Alaska jury convicts 'Filthy Fuhrer' and his neo-Nazi gang of racketeering and murder: DOJ

On Monday, the Justice Department announced that a federal jury in Alaska has convicted a white supremacist prison gang leader and his associates of "RICO conspiracy, murder in aid of racketeering, kidnapping, and assault."

"Evidence presented at trial showed that Filthy Fuhrer, formerly known as Timothy Lobdell, 45, founded and led the 1488 gang from inside Alaska’s maximum-security prison, where he is serving a 19-year sentence for the attempted murder of an Alaska State Trooper. Fuhrer ordered members of the gang to commit violent kidnappings and assaults in the 'free world' outside of prison," said the statement.

According to the statement, the "1488s" — a name derived from the white supremacist "14 words" manifesto and the phrase "Heil Hitler" coded as the eighth letter of the alphabet twice — identify themselves with Nazi-derived symbols, including a "patch" tattoo of an Iron Cross on a swastika, and follow a written code that states "the only currency we recognize is violence and unquestionable loyalty."

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"Trying to impose greater organization and structure with non-incarcerated members, Fuhrer believed that some members were defying the 1488 code of conduct and diminishing the power and influence of the gang. Fuhrer sent out a trusted lieutenant with a list of directives, these directives culminated in the kidnapping and assault of two low-level gang members on April 2, 2017, and July 20, 2017, and the kidnapping, assault, and murder of Michael Staton on Aug. 3, 2017," the statement continued.

“The guilty verdicts today strike a significant blow to the highest levels of the 1488 gang,” said DOJ Criminal Division Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. “The Department of Justice and our law enforcement partners remain committed to combating and dismantling violent white supremacist gangs.”

In addition to prison gangs, white supremacist groups have sought to infiltrate institutions of power throughout society; in 2018, reports indicated that the "Atomwaffen" group infiltrated active-duty military, and experts are worried that neo-Nazis are trying to groom children to hate as well.