The racketeering trial of a Pope County man shifted into high gear Wednesday when prosecutors put a former member of the New Aryan Empire on the stand.
Marcus O. "Red" Millsap, 53, of Danville is charged with conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), aiding and abetting attempted murder in aid of racketeering, and conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
Millsap is accused by federal prosecutors of being part of a major drug trafficking conspiracy run by a white-supremacist group based in Pope County, and he is also accused of soliciting the killing of a confidential informant -- identified as Bruce Wayne Hurley -- who was found shot in front of his Atkins home May 2, 2016. Hurley, who was 49, died at a Russellville hospital. Millsap is accused in the indictment of trying to get members of the New Aryan Empire to kill Hurley.
The trial is being presided over by U.S. District Judge Brian Miller.
For more than an hour-and-a-half, Jeffrey "100%" Knox testified to the inner workings of the white supremacy organization, walking jurors through his experiences since he first connected with the group 20 years ago.
On Nov. 12, 2020, Knox pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate RICO and one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Under intense questioning from Assistant U.S. Attorney Liza Jane Brown, Knox gave a detailed description of the inner workings of the white supremacist group.
Knox, shackled and in leg irons and wearing an orange jumpsuit from the Pulaski County jail, was led into the courtroom by U.S. marshals past Millsap, who did not look at him as he came into the courtroom.
Knox testified that he was offered a spot in the New Aryan Empire when he was in the Benton County jail on drug charges nearly two decades ago and "I got into it with a Black inmate."
"I learned that it was formed in 1990 by McKelley and Michael Harris," Knox said of the founding of the group. "It was supposed to help the white race because it was so overpopulated and there were too many Black gangs."
Knox gave a long, detailed explanation of the organization's rituals, the meanings of its tattoos and symbols.
"Why is the swastika important in white supremacy?" asked Brown.
"It's a sign of Hitler," said Knox.
"What about the lightning bolt?"
"It's a sign of Hitler."
Knox explained that male members of the gang are called "peckerwoods" and the women are referred to as "featherwoods." He explained the meaning of numerous tattoos on his body, including a stomach tattoo that resembled a woodpecker with the initials "WP" on either side.
"You get a bunch of peckerwoods in an area and they're a pile," he said. "A wood pile."
He also explained that the initials WP stood for "White Pride."
About a tattoo on his neck that read 100% Honky, "that means I'm 100% white."
A tattoo on his neck that once read "Thank God I'm White" was altered to read "Thank God for White Tails" bordered by two deer hoof patterns, which he said was done because he was trying to get away from the New Aryan Empire.
During a bench conference called to discuss aspects of Knox's testimony, Millsap stood and stretched, prompting three U.S. marshal escorts to also stand, watching him warily as he stretched his arms and cracked his knuckles.
Later, Knox said the group held regular meetings every Sunday, which were referred to as "church," but he said after the group's outside president, Wesley Gullett, a co-conspirator in the case, was arrested, the cohesiveness of the organization began to fall apart.
"Nobody was really running the meetings after Wes got locked up," he said.
Asked what the most severe sanction could be for a member who broke the rules, Knox said, "I guess you can be killed."
"What's that for?" asked Brown.
"Talking to law enforcement, I guess," Knox replied.
"Isn't that what you're doing now?" Brown asked.
"Yes," Knox said, with a downward glance. "I guess so."
Knox said the attraction he had to the organization was that it made him feel important and part of a family.
"I didn't have any brothers growing up so they were like my brothers," he said. "It was like being a part of something."
"What did you all do?" asked Brown.
"Drugs, back then," he said.
"In prison, what did you do?" she asked.
"We worked out on the yard and looked out for each other," he said.
During more than 90 minutes of testimony, Millsap was not mentioned. Millsap is not alleged to have been a member of the New Aryan Empire, but the U.S. attorney's office has alleged that he was an associate, purchasing methamphetamine from Gullett to sell to others.
Knox described how he and Gullett drove to California to purchase methamphetamine after one of their suppliers in the New Aryan Empire was arrested, and how he continued to make those trips even after Gullett was arrested. Before Gullett's arrest, Knox said, he would receive an ounce of methamphetamine for each trip to California, where the two men would pick up at least a pound of the drug to transport back to Arkansas.
As testimony concluded, Millsap pulled his mask away from his face and looked toward his mother, father and wife sitting in the gallery, smiled and mouthed, "I love you," as he tapped his chest with one hand, before the marshals led him away.
Knox is scheduled to go back on the witness stand at 9 a.m. today. After Brown's direct examination concludes, Millsap's attorneys, Tre Kitchens and Lee Curry, will begin cross examination.