LOS ANGELES
Federal and local law enforcement have arrested 42 members and associates of the SFV Peckerwoods, a white supremacist gang from the San Fernando Valley.
They face a 76-count federal grand jury indictment for a lengthy pattern of racketeering activities, which includes drug trafficking (including fentanyl), illegal firearm possession, and fraud related to COVID-19 benefits and loans, according to the Justice Department.
The indictment unsealed Wednesday charges 68 individuals with several federal crimes.
They are accused of plotting to break the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) Act, distributing illegal drugs, bank fraud and related crimes, aggravated identity theft, having a gun that is linked to drug trafficking, having a gun and ammunition illegally as a felon, and having 15 or more unauthorized access devices.
Before today’s arrests, 13 defendants were already in custody.
During the investigation, law enforcement seized large quantities of illegal firearms, and dozens of pounds of fentanyl, methamphetamine, and heroin, according to the indictment.
“The Peckerwoods’ violent white-supremacist ideology and wide-ranging criminal activity pose a grave menace to our community,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. “By allegedly engaging in everything from drug-trafficking to firearms offenses to identity theft to COVID fraud, and through their alliance with a neo-Nazi prison gang, the Peckerwoods are a destructive force. In prosecuting the members of the Peckerwoods criminal organization, our office is carrying out its mission to protect the public from the most dangerous threats.”
“The Justice Department has dealt a decisive blow to the San Fernando Valley (SFV) Peckerwoods, a violent white supremacist gang that we charge is responsible for trafficking deadly fentanyl and other drugs, committing robberies, and perpetrating financial fraud to fund both their criminal enterprise and that of the Aryan Brotherhood,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland.
“This operation, led by our Joint Terrorism Task Force, disrupted a racially motivated violent extremist group who engaged in a wide range of criminal activity,” said Akil Davis, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI Los Angeles Field Office. “This case strikes at the heart of our collective mission to rid our communities of the corrosive elements that fuel violence and extremism that greatly impact our way of life. The FBI, along with our federal, state, and local partners, remains strongly committed to working every day to make sure the people of the Southland remain safe.”
“The San Fernando Valley Peckerwoods, the Aryan Brotherhood and their associates are fused by one thing: hatred,” said Matthew Allen, Special Agent in Charge, DEA Los Angeles Field Division. “It appears, however, that the business of hate was not enough for them. Driven by greed, they engaged in other crimes, including drug distribution, pushing out deadly fentanyl onto our streets. Operating from corners of the San Fernando Valley, they conducted their crimes within and beyond the 8-1-8 community.”
According to the indictment returned by a grand jury on September 26:
- The Peckerwoods is a street gang based in the San Fernando Valley.
- Members engage in various criminal activities, including: drug trafficking, violent crime, fraud
- As a white supremacist gang, the Peckerwoods sometimes take orders from the Aryan Brotherhood, California’s main prison-based white supremacist gang.
- They maintain an alliance with the Mexican Mafia, which controls most Latino street gangs in California.
- The Peckerwoods use Nazi tattoos, graffiti, and symbols to express their extremist ideology, including Swastikas, the symbol “88,” which stands for “Heil Hitler”
- Images of Nazi aircraft
Members and associates of the Peckerwoods gang used social media to communicate about their criminal activities, share gang rules, identify members in good standing, and target those who violated gang rules.
This included a members-only Facebook group and private messages among members.
From at least December 2016 to September 2024, Peckerwoods members engaged in violence and threats to maintain and expand their criminal operations, creating a climate of fear. They illegally possessed firearms and ammunition to support these activities.
To generate revenue, gang members trafficked drugs, including fentanyl, heroin, and methamphetamine.
Key defendants include:
Claire Patricia Haviland, 62, from Chatsworth
Brian Glenn Ekelund, 53, from Chatsworth
Brianne Brewer, 38, from North Hollywood
Haviland and Ekelund allegedly managed drug stash houses where large amounts of fentanyl, heroin, methamphetamine, and other drugs were stored before distribution. They are also accused of mailing illegal drugs to customers and using apps like Zelle and CashApp to receive payments from buyers and send money to their suppliers.
The Peckerwoods gang also generated revenue through robberies, financial fraud, and identity theft schemes.
For example, from March 2021 to July 2023, defendants Sean Craig Gluckman, 35, from Encino, Maria Anna James, 30, from Canyon Country, and others submitted false applications for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), which was intended to help businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
These defendants posed as sole proprietors and signed fraudulent PPP loan applications for individuals incarcerated in California state prisons, collecting a portion of the fraudulently obtained funds as payment for their assistance.
In April 2021, Gluckman submitted an application claiming to be a self-employed “artist/writer” with a gross income of nearly $250,000. He later received a PPP loan of $20,833.
Additionally, Gluckman submitted fraudulent unemployment insurance applications to the California Employment Development Department (EDD) in other people’s names to illegally obtain jobless benefits.
“The proliferation of gang related organized crime deteriorates the core of our society,” said Los Angeles Police Chief Dominic Choi. “Taking guns out of the hands of gang members and drugs from our streets is just one more step towards reducing this deterioration. Today is yet another example of how local, regional, and federal law enforcement, with a matched dedication, are working together to investigate, apprehend and prosecute criminals.”
“When criminal organizations cross jurisdictional lines, it makes conducting investigations and subsequent prosecutions much more difficult,” said Ventura County Sheriff Jim Fryhoff. “Having our federal law enforcement partners involvement in such cases greatly enhances our ability to protect not only the citizens of our county, but also those of our region of the state.”
The defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
If convicted, the defendants face up to life in prison.
The FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Los Angeles Police Department, and the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office are investigating this matter.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Reema M. El-Amamy of the Terrorism and Export Crimes Section, Jeremiah M. Levine of the Violent and Organized Crime Section, and Alexander Su of the Asset Forfeiture and Recovery Section are prosecuting this case.