Supremacist Guilty Of Robberies

A white supremacist who helped convict two others of robbing banks throughout the Midwest pleaded guilty Friday to robbing a Missouri bank and helping plan five other robberies.

Kevin McCarthy, 19, of Philadelphia, has been cooperating with prosecutors for six months in the cases of four men identified by authorities as part of a white supremacist gang that robbed 22 banks in the Midwest.

Under a plea agreement, McCarthy automatically faces a reduced sentence and could have his prison time lessened further depending on the extent of his cooperation. He could have been sentenced up to 35 years had he been convicted at trial.

Testimony from McCarthy helped convict Scott Stedeford, 28, of Ardmore, who was sentenced in Iowa last week to nearly 10 years in prison after being convicted of robbing a bank in West Des Moines.

McCarthy also testified against gang leader Peter Langan, 38, of Columbus, Ohio, who was convicted of five felony charges in two Ohio robberies.

McCarthy’s guilty plea came the same week that Pennsylvania white supremacist leader Mark Thomas agreed to cooperate with prosecutors and plead guilty to conspiracy charges.

A grand jury said the gang members divided the proceeds among themselves, then contributed a share to Thomas, who helped recruit gang members.