Families, is taking action, listening to the concerns of Idahoans as they work to put an important piece of legislation on the 2026 ballot. One that would reinstate access to reproductive healthcare in the state.
Morning Edition host George Prentice sat down with the group spokesperson, Melanie Folwell, to talk more about this effort.
Why are people in Idaho hesitant to buy electric vehicles?
Jul 30, 2024
Show notes(Richard Vogel / AP)
Earlier this month, officials in Idaho announced where they want to build new electric vehicle charging stations in communities like Bliss, Fruitland, Pocatello and Jerome. This endeavor is part of a federal program to expand the nation’s charging infrastructure, which wants to offer public charging stations every 50 miles along a national network.
It’s a lack of available charging stations that has kept many from buying an EV, according to a new survey by AAA Idaho.
Only 18% of adults say they’re ready to buy an electric car, and more than 50% of them say it's because there aren’t enough charging stations and they’re afraid they’ll run out of ‘charge’ before they get to where they’re going.
Matthew Conde, AAA Idaho Public and Government Affairs Director, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about the new study.
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