A Tukwila man with a lengthy criminal record has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for his involvement in a drug trafficking organization connected to the Aryan Family and Omerta prison gangs. Anthony Escoto, 52, received his sentence on Monday in U.S. District Court in Tacoma.
“Controlled substances cause a huge amount of damage… the damage is not just to the individual but also to the community,” said Chief U.S. District Judge David G. Estudillo at the sentencing hearing.
Court documents indicate that Escoto was repeatedly recorded during a wiretap investigation ordering large quantities of methamphetamine and thousands of fentanyl pills for distribution. In one instance, police stopped a car after a drug deal involving Escoto; although the driver claimed ownership of the drugs, investigators had evidence from wiretaps confirming that Escoto had arranged the transaction. A search of Escoto’s residence on March 22, 2023, led to the discovery of more methamphetamine and two firearms—a shotgun and an SKS rifle—which he was prohibited from possessing as a convicted felon.
Escoto has denied membership in any Aryan prison gang but reportedly has multiple neo-Nazi tattoos and was previously charged with assault for biting a prison guard while yelling racial slurs. His adult criminal history spans over thirty years and includes convictions for aggravated assault, identity theft, drug trafficking, assault with a deadly weapon, obstruction of justice, and domestic assault.
On March 22, 2023, law enforcement agencies conducted coordinated raids resulting in two dozen arrests on federal charges across Washington and Arizona. These operations involved ten SWAT teams and over 350 officers who seized 177 firearms, more than ten kilograms of methamphetamine, large quantities of fentanyl pills and powder, heroin, cash totaling more than $330,000 from eighteen locations. Earlier stages of the investigation resulted in further seizures including hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills, pounds of various drugs including cocaine and heroin, additional cash totaling $388,000 and dozens more firearms.
Escoto pleaded guilty on April 22 this year to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances as well as possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
The leader of this trafficking ring—Jesse Bailey—was sentenced last month to seventeen-and-a-half years in prison. Prosecutors recommended thirteen years for Escoto stating: “Escoto’s criminality is a result of his decisions, his attitudes toward criminal activity, and his disrespect for other individual members of society who may be victimized by such behavior. Escoto committed the instant offenses in association with members of the Aryan Family and Omerta prison gangs, and while he denies belonging to either gang, he appears to share their ideology of white supremacy and racial animus.”
Chief Judge Estudillo ordered five years’ federal supervised release following Escoto’s term in prison.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation which uses intelligence-driven strategies among federal agencies like FBI—with support from DEA; Homeland Security Investigations; Washington State Department of Corrections; local agencies including Tacoma Police Department; Pierce County Sheriff’s Office; Thurston County Narcotics Task Force led by Thurston County Sheriff’s Office—and assistance from several others such as Customs & Border Protection Air & Marine Unit; Lewis County Sheriff’s Office; Lakewood Police Department; U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
Assistant United States Attorneys Zach Dillon, Max Shiner, and Jehiel Baer are prosecuting this case.
