Conviction Upheld in Supremacist Case

A federal judge upheld a jury verdict Monday against Doris Nadal, a North Hills woman who was convicted with her husband last month of conspiring to manufacture and sell illegal weapons to an informant who posed as a white supremacist.

U. S. District Court Judge Ronald S. W. Lew denied a defense motion to acquit Doris Nadal or to grant her a new trial.

A federal jury convicted Nadal on Oct. 1 of a single conspiracy count, but acquitted her of three other charges alleging the transfer and possession of silencers and machine guns.

Nadal’s attorney, Thomas Nishi, argued during the hearing Monday that the jury’s verdict was inconsistent because his client was convicted of conspiring to commit acts for which she was acquitted. The defense attorney also maintained that jurors were prejudiced against his client, based on statements made by her husband, Christian Nadal, during the couple’s joint trial.

Christian Nadal said he wanted to use atomic weapons to force minorities to leave the country, and wanted to drop bombs on South-Central Los Angeles, prosecutors reminded jurors during closing arguments at the Nadals’ trial.

Before announcing his decision, Lew said neither argument was sufficient to set aside the jury’s verdict.

“You can’t say she is not a conspirator,” Lew told Nishi. “They (the jury) found her guilty of the act.”

Nishi declined to comment on Lew’s decision. Assistant U. S. Atty. Gregory W. Jessner, the prosecutor, said he was not surprised by the ruling.

“The fact that a jury convicted on one count and acquitted on another that seem related is not a basis for setting aside a conviction,” Jessner said. “The conspiracy took place over a number of months so even if they (the jurors) didn’t find she was guilty of doing particular acts, they presumably felt she was sufficiently involved overall.”

The Nadals were arrested with seven others in July and August after an 18-month federal investigation into white supremacist groups in Southern California.

Doris Nadal could receive a maximum five-year sentence and Christian Nadal, who was convicted on 15 counts of selling and transferring illegal weapons, could be sentenced to 145 years.

Christopher Berwick, a co-defendant and an Acton machinist, who pleaded guilty in September to conspiring to manufacture and sell illegal weapons, faces a five-year sentence and a $250,000 fine. Sentencing for Berwick and the Nadals is scheduled for Dec. 6.

Both Nadals remain in custody.