A Russellville woman was sentenced to nearly 22 years in federal prison Friday for her role in two kidnappings carried out on behalf of a Pope County-based white supremacist drug trafficking ring.
Amanda Rapp, 40, pleaded guilty Oct. 9 before U.S. District Judge Brian Miller to two counts of kidnapping in aid of racketeering in the 2017 abduction and beating of two people suspected by members of the New Aryan Empires of cooperating with law enforcement. The supremacist group began as a prison gang in the 1990s.
Her 262-month sentence was at the low end of the recommended sentencing range of 262-327 months in prison.
Rapp's attorney, J. Brooks Wiggins of Benton, pointed out that Rapp had been in jail since her arrest in February 2019 and had successfully completed a substance abuse program while she was in jail.
"I think it's important to understand what she has focused on since her arrest," Wiggins said. "She's been very focused on moving forward and not looking backward. She knows she was involved in this, and she is extremely sorry for her participation in it, but at this point all she can do is try to prove herself moving forward at her age."
According to a second superseding indictment filed by prosecutors in September 2019, Rapp was accused of taking part in the kidnapping, beating and torture of two people identified only as "C.L." and "H.D." between June 4 and June 6 of 2017 -- along with at least nine other members of the New Aryan Empire -- as a way of improving standing in the group.
The indictment said C.L. and H.D. were abducted in retaliation for providing information to law enforcement officials related to co-defendant Kevin Long's involvement in a shooting.
According to court records, Long pleaded guilty in December to racketeering, violent crime in aid of racketeering and narcotics conspiracy charges. He faces a maximum penalty of life in prison when sentenced.
In a 2019 hearing for a co-defendant, Shannon Ferguson, testimony by an FBI agent indicated that after Long was arrested May 20, 2017, on a charge of possession of a firearm by certain persons members of the group suspected H.D., who lived in the home where the gun was found, of leading police to Long. The woman known as C.L., identified as H.D.'s girlfriend, was also accused of providing information on Long.
C.L. was lured on May 28, 2017, to a location where Ferguson and others were waiting, an agent testified. She was held down, stabbed and beaten before being allowed to leave the next day, the agent testified.
On June 4, 2017, H.D. and C.L. were tricked into going somewhere where they were boxed in by New Aryan Empire members who took them to another location in Russellville, tied them down and beat them, the agent said.
At some point during the beatings, the agent testified, a knife was heated up with a flame and pressed onto H.D.'s face, resulting in permanent disfigurement.
While Rapp did not have an extensive criminal history and did not actively participate in the beatings or torture, her culpability in the crime was clear, said Liza Brown, assistant U.S. attorney. He added that it was the organization's policy to retaliate against any member who cooperated with law enforcement.
"She didn't actually stab or maim one of the victims, which she's not charged with," Brown said. "You've got two individuals who talked to law enforcement, and Ms. Rapp was at a meeting talking about an SOS, or smash on sight, before the kidnappings. So she's there, she knows what's going on before the kidnappings happen."
Brown said that after the kidnappings, Rapp went to the house where C.L. and H.D. were being held and witnessed H.D. being beaten, stabbed, maimed and bitten by a dog, and actively participated in the beating of C.L.
"She was beat on," Brown said of C.L. "Her hair was pulled, she was beat down twice."
"There are reasons for sentencing," Miller said. "Some is to punish the actual crime, which for this crime, 20-something years is what it is, but also because if I under-sentence what does that say not only for what happened, what society will tolerate, what else does it say to someone who may be considering joining one of these groups?"
Miller said he was reluctant to give too light a sentence because it might encourage others, but he said too harsh a sentence might also be counterproductive.
"I think I'm going to see people come in later that I'll give the higher end of the guideline range who were more brutal than Ms. Rapp," Miller said. "She went along and helped out and did some things, but she was not the person who was there stabbing the person or beating them in the head with a bat."
Brown said a lower range sentence, that was still within the guidelines, would be most appropriate.
"I want the court to understand that there are a variety of individuals who are each individually culpable, but at the same time, Ms. Rapp made a choice to go over there," Brown said. "She didn't just happen to be there and then they showed up."
As Miller discussed sentencing options and what programs might be available to her while in prison, Rapp began to cry softly when it became clear that the judge intended to impose a sentence of at least 20 years.
"I'm not going to sit here and look in your face and tell you that's not a hard sentence," Miller said to Rapp. "But I do think based on the facts I have here and everything involved in the case, I can't sit here and say it's not a reasonable sentence."
As Miller announced her sentence, Rapp began to shake and cry harder, wiping her face with her sleeve. After explaining her appeal rights, he asked if she understood, and Rapp briefly nodded her head, not looking up.
"Is that a yes?" Miller asked.
"Yes, sir," Rapp said, her voice breaking.
She then stood for the federal marshals to escort her back to the Greene County jail to await processing to the Bureau of Prisons.
Information for this article was contributed by Linda Satter for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.