Federal inmate seeks distance from other white separatists, racists
A former member of the white separatist group The Order keeps getting passed over for early release from federal prison.
And, he blames other separatists, racists and white nationalists for the problem.
Gary Lee Yarbrough, 62, is facing about seven more years in prison on a 60-year sentence. In writings posted online by his wife, Susan Hillman, and in U.S. Parole Commission hearings, Yarbrough said websites supporting members of The Order and other separatist and racist causes are harming his attempts at being released.
鈥淲ell, intended or not, those websites did us more harm than good,鈥� Yarbrough wrote in a letter dated November 2, 2017.
Yarbrough, who is scheduled for release from rado, on October 28, 2024, is one of three surviving members of The Order who remains incarcerated.
The others, , and , are scheduled for release from prison in 2043 and 2025, respectively.
The group funded operations by robbing banks and armored cars with the goal of dividing the United States along racial lines, with white people setting up a separate country in the Pacific Northwest.
The Order fell apart in 1984 after at least two associates became federal informants and the leader, Robert Jay Mathews, died in a gun battle with federal authorities that led to a fire that burned down the house where he was holed up. Multiple other members were sentenced to long stretches in federal prison for a multitude of crimes.
Frequently, federal judges, prison administrators and the parole commission will impose restrictions on co-defendants associating with each other, either behind bars or after their release.
The U.S. Parole Commission has cited Yarbrough鈥檚 presence on websites such as Stormfront and Resist! as evidence of Yarbrough鈥檚 links to the white supremacist and white nationalist world.
But, while Scutari and Duey are listed on the website , Yarbrough is currently nowhere to be found.
That, Yarbrough wrote in the November letter, is by choice.
鈥淭he authorities utilized those websites to erroneously claim that this group (The Order) still exists and is associated as an organization and affiliated with other groups,鈥� wrote Yarbrough, who also complained about multiple health issues.
Yarbrough鈥檚 wife, Hillman, made a similar claim in a November 6, 2017, interview with RadioAryan. Hillman said it is the men鈥檚 beliefs, not their crimes that are keeping them in prison.
鈥淚t鈥檚 hard to find a reason,鈥� Hillman said. 鈥淚f Gary had converted to being a Muslim, he鈥檇 be out by now.鈥�
But, Yarbrough still shows up as a rallying point for white supremacists and white nationalists. A December 2014 rally in Mississippi, put on by Shaun Patrick Winkler, prot茅g茅 of Aryan Nations founder Richard Butler, aimed to raise money for Yarbrough鈥檚 legal defense.
What, exactly, Yarbrough believes now is somewhat uncertain. At a September 2016 U.S. Parole Commission Hearing, Yarbrough, the one-time security chief for Aryan Nations, described himself as 鈥渙pposed to injustice,鈥� and said The Order wasn鈥檛 a white supremacist group. Instead, Yarbrough told the commission, it was a 鈥淐hristian Separatist鈥� organization he joined while 鈥測oung鈥� and 鈥渋mpressionable.鈥�
鈥淚 am not a white supremacist and I never believed such an odious concept,鈥� Yarbrough said. 鈥淚 am not anti-government.鈥�
Photo Credit: AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski
