Five members or associates of an alleged neo-Nazi, white supremacist group known as the Connecticut White Wolves have been indicted by a federal grand jury, accused of conspiring to sell guns and homemade hand grenades to what they thought was a similar group out of state.
The group, also known as Battalion 14, is believed to have been formed in the southern part of the state within the past decade by a collection of young, self-professed "skinheads." More recently, the group has attracted the attention of civil rights groups because of its recruiting efforts and its involvement in disruptive and violent acts.
One of those indicted is black. His lawyer said the man was not a member of the group but might have been charged under federal conspiracy law for conversations he had with a group member. The lawyer said he did not have the opportunity to discuss the case fully with his client Monday.
The five were charged with a variety of conspiracy and weapons violations, according to the indictment made public Monday at federal court in Bridgeport.
Those named in the indictment are White Wolves members Kenneth Zrallack, 29, of Ansonia; Alexander DeFelice, 32, of Milford; and William R. Bolton, 31, of Stratford, who is serving in the U.S. Army. Also charged were Edwin T. Westmoreland, 27, of Stratford, accused of participating in the group's activities, and David Sutton, 46, of Milford, who is described as a DeFelice associate.
The Anti-Defamation League says that in recent years, the White Wolves have become a potentially dangerous group.
"Over the past two years, what began as a small collection of racist skinheads in Stratford, Connecticut, has grown into the largest and most active extremist group in the state," the ADL says on its Internet page. "The group describes itself as a 'white nationalist skinhead organization' and promotes an ideology espousing hatred of Jews and racial and ethnic minorities. Members, though typically young, have been involved in a number of criminal acts in Connecticut and have forged ties with nationally recognized hate groups ... "
According to the ADL website, members of the group have been involved in assaults and other crimes in the state.
A group member, accompanied by an avowed Ku Klux Klan leader, was convicted of striking a bar patron in Hamden with brass knuckles in 2002.
Zrallack's brother, Matthew, who denies being a member of the group, was charged with assault during an attempt by the group to disrupt a gay rights event in Stratford. Another member was accused of bias intimidation for threatening two African Americans and one of their white friends at a party in Trumbull, the ADL says.
The weapons investigation began, according to the indictment, when the FBI used an informant to penetrate the group. The informant, twice convicted of crimes in state court, told group members that he belonged to an out-of-state, white supremacist organization that had an interest in obtaining firearms.
Beginning in November 2009, DeFelice and Bolton conspired to rob what they believed to have been hundreds of thousands of dollars in weapons from the Naugatuck Valley residence of a man who manufactured weapons from parts ordered through the Internet, the indictment says. They asked the FBI informant to act as lookout, but the robbery never took place, despite repeated surveillance of the intended victim's home, the indictment says.
The informant also received two rifles and three homemade hand grenades from members of the group. Although Zrallack was not a party to the transfer of the weapons, according to the indictment, conversations with the informant indicated that he was to receive a portion of the sales price.
Members of the group are accused of using gunpowder taken from shotgun shells to make three hand grenades.
When the hand grenades were ready for transfer, the indictment says, DeFelice telephoned Zrallack to tell him he would be receiving a piece of the sales price and ended the conversation by saying the number "88," which is described as code for "Heil Hitler." The indictment says the grenades were wiped to remove fingerprints and packed in a box marked with a swastika.
The five men were presented at federal court in Bridgeport, where U.S. Magistrate Judge Holly B. Fitzsimmons ordered them held until Thursday, when they will be able to argue that they should be released on bail.
Zrallack, Westmoreland and Sutton were arrested Saturday by members of the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force. Bolton was arrested in Virginia, where he is stationed. DeFelice has been in federal custody since January, when he was arrested on a firearms charge related to the investigation.
If convicted on all counts in the indictment, DeFelice faces a maximum of 70 years in prison, Bolton and Westmoreland each face maximum sentences of 30 years, and Zrallack and Sutton each face maximum sentences of five years.
