• Cambodia
  • North Korea
  • Freelance Journalism
  • Freedom of speech
  • Human Rights
  • Internet Journalism
  • Religious Extremism

Nate Thayer - Journalist

A Compilation of Current Reporting and Archived Published Work of Journalist Nate Thayer

  • Support Publication of Sympathy for the Devil
  • Shop
  • Blog
  • About Nate Thayer
    • Selected Reviews and Commentary
  • Awards and Honors
You are here: Home / Chris Barker KKK / Was Louisiana Cop Accused of Being KKK Fired for Objecting to Corrupt Police?

Was Louisiana Cop Accused of Being KKK Fired for Objecting to Corrupt Police?

September 4, 2015 by wpfixit

My latest for VICE on how a small town cop was accused of being in the Ku Klux Klan and fired after clashing with his corrupt police superiors. In fact, the cop was providing information to the FBI on the Klan.

http://www.vice.com/read/was-this-louisiana-cop-accused-of-being-kkk-actually-fired-for-objecting-to-police-corruption-904

Was This Louisiana Cop Accused of Being in the KKK Actually Fired for Objecting to Police Corruption?
September 4, 2015
by Nate Thayer

On Wednesday, a Louisiana cop outed as an alleged member of the Ku Klux Klan was fired from the Lake Arthur Police Department, an apparent case of yet another law enforcement bad apple that made national news.

But Detective Raymond Mott—who was photographed in KKK garb with his arm extended in a Nazi-like salute with a burning cross in the background—told VICE that he wasn’t fired for hate group ties but rather because he wouldn’t obey orders from his corrupt superiors to stop arresting drug dealers and fellow officers who broke the law. In fact, he says, he was trying to stop the KKK from spreading in his home state and has been secretly providing information to the FBI for the last year.

Louisiana cop Raymond Moss (l), the Alabama Grand Dragon for the Loyal White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan (c), and then Louisiana Exalted Cyclops Trey Gordon at a North Carolina cross lightning put on by the Loyal White Knights on August 9, 2014

Louisiana cop Raymond Moss (l), the Alabama Grand Dragon for the Loyal White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan (c), and then Louisiana Exalted Cyclops Trey Gordon at a North Carolina cross lightning put on by the Loyal White Knights on August 9, 2014

In August 2014, Mott—who had left his job at another police department and had yet to joint the Lake Arthur force—and another Louisiana man named Trey Gordon took a trip to “an anti-immigration” rally held by the Loyal White Knights of the KKK in North Carolina. When they got there, Mott said, the Klansmen “just spewed hate.”

“One guy from Georgia stood up and bragged about driving through a black area in his pickup truck and when he would pass a black person yell racial slurs and then smack them with a baseball bat,” Mott said. James Moore, their Imperial Klud—which is their Christian pastor—was openly calling for people to go on a ‘Knight Ride’ to ‘bash faggots.'”

Mott filled out an application for membership with the Loyal White Knights and paid his dues the day of the rally, “but not to join them but to destroy them,” he said. “I don’t fit in with that crowd.”

Lake Arthur cop Ray Mott with alligator. "See! I even protect the citizens from alligators in Lake Arthur" he said

Lake Arthur cop Ray Mott with alligator. “See! I even protect the citizens from alligators in Lake Arthur” he said

Mott and Gordon went back to Louisiana, ostensibly as Klansmen—but in reality, the two men say, they were stamping out the group, who Mott describes as “maybe 30 rednecks who go out and manipulate people saying they are a Christian organization but they are just common thugs who hate.”

Weeks later, Mott approached the FBI and began supplying them “everything I knew about the Klan—names, codes, everything.” FBI sources confirmed Mott’s account.

“We were the highest ranking members in Louisiana,” Mott said. “So all calls from new potential members in Louisiana to the national Klan office were passed to us… I told at least 30 or 40 people, ‘This is a scam. It is a hate group. You don’t want anything to do with these guys.'”

Sources in the Loyal White Knights confirmed that the Louisiana branch of the organization withered away, that they didn’t show up at any rallies after the North Carolina meeting, and all recruitment efforts in the state came to a halt. “We considered the realm in Louisiana dead,” said Jeremy Jones, who was a LWK Grand Dragon (or state leader) until he left the Klan in July.

The 'anti-immigration' rally in Troy North Carolina on August 10, 2014 which was attended by Raymond Mott, who was fired this week by the Lake Arthur, Louisiana police force

The ‘anti-immigration’ rally in Troy North Carolina on August 10, 2014 which was attended by Raymond Mott, who was fired this week by the Lake Arthur, Louisiana police force

In March 2015, Mott was hired by the Lake Arthur Police Department. Officials told VICE that Mott had gone through a full background check, which was spotless. Several officials confirmed they had known of Mott’s attendance at the Klan rally the same month he was hired and had a copy of the scandalous picture.

“This photo has been in the hands of my supervisor for nearly six months, yet no one is willing to step up and tell the truth about that,” Mott said.

Mott describes himself as a by-the-book officer who followed the letter of the law, someone who didn’t shy away from even arresting other cops if they broke the law. To hear Mott tell it, that ruffled a lot of feathers.

“I live in a town of 3,100 people. It is the good old boy system,” said Mott. “You know, ‘My daddy works here, so you can’t arrest me,’ or, ‘My cousin works here. I will call him and he will fix this.'”

Now former Lake Arthur, Louisiana Cop Raymond Mott

Now former Lake Arthur, Louisiana Cop Raymond Mott

Lake Arthur records show that Mott has arrested more people than any other officer on the 12-man force during the six months he has been working there, has no disciplinary infractions, and there are no complaints formally filed against him by residents. But Mott said that he got in trouble with his superiors after he put another cop in jail for refusing to sign a traffic ticket.

“He was let out of jail with no bond and the ticket was fixed,” Mott said. “I was given a direct order to never write another cop a ticket, which is also against the law. I refused.

“Then, in July, Assistant Police Chief Terrie Guillory ordered me to stop making drug busts for one and a half months. I told him, ‘No, I won’t stop. That is my job.’ He told me, ‘People are getting sick and tired of reading about Mott arresting drug dealers in the newspaper.’ And then last week, they released the photo and I am facing termination.”

Terrie Guillory, Lake Arthur, Louisina assistant police chief who has been implicated in a widespread law enforcement corruption scandal

Terrie Guillory, Lake Arthur, Louisina assistant police chief who has been implicated in a widespread law enforcement corruption scandal

On August 25, Mott says, he met with Police Chief Ray Marcantel, Guillory, and Chris Myers, an investigator for the Jefferson Davis Parish District Attorney. “They brought up the picture of me at the Klan rally. I said, ‘Hold on’ and I put the phone on speaker and dialed my FBI contact,” Mott told VICE. “I said, ‘I am here with my chief and I want you to tell him everything.’ She told all of them in the room that I had been providing information on the Klan.” (FBI sources confirmed the details of this phone call.)

When this story was relayed to Marcantel by VICE for comment, Marcentel replied, “Why are you calling me if you got all the facts already?” and then abruptly hung up the phone.

Mott’s allegations of corruption would seem absurd in many places, but not Jefferson Davis Parish, which includes Lake Arthur. Most notoriously, the area is home to the case of the “Jeff Davis 8,” a set of murders that have gone unsolved, allegedly because of rampant police misconduct. Investigative reporter Ethan Brown, whose book on the case will be published by Scribner/Simon and Schuster in the spring of 2016, said the parish “is the most stunning case of police corruption I’ve seen in my life… The major pattern is that all the law enforcement bad actors just move from one department to another.”

In particular, Terrie Guillory, who was Mott’s direct superior, has faced allegations of misconduct. According to Brown, witnesses who were interviewed by a multiagency task force investigating the Jeff Davis 8 killings said Guillory pimped out female inmates when he was warden at the Jefferson Davis Parish Jail and had sex with one of the victims while she was incarcerated there. “While Warden, Guillory was involved in brokering the purchase of a truck from one of his inmates which was later used to dispose of the body of one murdered woman,” Brown said.

Kirk Menard, a well-known private investigator in Jefferson Davis Parish who was once hired to look into the Jeff Davis 8 killings, agrees with Mott’s description of departmental politics. “Mott would not have been fired if he didn’t go up against Guillory,” he told VICE. “Guillory leaked that KKK picture last week because he wanted to get rid of Mott, not because of the Klan stuff. He had that photo since March or April and they knew Mott was working for the FBI on the Klan.”

(When contacted for this story, Guillory asked for questions to be submitted by email, but has not responded. Lake Arthur Mayor Robbie Bertrand refused to comment before hanging up the phone.)

According to Menard, Mott, and Ace Beverley, the African-American head of the Better Lake Arthur Committee, a civic organization, the former detective wasn’t fired until Guillory threatened to quit the force unless Mott was let go.

The leaked copy of the photo of Lake Arthur police detective Ray Moss. The note on top left refers to Lake Arthur police chief Raymond Marcentel

The leaked copy of the photo of Lake Arthur police detective Ray Moss. The note on top left refers to Lake Arthur police chief Raymond Marcentel

“Even after the photograph was released, both the Mayor and police chief said they were not going to fire Mott,” said Menard. “The next day, Guillory went into the chief’s office carrying his uniform and said, ‘If you won’t let Mott go, here is my uniform.'”

The following day, Mott was suspended and a process began that concluded on Wednesday, when he was formerly fired during a City Council meeting.

Second suspension letter of Lake Arthur cop Ray Mott accusing him of "dishonesty" and providing "false information" to his police superiors

Suspension letter of Lake Arthur cop Ray Mott accusing him of “dishonesty” and providing “false information” to his police superiors

Ray Mott suspension letter from Lake Arthur police chief Marcentel

Ray Mott suspension letter from Lake Arthur police chief Marcentel

“We hope the City Council terminates Mott,” Beverley said as he and a packed house waited for the council to convene. “If we don’t get him out of here, I am afraid of what will happen to him.”

Mott acknowledges that his career in law enforcement is over, even though he maintains that he never broke any laws or departmental policies and claims he was working with the FBI to gather information on Klan activity. The reason given for Mott’s firing was that he lied to his bosses about not having belonged to the Klan, but Mott and other Lake Arthur officials as well as FBI sources say his superiors were fully aware of his interactions with the Klan and had a copy of the photo for six months.

Whatever the circumstances surrounding the photo, “my hand was stretched in the salute of white pride at that North Carolina rally in that picture,” Mott said. “I know it looks bad unless you know the whole story. I take responsibility for my decision to attend that protest. However I will not take responsibility for something I did not do. I offered to provide evidence that I am not a member and do not have the same beliefs as that group and no one wants to hear it.”

Moments after his firing, Mott told VICE he was planning on getting an attorney to sue the city of Lake Arthur.

But Raymond Mott will never get his old job back. “Around here, you got to choose your battles. If the good old boys in local politics want you out, there is nothing you can do about it,” said Menard.

Nate Thayer is an award-winning freelance investigative journalist and correspondent with 25 years of foreign reporting experience.

Filed Under: Chris Barker KKK, Corruption, Free Speech, KKK, Ku Klux Klan, Loyal White Knights of the KKK, U.S. Extremists, U.S. terrorism, VICE, White Supremacism, White Supremecist Tagged With: KKK, Ku Klux Klan, Lake Arthur Louisiana, Loyal White Knights KKK, police corruption, Raymond Mott

Pre-order Sympathy for the Devil, the new book by Nate Thayer

Pre-order sympathy for the devil book nate thayer

Support Publication of Sympathy for the Devil

Sympathy for the Devil: A Journalist's Memoir from Inside Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge I have been researching and writing Sympathy for the Devil: A Journalist's Memoir from Inside Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge for 25 years. For 25 years, I  conducted original reporting to compile what is now an 800 page, unedited manuscript. I have accumulated millions of words of notes, hundreds of hours of audio and video recordings and hundreds of photographs, and … [More...]

Comments

  1. Charla Power Gendron says

    September 4, 2015 at 10:23 am

    wow. this story could apply to what myself, my family experienced in Ellijay GA 30540. Thank you Nate Thayer for the article! Thank you Mott for following law vs ‘good ol boy’ system! Thank you VICE for providing platform for honest, in depth reporting
    on this.

    It’s * very* dangerous for those who challenge a corrupt system as I did in Ellijay. Fed, State, local laws no longer prevailed in Ellijay for my family, myself. I fled Ellijay for safety of my young family. Yes, police, mayor, city/ county depts all follow ‘good ol boy law’. Sure, I could sue, win… but at what cost? Ellijay gov has already made it clear what the cost is and could be…

    In Ellijay GA, the Confed flag also stands for ‘good ol boy’ rule of law.

    • Charla Power Gendron says

      September 4, 2015 at 10:36 am

      Specific example: Neighbor employed by Mayor of Ellijay. His kids aimed laser on my young daughter’s head through living room window one evening, kids in my yard while shooting at animals/ misc, kids broke into buildings… Did police arrest? Respond in timely manner? No, b/c they look out for one another. This neighbour has severe mental health problems, yet carries/ owns guns. His children, wife do also. Thought this was illegal? dangerous?

      • Charla Power Gendron says

        September 4, 2015 at 10:43 am

        oops.. meant ‘ONE specific example’

Please donate to support this blog

I am a freelance journalist who makes my living from writing. If you enjoy this blog, a donation, no matter how small or large, would be much appreciated and will go directly to supporting my ability to write and publish independently. I am grateful for the support of my readers. Donate Button with Credit Cards

FOLLOW NATE THAYER ON FACEBOOK

Tag Cloud

AP North Korea Cambodia Chris Barker Conspiracy theories Corruption democratic peoples republic of korea Dogs donald trump Freelance Journalism free speech Human Rights Humor Hun Sen Internet Journalism Journalism Journalism ethics Khmer Rouge Kim Jong-un Kim Jong Il KKK Ku Klux Klan Lamont Loyal White Knights Loyal White Knights KKK Media Ethics middle east Nate Thayer Nate Thayer blog North Korea North Korea Covert Operations North Korea Media North Korean propaganda North Korea sanctions Kim Jong-un organized crime Pol Pot Religious Extremism sex Social Media Sympathy for the Devil Terrorism U.S. domestic Terrorism U.S. Foreign Policy U.S. Politics United States War Correspondent

Categories

Featured Posts: Sympathy for the Devil by Nate Thayer

Thoughts on the Death of Mass Murderer Ieng Sary:Cambodian Political Culture and North Korea

How–And Why-The New York Times Didn’t Interview Pol Pot

Excerpts from “Sympathy for the Devil: A Journalists Memoir from Inside Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge”

The Private Letters of a Foreign Correspondent: Communicating With the Khmer Rouge; CIA Spy Accusations; Nomination for a Pulitzer Prize

Is a freelance journalism career a Sisyphean delusion?

Journalist Nate Thayer views the body of Pol Pot

The Night Pol Pot Died: Excerpts from unpublished manuscript “SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL: A JOURNALIST’S MEMOIR INSIDE POL POT’S KHMER ROUGE” By Nate Thayer

The Night I Lived: Excerpts from Sympathy for the Devil

Why You Want To Avoid Getting Blown Up By A Landmine: From ‘Sympathy for the Devil’ By Nate Thayer

More Posts about Sympathy for the Devil

Recent Blog Posts

  • Never trust the internet or people are nuanced: A case study
  • Texas White Supremacist Jailed for Plot to Blow Up Federal Buildings
  • Nazi protesting Ohio CV-19 quarantine identified
  • Iran Revolutionary Guard Claims it ‘Invented’ Known Fake CV-19 Detector
  • U.S. Law Enforcement: Leader of U.S. Nazi Terror Group is a Russian Spy

Most Popular Posts

abc stolen pic july 29 1997 1108 am edt

How Ted Koppel and ABC TV Tried to Steal my Life Work

How Ted Koppel and ABC TV Tried to Steal my Life Work By Nate Thayer December 8, 2013 I am banned by legal agreement to write the following: ABC Television/ Disney Corporation, after seven years in court, where they attempted to bankrupt me and ruin my reputation for objecting to them stealing fifteen years of […]

Herb Trader Arthur Torsone

My Friend, Arthur: the World’s Biggest Dope Trafficker

Herb Trader: A Tale of Treachery and Espionage in the Global Marijuana Trade A Book Review, Sort of….. Excerpts from Sympathy for the Devil:A Journalist’s Memoir from Inside Pol Pot’s Cambodia. (To support the publication of Sympathy for the Devil, and to read other excerpts, see the right hand column of this website) (Copyright Nate Thayer. […]

A Day in the Life of a Freelance Journalist—2013

A Day in the Life of a Freelance Journalist—2013 Here is an exchange between the Global Editor of the Atlantic Magazine and myself this afternoon attempting to solicit my professional services for an article they sought to publish after reading my story “25 Years of Slam Dunk Diplomacy: Rodman trip comes after 25 years of […]

Menu

  • Support Publication of Sympathy for the Devil
  • Shop
  • Blog
  • About Nate Thayer
    • Selected Reviews and Commentary
  • Awards and Honors

Menu

  • Cambodia
  • North Korea
  • Freelance Journalism
  • Freedom of speech
  • Human Rights
  • Internet Journalism
  • Religious Extremism

Cambodia

When I Vomited on Khmer Rouge Leaders: How Chinese Covert Aid Saved my Life

North Korea

Jim Jones and North Korea: Comrades in Political Mass Murder

Human Rights

Assassination of Cambodian #Kemley Marks Hun Sen’s Mafia Rule

Internet Journalism

Washington Post gets punked by Malaysian earthquake “naked blogger”

Copyright © 2021 · News Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in