White supremacist found guilty after willing to kill for undercover FBI agents

A Broward County white supremacist has been convicted of multiple felonies in federal court in Fort Lauderdale after rolling to Georgia to commit murder.

But Adrian Apodaca’s murder target didn’t really exist. Also, he found himself under investigation mainly because of a white supremacist informing for the FBI, according to the Sun Sentinel.

In fact, little around Apodaca — nicknamed “Skitz” — was as it seemed to the two-time convicted felon. So much so that defense counsel Neison Marks asked the jury to consider his client an entrapment victim of the FBI. While the FBI conned Apodaca, Marks said, he was working his own put-on by lying about previous criminal activities.

The jury didn’t buy it.

They found Apodaca guilty on Tuesday of two counts of attempting to possess a controlled substance with intent to distribute; one count of using interstate commerce facilities in the commission of a murder-for-hire; Hobbs Act robbery; possession of a firearm in furtherance of a violent crime or drug trafficking crime; and possession of ammunition by a convicted person. The 45-year-old will be sentenced Dec. 8

Apodaca lived behind the Dirty White Boys motorcycle club in Davie, the Sun Sentinel reported, in 2015 when he met Steven Watt — club member, white supremacist and, since 2009, FBI informant. Watt dropped dime to the FBI on illegal activities and unprovoked violence, which he felt hurt the white supremacist cause. After Apodaca allegedly told Watt that he had committed murders in New Mexico and Arizona, Watt told the FBI and the FBI got interested in Apodaca.

According to the criminal complaint, “The case was opened to mitigate any potential threats posed by Apodaca and to determine whether he was engaging in criminal activities.”

Not only did he claim to be the founder of the Vinlander Social Club, characterized as a “violent white supremacist organization” by the FBI, but his rap sheet included convictions for criminal confinement, possession of a firearm by a felon and resisting law enforcement from arrests in 1999 and 2012. He was arrested in Indiana and Arizona, respectively, on those charges. After doing time for the firearm possession conviction, Apodaca moved to Broward County.

The FBI sent in undercover agents posing as members of a wealthy white supremacist crime organization. Apodaca bragged to one agent in a recorded conversation that he had “killed a lot of people” while with the Vinlander Social Club in Arizona. Also, he spoke of imitating cops while ripping off a drug house for a million-dollar haul.

The faux white supremacist group used Apodaca for some minor faux jobs before he agreed to kill “Tony” over a debt owed to the group. The criminal complaint described a very enthusiastic, thorough thinking Apodaca:

“Yeah, I just need to get a silencer, a weapon, a drop off point, a picture.'' Apodaca also requested surveillance and intelligence regarding “Tony,” stating, “If we can get eyes on him and, like, find out what his habits are ... I wanna find out when he takes a piss. I wanna fînd out when he (expletives) leaves his house ...what his random habits are.'' Apodaca also asked UCE-6259 what type of security Tony has around him and what time he comes home at night.”

Then, Apodaca provided a list of his hitman needs, headlined by “a good high capacity round handgun w/suppressor, at least 5-10+ rnd magazines, Xtreme Penetrator from Lehigh Defense (ammo type).” He also wanted a gas mask, body armor and Bear Off pepper spray.

An undercover agent paid Apodaca $2,500 and told him another $2,500 would be paid upon job completion. Apodaca drove to Valdosta, Georgia, with the undercover agent, where they met a second undercover agent.

And where Apodaca got arrested.

This story was originally published August 30, 2017 at 3:39 PM with the headline "White supremacist found guilty after willing to kill for undercover FBI agents."