Aryan Brotherhood of Texas flexing muscle

Like most gangs, the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas embraces several symbols, tattoos and slogans as part of its effort to forge a group identity that elevates loyalty to the organization over loyalty to any particular ABT member. A shield with an upright sword is one of the most common ABT symbols, according to the Anti-Defamation League. /Image via hlntv.com


The Aryan Brotherhood of Texas' efforts to intimidate law enforcement authorities in the Lone Star State have apparently borne fruit, with a federal prosecutor withdrawing from a case involving 34 defendants linked to the violent white supremacist group.

One of the defense attorneys in the case who knows Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Hileman personally said the federal prosecutor probably dropped out of the case because he feared for his life following the murders of two other prosecutors who had worked on the ABT investigation and indictments. The group has threatened to inflict "mass casualties" on law enforcement officials who have worked on the case, according to ABC News.

An Anti-Defamation League report calls the ABT "one of the largest and most violent white supremacist prison gangs in the United States." The report's findings include the following:

• The ABT formed in the 1980s after the desegregation of the Texas prison system, which had the unintended consequence of spawning white, black and hispanic gangs throughout Lone Star State corrections facilities. ABT members were linked to 13 murders at Texas prisons in 1984 and 1985.
• The ABT's constitution states the group was "founded upon the sublime principles of White Supremacy" but organized crime activity is the primary focus of ABT members once they get out of prison.
• The total number of active ABT members is estimated at about 2,000 men and hundreds of female associates, which is a relatively high number for U.S. extremist groups. The ABT is concentrated in Texas but also has a presence in all neighboring states.
• ABT membership is considered "for life," and "prospects" who wish to join the group must be sponsored by a member and complete an apprenticeship that can last for more than a year.
• The group is organized with a paramilitary structure that includes sergeants, lieutenants, captain and generals. Several alleged generals are among the 34 defendants facing charges in the federal case being prosecuted in Texas.
• ABT criminal activity in prison and on the streets falls into three categories: organized crime, gang crime and hate crime. Methamphetamine trafficking is a mainstay for the group, which also engages in an range of other criminal activity from extortion rackets, to home invasions, to murder.
• ABT members have been convicted of 30 murders outside of prison since 2000. In nearly half of those killings, the victims were ABT members who had violated the group's rules.
• In the most deadly hate crimes committed by an ABT member, Mark Stroman was sentenced to death for a series of shootings in the weeks following the 9/11 attacks on New York City and the Pentagon. Stroman targeted convenience store clerks in the Dallas area who appeared to be of Middle Eastern descent. He was convicted of killing two of store clerks and gravely injuring a third.

Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland and his wife, Cynthia, were shot to death March 30 at their home in Forney, Texas. The Aryan Brotherhood of Texas is a prime target of the investigation into the killings. /Image via theblaze.com