The vice president of Santa Rosa's Barbarian Brotherhood white supremacist gang was sentenced to six years in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm, U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag announced Friday.
Michael Earl Warren Jr., 38, of Santa Rosa pleaded guilty to the charge in December, Haag said. U.S. District Court Judge Jeffrey S. White handed down the six-year term Thursday to be followed by a three-year period of supervised release that includes prohibitions against associating with other members of the Barbarian Brotherhood gang, also known as BBH.
Warren will start his federal sentence Sept. 23.
The conviction stems from a Santa Rosa Police investigation into Warren and his May 15, 2012 arrest.
Warren still faces charges related to the investigation in Sonoma County Superior Court.
Police suspect Warren was the man behind the wheel of a Nissan Xterra that on April 20 rammed into a Toyota Tercel carrying two former associates on Stony Point Road. Warren reportedly yelled gang challenges and racial slurs at the two past associates, although all involved are white, police said. The former associates identified Warren as the driver and his wife as a passenger.
The firearm possession charge stems from his May 15 arrest, when police tracked Warren down with an arrest warrant for assault with a deadly weapon stemming from the April 20 incident.
During a series of coordinated searches, police arrested Joseph C. Beall as he left Warren's Santa Rosa house with a box that contained marijuana, a Beretta .25 caliber pistol and ammunition, court documents show.
Both Beall and Warren gave statements that indicated Warren knew the pistol was at his home, according to court documents in the federal case. Warren was prohibited from possessing a firearm.
Sonoma County Deputy District Attorney Jason Riehl said that a possible settlement in the case will be discussed at a Monday hearing. Warren has two pending cases, one involving the firearm and marijuana sales charges and the other involving assault, Riehl said.
Both sides are taking into account his federal conviction and sentence, Riehl said.
A sentencing document in the federal case noted that although Warren had an extensive criminal history involving drug convictions and property crimes, he successfully beat a methamphetamine addiction and for the five years leading up to his 2012 arrest avoided all law-enforcement contact.
You can reach Staff Writer Julie Johnson at 521-5220 or julie.johnson@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @jjpressdem.
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