An inmate at the Arkansas Department of Corrections' maximum security unit at Tucker was sentenced to 40 years in prison Wednesday in federal court for threatening two FBI agents whom he blamed for his return to prison on a parole violation, as well as additional threats he was accused of making after he was indicted and even after he pleaded guilty.
Clayton Jackson, 35, of DeWitt, pleaded guilty in November before U.S. District Judge Susan Webber Wright to three counts of threatening to assault and murder a federal official and two counts of mailing threatening communications. But those threats did not stop with Jackson's guilty plea, prosecutors said, bringing out in court Wednesday during his sentencing hearing that Jackson had continued issuing threats, including a threat to kill former U.S. Attorney Cody Hiland, who left the U.S. attorney's office at the end of December.
Wright sentenced Jackson to the maximum 10 years for each of the five counts and ordered four of the sentences to run consecutively. Under the federal system, Jackson must serve at least 85%, or 34 years of the sentence before he is eligible for release.
According to a criminal complaint filed by FBI Special Agent Aaron Hurst, who investigated the threats, Jackson blamed two FBI agents for his current imprisonment after he was sentenced to two years for violating his parole.
On Jan. 30, 2020, a letter from Jackson arrived at the FBI's Little Rock office from Jackson. In the letter, the complaint said, Jackson wrote, "you can make it clear to agent G, that I swear before God above when I get out of this place and ADC can't hold me past 2022, I promise not threaten but promise I will kill his a * *, take it at face value or whatever but he will die."
A subsequent letter on March 9, 2020, addressed to another FBI agent, reiterated and expanded the threat.
"When I am released from this prison I have two (2) bullettes with both your names on it," the letter read, "and I swear with everything in me I will stop at nothing to kill both of you."
The complaint said that when Hurst interviewed Jackson about the letters on March 17, 2020, Jackson blurted out, "It's not an idle threat, it's a guaranteed promise."
In court Wednesday, Hurst said that after Jackson's indictment June 4 last year, authorities intercepted additional letters from Hurst in which he stated his intention to escape from prison and kill additional people, including the former U.S. attorney.
"I'm going to use the excuse I was just p * * * * * at the time when I threatened FBI Special Agent A.G.," Hurst quoted from a letter signed by Jackson on June 26, 2020. "But one thing's for sure, he will be killed, and that's how I will make a name for our organization."
"What organization was he referring to?" asked Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Givens.
"He refers in the letter to the White Pride Mafia," Hurst said. "He states that 'all these people think I'm blowing smoke but once we make our move, White Pride Mafia... will be a household name.' He later details a plan on how to do that."
That plan, Hurst said, included escaping from federal custody during his sentencing hearing and killing federal officials.
Jackson's attorney, Molly K. Sullivan with the federal public defenders office in Little Rock, asked Wright to consider a sentence within the guidelines but Givens argued the gravity of the offenses and Jackson's continued threats justified more severe punishment.
"He's been a criminal his whole life and he's upped the ante by trying to have people killed and he repeatedly did that after he was in custody," Givens said. "I do believe that Mr. Jackson needs to be locked up and kept away from people... for decades."
Wright agreed that a substantial sentence was called for.
"A guideline sentence is not appropriate here, 175 months is not enough," she said. "You're still a young man and your criminal history tells me that you are likely to reoffend. And you are telling me that you are likely to reoffend."
After the hearing, FBI spokesman Connor Hagan said his office was pleased with sentence and he praised the prosecution's work.
"Especially today in highlighting the actions that Mr. Jackson took after his indictment and even after his conviction, after he pled guilty," Hagan said. "Those actions were articulated very well by the U.S. attorney's office and we appreciate that."