August Kreis III
| August Kreis | |
|---|---|
| Born |
August Byron Kreis III November 2, 1954 |
| Occupation | Former Director of Aryan Nations |
| Website | http://www.aryan-nations.org |
August Kreis III (born November 2, 1954) is an American former neo-Nazi leader and a convicted child molester. Kreis has been a member of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK), the Posse Comitatus, and the Aryan Nations.
Before joining far-right groups, Kreis dropped out of a Newark, New Jersey high school. It was during his high school days that he became interested and active in the white supremacy movement. He served in the U.S Navy for nine months aboard a vessel off the coast of Vietnam, but was discharged early "based on a determination that he was not suited for military service." He then spent 13 years as a member of the KKK eventually becoming a leader. He joined the Posse Comitatus in the late 1980s.
In 1994 and 1995 Kreis and his two daughters appeared on The Jerry Springer Show. On one episode show host Jerry Springer kicked Kreis off his show for making threats and for suggesting that Springer's mother was a lampshade in the trunk of Kreis' car.
In 1999 Kreis joined the Aryan Nations. After the death of Aryan Nations leader Richard Girnt Butler, in a power struggle, Kreis assumed leadership positions within the Aryan Nations, which caused a split within the organization.
Kreis was known locally for harassing neighbors and townspeople with whom he disagreed. Police lodged numerous charges against him, but he was never convicted of any of them. After a divorce from his first wife, he was barred from contacting her.
In 2005 he received media attention by seeking an Aryan Nations-al Qaeda alliance. CNN reported that "So while August Kreis may be calling, there is no sign that al Qaeda is listening." His statements raised federal concerns about violations of the law which caused the government to look closely at his activities and finances. The federal government concluded that he had no link with any terrorist organization. The government, however, in the process discovered “substantial unreported funds” going into his bank accounts with more than $33,000 in unreported income in 2005.
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