Two defendants in a drug conspiracy case linked to the white supremacist group New Aryan Empire that was active in drug trafficking and racketeering in Pope County were sentenced Wednesday -- one to prison and one to probation -- for their roles in a wide-ranging drug trafficking conspiracy that was directed by the group.
Darlene Walker, 65, of Russellville and Tony Heydenreich, 45, of Deer, were indicted in 2017 on a federal count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in a multicount indictment that eventually encompassed 55 defendants, 53 of whom pleaded guilty to a variety of charges, one whom was found guilty following a 14-day trial last year, and one who has been a fugitive since 2017.
Walker, who pleaded guilty July 1, 2020, to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, was sentenced to five years in prison.
Heydenreich, who pleaded guilty Aug. 12, 2020, to use of a communications facility in the commission of a drug trafficking crime, was sentenced to three years' probation. Additionally, U.S. District Judge Brian Miller ordered Heydenreich to pay a $2,500 fine and to perform 120 hours of community service.
Walker appeared in court with her attorney, Jeff Rosenzweig, who asked Miller to show leniency to his client by granting a downward variance from the maximum five-year sentence he had negotiated with government prosecutors to a sentence of probation.
Miller said that he was very familiar with the case and with Walker's involvement.
"I sat through the trial of [co-defendant Marcus] Millsap," Miller said. "I had countless witnesses come in and testify as to what was going on with this case ... I see the amount of drugs attributable to Ms. Walker ... I saw that she was capped out at five years and that was very surprising to me."
Miller said Walker was originally facing a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison on the conspiracy count. He noted that the case has two sides which he characterized as the "NAE side" which involved racketeering, violent crimes such as kidnapping, attempted murder, maiming and assault, and the "Loadholdt-Singleton side" which was primarily engaged in drug trafficking. The Loadholdt-Singleton side moniker was a reference to co-defendants Troy "Tricky" Loadholdt, who has been a fugitive since 2017, and David "LA" Singleton, who was sentenced to 131 months in prison for his part in the drug trafficking conspiracy.
"I've given out sentences all the way up to 30 years in this case," Miller said, referring to some of the higher-end sentences he has handed down to defendants involved in racketeering and violence, including the NAE's outside president, Wesley Gullett, who is currently serving a 35-year prison term, or NAE members Jeffrey Knox, who was sentenced to 33 years, and Adam Mitchell and Christopher Buber, who were each sentenced to 27 years.
Of the drug conspiracy defendants who were not involved in violent acts directed by the NAE, many received prison terms ranging from five years to 15 years in prison for their crimes, with lower end sentences going to co-defendants who testified in the Millsap trial. Miller noted that Walker had not testified.
Rosenzweig told Miller that, at 65, Walker's health was precarious, that she was caring for an ill spouse and providing a home for her grandchildren. In a sentencing memorandum filed last month, Rosenzweig said that Walker's involvement in the drug conspiracy stemmed from the involvement of younger family members.
"She is remorseful for her conduct," the attorney said. "She's not disclaiming her responsibility."
Miller then turned to Assistant U.S. Attorney Liza Jane Brown.
"How much time does she specifically need to spend in prison to punish her for this particular crime?" he asked the prosecutor.
Brown said Walker's plea agreement took into account all factors related to her case and the government was asking for five years in prison.
"If you look into the facts of Ms. Walker and how she played into this case, her house was used, she had packages of meth shipped there and was distributing it to others," Brown said. "She wasn't the bottom person."
Walker, in an impassioned plea for mercy, spoke for about 10 minutes, protested the government's characterization of her actions, denied having had drugs shipped to her home, and even suggested that Brown's prosecution of her was due to personal animosity.
"I'm human," Walker said. "I made a mistake -- the biggest mistake I ever made in my life."
At one point, Rosenzweig reached over as if to stop Walker, but she jerked away from him.
"Let me speak my truth, please," she said. "Do I deserve to be in prison? No, I don't. Sometimes we do things that are not the best judgment of ourselves."
Miller said throughout the case he received a lot of information and heard a great deal of testimony, to the point that he was surprised when he saw Walker's plea deal that capped her exposure to five years in prison.
"The question is, what is an appropriate sentence?" he asked. "I'll tell you with all the information I have in this case, an appropriate sentence is 10 years, but I can't give it to you. I can't give you what's appropriate. Mr. Rosenzweig has worked every angle in this case to where I can max you out at five, so I'm going to send you to the Bureau of Prisons for a term of 60 months."
In addition to the five-year prison sentence, Miller ordered Walker to serve two years on supervised release after she leaves prison. He allowed her to remain on bond until Jan. 3, when she is to self-report to the Bureau of Prisons.