Their testimony included the rule that only a high-ranking gang member could order an attack on OSullivan because of his status as an elder in a rival gang. Annapolis, Md. In their response, state prosecutors hardly defended Thompson against these attacks, noting that he testified to avoid potential racketeering charges and in the hopes of pleasing parole authorities down the line. After writing vigorous notes to his attorneys during Almonys testimony, Leissler took the rare step Friday of testifying at his own murder trial. He allegedly relied on a network of individuals outside of prison to distribute methamphetamine, collect proceeds from that distribution and launder those proceeds. Members of the Aryan Brotherhood inked Nazi swastikas into their skin and shared information through codes and secret names. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tom Snyder is prosecuting the case. White supremacist gangs growing in NC, officials say - WRAL.com [1][25][26][27] Bingham and Mills were convicted of murder and sent back to United States Penitentiary Administrative Maximum Facility Prison (ADX) in Florence, Colorado, escaping the death penalty. All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! 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The Aryan Brotherhood, also known as the Brand or the AB, is a neo-Nazi prison gang and an organized crime syndicate which is based in the United States and has an estimated 15,000-20,000 members both inside and outside prisons. If convicted of engaging in a monetary transaction using drug proceeds, Deanna Wilson faces a period of imprisonment of up to 10 years, a fine of not more than $250,000 (or a fine of twice the value of the property involved in the transaction whichever is greater). The two men stabbed Smith 67 times. THE ARYAN BROTHERHOOD | WELCOME TO HELL - YouTube This ended with the creation of two separate, but related organizations, the California Aryan Brotherhood, and the federal prison Aryan Brotherhood. Crime and Public Safety | Given the opportunity to question the gang leader directly, Leitess asked Leissler if he punished Bunner, Lockner and Hare for ruining his chance to see his mother when they killed OSullivan. Texas white power prison gang leaders 'Big Head,' 'JP' convicted of Michael Thompson, 69, was arrested Monday in Lake County. But according to authorities in Lake County, Thompson found prosperity through something else entirely: a massive fraud scheme that raked in millions through fradulent business loans and Employment Development Department applications. They were expected to enter pleas on June 22. Hare and Sean Almony, the second-in-command of the Aryan Brotherhood, testified against their gang boss. Yesterday, the Superseding Indictment was unsealed following the defendants arraignment. Anne Arundel County States Attorney Anne Colt Leitess announced today that Joseph Leissler, 52, was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole in the murder of John OSullivan, 43, another prisoner at the Maryland Correctional Institution in Jessup. He and co-defendant Eric Hutchins, 45, are accused of taking advantage of at least 16 people last year as the state Employment Development Department was handing out money to help those whose jobs were lost because of business closures during the COVID-19 pandemic. Public File for KBCW-TV / KBCW 44 Cable 12. [4] Organization varies somewhat, from prison to prison. Three suspected Aryan Brotherhood members fatally shot in NM [16] The Aryan Brotherhood is believed to have been formed at San Quentin State Prison,[1] but it may have been inspired by the Bluebird Gang. As a result of the race war, California prison officials segregated the gangs to different prisons in California. She wrote, John was my only child. Top 10 Worst Prisoners At The Colorado Supermax Prison - Listverse Vincent Bunner, 28, and Calvin Lockner, 40, were convicted of second-degree murder in January 2020 for stabbing OSullivan. Gotti also organized a business partnership which operated on the outside between his group and the Brotherhood and as a result of this business partnership, the group's power greatly expanded on the streets. Nate Gartrell covers crime and corruption in Contra Costa County. 1,[35][36] and the national hate-based organization Aryan Nations. Aryan Circle was founded in the mid-1980s as a breakaway from the larger, older Aryan Brotherhood of Texas. His frenzied testimony included his admission that hes commanded the deaths of several men, but not OSullivan, he assured. LAKEPORT Before being freed from state prison after more than 40 years behind bars, ex-Aryan Brotherhood leader Michael Lynn Thompson promised the parole board hed dedicate his life to philanthropy through his self-help program called Live, Learn & Prosper. I have previously spoken about the danger of the normalization of white supremacist symbology as well as the Long Beach community staunchly standing by its Muslim-American neighbors when President Trump proposed a registry for Muslim-Americans, actions that many felt contributed toward normalizing racist ideology and rhetoric. The June 24 order by U.S. Magistrate Judge Allison Claire says that the plaintiff, Patrick Big Pat Brady, failed to state a valid legal claim in his handwritten federal suit, which challenged his placement in a single-person maximum security in the Sacramento Jail. Heallegedly ran a years-long drug trafficking operation behind prison walls using smuggled cellphones. For years, it remained relatively small, then began . Several members of the Manson Family were in prison at the time, and they attempted to join forces. On August 9, 1982, the FBI's Los Angeles Field Office opened a racketeering enterprise investigation into the gang. A jury found Leissler guilty of all charges which included first degree murder, supervising a criminal gang, participation in a criminal gang resulting in death, participation in a criminal gang, and conspiracy to commit first degree murder on August 23, 2021. During the early 1980s, for example, Butler followers joined with members of the neo-Nazi National Alliance and Ku Klux Klan splinter groups to form The Silent Brotherhood, known more widely as The Order, which planned to overthrow the United States government in hopes of establishing an Aryan homeland in the . On August 14, 2016, at the Jessup Correctional Institute, inmates located in Building F were returning to their cells after their recreation break. It is alleged that Chance Alan Wilson, using contraband cell phones from his prison cell, organized and led a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine throughout Oklahoma and surrounding states. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Aryan Brotherhood - Stormfront All members are white, and are either in prison or have been in prison. Yandell, serving a life sentence for a double murder, is described as one of the gang's three-member leadership commission, as is Troxell. I never ever said I ordered a hit on OSullivan, Leissler said, his body leaned into the microphone and his voice broadcasted throughout the courtroom. ", "The Unbelievable True Story of Bane the Nazi Hellhound, 'Cornfed' Schneider and the Dog-Mauling Case That Made Kimberly Guilfoyle Famous", "Woman's Death Exposes Seamy Prison Scam", "Discovery Channel TV Series: American Gangs", "National Geographic TV Series: Explorer", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Aryan_Brotherhood&oldid=1141521912, Murder, assault, drug trafficking, robbery, gambling, extortion, racketeering, arms trafficking, inmate prostitution, human trafficking, dog fighting, This page was last edited on 25 February 2023, at 13:43. Ex-Aryan Brotherhood leader charged with massive California unemployment fraud scheme In the words of Department of Justice Assistant Attorney General Caldwell, "The Aryan Brotherhood of Texas launched its murderous and racist ideology within the Texas prisons, but unleashed a violent crime wave that jumped the prison walls and spread like a virus." That was six years ago. Claires recommendations need to be signed off on by a U.S. District judge before the suit is thrown out. Court records also said that the defendants were seen 'eyeing locks,' exchanging secret messages, and that another alleged Aryan Brotherhood member, Samuel Keeton, had tampered with the lighting device in his cell. Some of the inmates could face the death penalty if they are found guilty. They were expected to enter pleas on June 22. Feds indict Aryan Brotherhood prison gang members on murder, drug and U.S. District Judge Kimberly Mueller agreed that the decision was 'unprecedented,' and defense attorney's argued that the move infringes upon their clients' right to face criminal charges in person. Published: 11:01 EST, 5 August 2021 | Updated: 12:44 EST, 5 August 2021. If you enjoyed the episode, Subscribe to the Channel=====This channel covers corruption in the. [16], In November 2020, more than sixty individuals that were associated with the Aryan Brotherhood were arrested in a multi-agency operation that took place in California, Montana, and Nevada. With a $35 billion economy, low taxes, a vast multi-modal transportation system, highly skilled workforce and excellent educational institutions, Anne Arundel County is the premier location to do business. Freedom of Information Office, Paperless Archives, "Why I Fear the Aryan Brotherhoodand You Should, Too", "Racist gang caught in sting kept a list of Orange County police targets", Hells Angels Stage Funeral for Leader Killed in Bar Fight, "Commonwealth v. Chalue, 486 Mass. However, Mi. Thompson, who turns 70 in October, is perhaps the most well-known ex-Aryan Brotherhood member, who joined in the 1970s then dropped out in the 1980s. He dropped out of the gang soon after and testified against Price, who was sentenced to death for murdering Barnes and a woman named Elizabeth Hickey. He was featured in two early 2000s TV documentaries on the Aryan Brotherhood, where he said he dropped out and began cooperating with authorities over outrage that the gangs other leaders authorized an Aryan Brotherhood member named Curtis Price to murder the father of a former gang member. The government saw these offenses occurring on the West Coast, however, connections to the gang were made across the country, reaching as far as Alabama, all tied to the Aryan Brotherhood, eventually leading to the seizure of 80 pounds of methamphetamine, 5 pounds of heroin, and more than 25 firearms. The Aryan Brotherhood was formed at the San Quentin State Prison in California in 1964, organizing defensively against a violent black prison gang, the Black Guerilla Family, and becoming the first major white supremacist prison gang in the country in the process. The AB was founded in 1964 by Irish bikers to provide protection for white inmates in prisons, it is currently the deadliest and largest prison gang in the United States. New members were branded with a tattoo, following the procedure in a prison novel popular among inmates. Like the Aryan Brotherhood, the ABT has a strictly hierarchical leadership structure and has members both . Michael Thompson, 69, was arrested Monday in Lake County. As a former top leader said, "They're like two related but different crime families. And Leissler, who has a Nazi swastika tattooed on his chest and requires his members to ink the symbol on their bodies, has a Jewish fianc and Black family members, he told the jury.