Unforgiven Gang Member Gets No Forgiveness From Tampa Judge

TAMPA, FL — A 44-year-old North Carolina man is headed to federal prison for 21 years and 10 months after being sentenced for kidnapping and assault.

United States District Judge William F. Jung sentenced Joshua Hall, a member of the Florida-based gang, Unforgiven, a violent white supremacy organization that has participated in racially motivated murders, kidnappings and robberies, and is also involved in selling drugs and witness tampering, according to the Department of Justice.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, said members often carry out acts of extreme violence to gain entry into the gang and are required to get tattoos, such as swastikas, iron crosses and lightning bolts.

The Unforgiven commit violence against perceived racial enemies as well as members of its own group who fail to abide by their constitution and bylaws, said the ATF. The gang often revokes membership of those who violate their code by using extreme violence to remove membership tattoos or “patches,” which are usually in “kill zones” on members’ bodies.

The Unforgiven also has incoming members study “Aryan philosophy” and perform extreme acts of violence for entry, according to the Anti-Defamation League.

The ATF said Hall and co-defendants were directed by members of the Unforgiven council to violently assault a certain victim. The ATF said Hall violently assaulted the victim in a vehicle, then took the victim’s jewelry, cell phone and tattoo equipment. The victim tried to leave the vehicle, but the doors were locked.

Hall and others then drove to a home in Pasco County where they ordered the victim into a back bedroom and beat the victim and forcibly tattooed the victim’s neck, face and chest, including the victim’s “patch” located on the back of his neck. The victim was bloodied and dazed from the assault.

“This is a huge win for public safety,” said ATF Tampa Field Division’s Special Agent in Charge Kirk Howard. “Today’s decision underscores our commitment to work with partners — in this case the Pasco Sheriff’s Office, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the U.S. Attorney’s Office — and combat violent crime wherever it exists.”

The ATF has been investigating the Unforgiven’s criminal acts since October 2015 including its ties to the Florida prison system, as well as members in politics and other law enforcement positions.

In July 2021, 16 members of Unforgiven were arrested on charges of murder and kidnapping. Prosecutors alleged that “corrupt law enforcement officers and state employees,” including prison guards, helped the gang collect information on the investigation and smuggled contraband into Florida prisons.

Members were also arrested for acts of violence at Black Lives Matter movement protests in 2020 and following the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.