According to a criminal complaint unsealed today, nine defendants have been arrested on federal racketeering and other charges for extensive, organized criminal activity from within Californias most secure prisons. Sixteen Aryan Brotherhood members and associates are accused of running the criminal enterprise using contraband cellphones, encrypted chats, text messages, multimedia messages and email. They say two Aryan Brotherhood associates killed the 71-year-old Pinell days after he was moved in 2015 to a Sacramento-area prison. Multiple guns, and over 7 pounds of methamphetamine, prescription pills and heroin were found and seized as a result of these searches. Pinell, nicknamed "Yogi Bear," became infamous as one of the San Quentin 6, helping to slit the throat of prison guards during a failed 1971 escape attempt that left six dead. 1 (abbreviated as PEN1; pronounced / p i n a /), also known as PENI Death Squad (or PDS), is a prison and street gang formed in Long Beach, California and now based in Orange County, California. Yesterday, five inmates were transferred to federal custody from California state prisons. 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. The AB is gang formed in the California prison system in about 1964 by white inmates who wanted to gain power and authority in prison. 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. The gang was formed by white inmates in the mid-1960s and has a policy of 'blood in, blood out,' holding that full members must kill to gain entry. Assistant U.S. Aryan Brotherhood Gang Member Sentenced to 20 Years for Meth Trafficking ANNAPOLIS, Md. According to federal prosecutors, the men were plotting to smuggle cellphones into the Sacramento County Jail and discussed 'taking out' a person who had introduced on their wives to an undercover federal agent. Fax Line:(916) 554-2900. First published on June 10, 2021 / 9:44 AM. It was founded in 1964 in the San Quentin State Prison in California by Irish immigrants in reaction to prison desegregation. Aryan Brotherhood Methamphetamine Operation Dismantled When the contraband was discovered, Sylvester, using a cellphone, advised Demar to blame their contraband smuggling on the Aryan Brotherhood in order to get out of trouble. McGregor Scott, the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of California, answers questions concerning the charges against leaders of the white supremacist prison gang, the Aryan Brotherhood, during a news conference in Sacramento, Thursday, June 6, 2019. All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! Dear Abby: I have a great life, so why have I fallen into this shameful behavior? A locked padlock / CBS San Francisco. Macnamara did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment and the voicemail box on his phone was full. Tasks delegated to paroled gang members include smuggling drugs, cell phones, and weapons to incarcerated members, as well as drug dealing, murder, identity theft, and armed robbery on the outside. Thompson and Hutchins also were accused of falsely applying for EDD benefits themselves, alleging they were working while they were still in prison, and they are suspected of $1.5 million in loan fraud, authorities said. Since then, all 34 Aryan Brotherhood of Texas members who have been charged and convicted for their roles in the drug network are now serving time in federal prison. This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. In addition, the new indictment alleges that AB member Daniel killed an inmate at Salinas Valley State Prison on Oct. 29, 2016, and AB members Corbett and Brady murdered an inmate on July 20, 2018, at High Desert State Prison as part of their role in the gang. The charges allege multiple murders of those who run afoul of the gang, as well as an active drug trafficking operation that spans multiple counties and states. Aryan Brotherhood Gang Members Charged With State Prison Killings 17:44 BST 05 Aug 2021. who was the leader of the Universal Aryan Brotherhood . In 1972 in San Quentin the gang formed an alliance with the Mexican Mafia against La Nuestra Familia, two of the other main prison gangs in California. A locked padlock Dear Abby: I have a great life, so why have I fallen into this shameful behavior? Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Departments Criminal Division, U.S.Attorney McGregor W. Scott, and Special Agent in Charge Chris Nielsen of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) made the announcement. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Among the items seized in the prisons were cellphones and drugs. During the course of the investigation, robberies, murders, drug trafficking, pervasive fraud, and firearms offenses occurring in Fresno, San Bernardino, Santa Barbara, Inyo, and other areas in California, were tied to the AB prison gang. In addition to the significant efforts of our partners, FBI agents, deputized task force officers, intelligence analysts, and support personnel alone have committed more than 6,000 hours of work to the success of this operation since August 2019.. Warrants have been issued for the arrests of Kathleen Nolan 64, of Calimesa, and Matthew Hall, 50, of Manhattan Beach. Michael Thompson, 69, was arrested Monday in Lake County. SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) A one-time top member of the notorious Aryan Brotherhood who claimed to have turned his life around after 45 years in prison is now charged with defrauding Northern Californians out of nearly $400,000 in unemployment benefits. We will adapt and move along with them. The prosecution of these individuals, if convicted, will help to dismantle and weaken this dangerous organization., This extensive investigation revealed the violent underbelly of a race-based prison gang and organized crime enterprise operating behind bars. Official websites use .gov Official websites use .gov FRESNO, Calif. As part of a multi-agency operation, more than 60 individuals associated with the Aryan Brotherhood were arrested in California, Nevada and Montana on federal and state charges in connection with their gang activities, including violent crimes, illegal firearms trafficking and possession and drug trafficking. This commission makes decisions about membership admittance, approves targets for killings, and, in the first years of its existence, developed a de facto banking system. The court documents reveal that two "high-ranking" members of the Universal Aryan Brotherhood, Kyle Morris and Rusty Williams, ordered other members to murder a Blood as part of the ongoing war. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli), Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. ATF and our law enforcement partners knew that if we effectively and efficiently leveraged our resources and specialties that we would accomplish much more together than we could alone.