White Aryan Resistance Gang Member Sentenced to Forty Years

Prosecutors in DA Charme Allen’s Career Gang Unit obtained a forty-year sentence against a member of the White Aryan Resistance. Nicholas Christopher Grassia, III, 28, pled guilty to Aggravated Kidnapping and Unlawful Possession of a Weapon. Under the terms of the agreement, Grassia received a sentence of forty years in prison.

In a plea before Judge Bob McGee, Assistant District Attorneys TaKisha Fitzgerald and Phil Morton explained to the court that on July 15, 2019, Knoxville Police Department Officer David Chandler responded to a domestic disturbance call on Fourth Avenue. Once on scene, the victim explained to Ofc. Chandler that Grassia became angry with the victim and slammed her head into a wall several times. Grassia pushed the victim down to the ground and punched her in the face and body. At one point during the attack, Grassia squeezed the victim’s throat and put her in a choke hold, strangling her. Grassia punched the victim in the head several more times, causing her to lose consciousness.

As part of the same plea hearing, prosecutors announced that in a separate incident on August 7, 2019, KPD Ofc. Caleb Coffey conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle driven by Grassia. During a search of the vehicle, officers found a handgun under Grassia’s seat. Grassia has eight prior felony convictions, making it illegal for him to possess a firearm.

Grassia’s eight prior felony convictions are out of Jefferson County for Aggravated Kidnapping, Aggravated Assault, and Aggravated Burglary cases. He has also been classified as a member of the White Aryan Resistance, a white supremacist neo-Nazi gang.

If you have any questions, please contact Sean McDermott at 865-215-2515 or Sean.McDermott@knoxcounty.org. For more information about the District Attorney’s Office, visit our website at dag.knoxcountytn.gov and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.