On May 19, a federal judge sentenced three members of the Aryan Brotherhood prison gang who were convicted at trial of a racketeering conspiracy that included multiple murders, drug trafficking, fraud, and robbery.
Francis Clement, 58, was found guilty by a jury in February of RICO conspiracy and five separate counts of murder in aid of racketeering. Each of these murders was committed while Clement was in state prison. Clement was sentenced to life in prison. There is no parole in the federal system.
The jury also found Kenneth Johnson, 63, guilty of RICO conspiracy and two counts of murder in aid of racketeering. Johnson was also sentenced to life in prison.
A third defendant, John Stinson, 70, was found guilty of one count of RICO conspiracy. Stinson, who was already serving a lengthy prison sentence in the California state prison system, was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, between 2016 and 2023, Aryan Brotherhood members and associates engaged in racketeering activity, including murder, conspiracy to murder, fraud, robbery, and drug trafficking crimes.
Johnson and Clement, who both held leadership roles in the gang, directed crimes committed by Aryan Brotherhood members both inside and outside of prison using cellphones that had been smuggled into prison.
Because of his rank in the gang, Clement received a cut from the illegal drug sales and fraud schemes the Aryan Brotherhood committed.
According to trial testimony, the Aryan Brotherhood regularly smuggled drugs, including methamphetamine, into prisons throughout the California prison system, which defendants and other gang members then sold to inmates.
In October 2020, Johnson and Clement together ordered one murder during the execution of which another individual was also killed. Johnson and Clement also ordered another murder of an individual who was subsequently killed.
It was further proven at trial that in February 2022, Clement ordered the murder of an individual and the following month, in March 2022, Clement ordered the murder of two more individuals. For each murder, the killings were ordered because defendants believed the victims either violated gang rules or owed the gang money.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Stinson was a high-ranking leader of the Aryan Brotherhood and had substantial authority over the enterprise, including sponsoring multiple individuals for membership, resolving disputes among members, and approving the murder of current and former members.
During the investigation, Stinson used a contraband cellphone within his prison cell to conduct business on behalf of the Aryan Brotherhood. The jury heard some of these communications from Stinson through court-authorised wiretapped conversations.
Evidence was presented that Stinson also engaged in drug trafficking and that, given his position within the gang, he received a cut of illegal drug sales that took place in prison and out on the street.
“The convicted defendants led a notorious prison gang that committed ruthless murders, widespread methamphetamine trafficking, and perpetuated a culture of mayhem, fear, and disorder within the prison system that bled into the outside world,” said Matthew Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.
Acting Director Daniel Driscoll of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) noted that the Aryan Brotherhood’s leadership operated a brutal criminal enterprise from behind bars — ordering murders, trafficking drugs, and fueling violence in communities.
The indictment in this case charged 11 defendants with RICO conspiracy and other crimes. There are five defendants awaiting trial, and three defendants have pleaded guilty.
