Thursday morning, in a series of pre-dawn arrests, a multi-agency law enforcement force executed arrests warrants against a large number of members of white supremacist gangs including: Aryan Brotherhood, Public Enemy Number One, La Miranda Punks, West Side Costa Mesa Skins and Orange County Skins. An Aryan Brotherhood “shot caller” Wayne “Bullet” Marshall was among those arrested. In the previous two weeks, another 34 white supremacists were arrested. The multi-agency law enforcement group included: Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms; Orange County Sheriff; Orange County D.A.; U.S. Attorney’s Office; and the U.S. Secret Service.

The foundation for the investigation was information and intelligence gathered by our ADL office and shared with law enforcement.

A total of 27 illegal firearms were purchased by undercover ATF agents, one of them which may have been used in the commission of an attempted murder currently being prosecuted by the Orange County District Attorney's Office. At the state level, 14 defendants were indicted on charges including extortion, conspiracy and solicitation of aggravated assault and murder. Twenty additional white supremacist gang members and associates were arrested on parole and probation violations, non violent felonies and one attempted murder.

This is an extraordinarily important take down of some of the most dangerous white supremacists in Orange County. This morning, federal and local law enforcement officials provided a private briefing for ADL staff, and shared with me their belief that these arrests have done significant damage to the organized white supremacist movement in Orange County. I was invited to speak at a press conference with District Attorney Tony Raukakus, O.C. Sheriff Sherry Hutchins; ATF, U.S. Secret Service.