"Violence is what allows PENI to exist," according to Huntington Beach Sergeant John Van Holt, a gang expert. "It elevates the status of the gang and makes their criminal enterprises easier to do because of the reputation that comes from that."
DA spokeswoman Susan Kang Schroeder estimates there are more than 300 PENI members—many of whom call themselves "Needle Nazis"—in prison or roaming Southern California. Recently, law-enforcement agencies have tracked the gang's activities to the Pacific Northwest and to Arizona. They cherish heroin and methamphetamine—and these 14 words: "We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children."
The D.A. says Lamb fired the fatal shot.
Tattooed Rump
But the Miller and Lamon cases give these gangsters black eyes. It's a world steeped in arrogant ignorance. Directly in front of jurors, Rump and Lamb routinely joke, giggle and make funny faces when the lawyers have sidebar meetings with Froeberg. These are gangsters who talk about "love and loyalty." Yet, they'll kill their own without remorse.
What did it feel like to murder a longtime friend? Baytieh asks Johnson.
"I felt nothing," he says. "See, you live in a different world than I do."
The prosecutor replies, "I agree with you, Mr. Johnson."
There's silence, and then, perhaps sensing he's lost the exchange, Johnson huffs, "That's right, man."
It's one of the most fascinating court appearances in county history. Rump and Lamb had smiled and traded pleasantries with Johnson when he entered the courtroom. As deputies escort him out, there is silence. Both look down at the defense table.
It's hard being white supremacists these days. Cops and court personnel include large numbers of nonwhites, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists and homosexuals. The media doesn't understand your convictions. You can't trust your buddies to appear credible in court. And apparently, you can't rely on your family, either.
Rump and Lamb have been held without bail in the Orange County Jail since 2002. On the day of Johnson's testimony, their female relatives—mothers, a grandmother and a girlfriend—brought white button-down shirts for them to wear in front of the jury. The defendants were overheard in their courthouse holding cells complaining.
They preferred colored shirts.
If the defense can't salvage their case, Rump and Lamb might soon receive lifetime supplies of solid-colored clothing courtesy of the California Department of Corrections.
We'll know the answer soon enough. Closing arguments in the trial are scheduled to begin on Thursday, June 14. Judge Froeberg expects the jury will start deliberating by Tuesday.
rscottmoxley@ocweekly.com
