2 people tied to Pope County white supremacist group get light sentences in drug, conspiracy cases


Two more defendants in a long-running federal drug conspiracy and racketeering case out of Pope County were sentenced Wednesday by a federal judge, bringing the total number of defendants sentenced in the case to 29, leaving 23 remaining to be sentenced.

Courtney Talley, 35, of Dardanelle, was sentenced to 7 years, 10 months in prison to be followed by three years supervised release. Corey Ford, 29, of Pottsville, was sentenced to 3 years, 9 months in prison to be followed by five years supervised release. U.S. District Judge Brian Miller, following motions filed by attorneys for each of the defendants, varied downward significantly from the sentencing guideline recommendations.

Talley and Ford were both sentenced for their roles stemming from the activities of a violent, white supremacist gang that began as a prison gang in the 1990s but spread out into various communities as members were released from prison. A federal investigation that began in 2016 targeted members of the New Aryan Empire who were suspected of trafficking large quantities of methamphetamine into central Arkansas and later spread out to investigate suspected racketeering activities including murder, witness intimidation and other crimes.

Talley was charged in a superseding indictment handed up in February 2019 with aiding and abetting kidnapping in aid of racketeering and aiding and abetting assault with a deadly weapon in aid of racketeering. Ford was charged in the same superseding indictment with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribution of methamphetamine.

Talley was accused of being part of a group that kidnapped a person who was believed to have cooperated with authorities investigating a shooting in which co-defendant Kevin Long, a New Aryan Empire member, was implicated.

According to the superseding indictment and court testimony in the September 2021 trial of co-defendant Marcus Millsap -- the only one of the 55 defendants who elected to go to trial -- Talley, along with co-defendants Long, Shannon Ferguson, Paula Enos and Carey Mooney, kidnapped the woman identified in court records as "C.L." and took her to Talley's home, where she was beaten, stabbed, and threatened with death if she testified against Long.

According to the superseding indictment, Ford was charged in the drug conspiracy for trafficking between three and 11 pounds of methamphetamine on behalf of the New Aryan Empire, although his attorney, Debra Reece of Benton, said in a sentencing memorandum that Ford was never a member of the gang and never attended any meetings or participated in any violent crimes.

During the hearing for Talley, her attorney, Jonathan Ogles of Little Rock, asked Miller to grant a downward departure in sentencing from the guideline range of 15 years, 10 months to 19 years, 7 months in prison and to sentence his client to four years. He noted that 20 members of her family were present in the courtroom, including her daughter, who he said is about to start high school.

"Her daughter's going to be in the ninth grade," Ogles said. "She's 14 now, she's going to be a senior in four years ... give my client a chance to be there and observe her daughter's high school years -- at least some of them."

Ogles pointed out that Talley had been in federal custody since Feb. 12, 2019 -- 3 years, 4 months --saying, "as far as being punished, she's been punished."

Assistant U.S. Attorney Liza Jane Brown noted that during a sealed in camera hearing prior to the public hearing for Talley, she had presented a government motion for a downward variance. While Brown didn't say what the government believed to be a reasonable sentence, she said, "four years is just not enough, just to be frank, for what the crime was."

"If the court were to do something and you were wanting her to be able to see her daughter graduate from high school," Brown continued, "seven years would be the minimum the government would ask for."

Brown said with credit for time served, a seven-year sentence should allow Talley to be released in time to see her daughter graduate in the spring of 2026.

"I'm not saying that's what the government is asking for," she said. "I'm just making a suggestion because four years is just not enough. We have other defendants who were using, trafficking methamphetamine in large quantities and they are going to serve more time than the crime that Ms. Talley has been convicted of ... I'm not comfortable with it but that's the lowest that the government could see would be punishable for this crime."

In a brief statement, her voice breaking, Talley addressed Miller tearfully, apologizing for her crime, to her victim and to her family, and promising to stay out of trouble once she is released from prison.

"I know it's embarrassing but I love ya'll and thank ya'll for coming," she said to her family, then, turning to Miller, "Regardless of the time you give me today, the time I've done and the time I will do will not be in vain."

In sentencing Talley, Miller noted that the minimum amount of prison time recommended in the guideline range for her crime called for 188 months in prison.

"I'm going to give her 94 months, which is half of that time," Miller said. "I think that's more than lenient."

Following the sentencing, Talley turned to her family, smiled and blew kisses before she was escorted out of the courtroom.

Ford, who had a recommended guideline sentencing range of 70 to 87 months in prison, was also facing a statutory minimum sentence of 10 years for his participation in the drug distribution conspiracy. Reece, who made a motion for a downward departure during a sealed hearing prior to the public hearing, further argued that Ford had made significant gains during drug rehab treatment while he was on pre-trial release following his arrest. She said Ford far exceeded the expectations of staff at the center.

"They were concerned because of the other co-defendants who were there and that typically causes others to want to get high or to violate," Reece said. "At no point did he violate. One of his counselors said he is the only person she's had who actually went through the entire 12 steps of [Narcotics Anonymous]."

Reece said Ford worked full time for a local employer and also counseled others at the center.

"He's a very good young man who got into a bad situation," she said.

On the strength of Reece's argument and numerous letters of support, Miller agreed to a downward departure to 45 months, which he said with time served would allow Ford to leave prison in 16 months.


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