Three men accused in a Mississippi prison-gang drug, guns and violence conspiracy face federal trial April 4 in Oxford.

Their 2014 indictments, along with 14 others, resulted from an investigation of the Aryan Brotherhood of Mississippi, a so-called white supremacy group based within the Mississippi State Prison system.

Headed for trial are Perry Wayne Mask of Corinth, Frank George Owens Jr. of D’Iberville and Eric Glenn Parker from the Hattiesburg area. All pleaded not guilty to the charges.

A federal grand jury accused them of various roles in a conspiracy to possess methamphetamines with intent to distribute to support their alleged activities of gang rule inside and outside of state prisons in Mississippi.

Owens and Parker also face kidnapping and murder charges in the death of Michael James Hudson in 2010 in south Mississippi. Prosecutors claim Hudson owed them money from a drug deal.

Owens and Mask are accused of attempting to murder someone identified as “J.B.” in August 2013 in north Mississippi.

Mask also faces a charge of stealing 44 firearms from licensed dealers in Coldwater and Corinth.

In the 31-page indictment from April 2015, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Northern District of Mississippi describes the Aryan Brotherhood of Mississippi (ABM) as a “criminal organization” whose members and associates engage in narcotics distribution, firearms trafficking, money laundering and acts of violence including murder, attempted murder, assault and kidnapping both within the Mississippi Department of Corrections and throughout the state.

Some of the 14 others indicted and arrested could be available to testify during the trial before Senior U.S. District Judge Glen H. Davidson. Those other defendants have pleaded guilty and either were sentenced or await sentencing.

Owens is represented by attorney William Andy Sumrall; Mask by John Fletcher Perry III; and Parker by Joshua A. Turner.


We want to hear from you!

Central to our mission at Mississippi Today is inspiring civic engagement. We think critically about how we can foster healthy dialogue between people who think differently about government and politics. We believe that conversation — raw, earnest talking and listening to better understand each other — is vital to the future of Mississippi. We encourage you to engage with us and each other on our social media accounts, email our reporters directly or leave a comment for our editor by clicking the button below.


Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.