A federal indictment in Tulsa charges 18 members of a white supremacist prison gang with racketeering, drug conspiracy and kidnapping that resulted in at least six homicides since 2005.
The indictment unsealed Wednesday says the 18 are members of the Universal Aryan Brotherhood, described as a violent “whites only” gang based primarily in Oklahoma prisons.
"They are certainly one of the most fearsome. They are aggressive, and they’re violent. The means by which they see to establish power and some sort of rule in prisons — in state prisons and federal prison — is by violence," said U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Oklahoma Trent Shores.
The indictment alleges the gang members and 36 unindicted co-conspirators trafficked methamphetamine and marijuana, assaulted and kidnapped people to intimidate them, and killed rivals and at least one carjacking victim.
Some high-ranking members were among those named.
"A number of people who have been indicted have been on the main council, are on the main council or at a minimum had a lot of influence as to what happened with the UAB," said Assistant U.S. Attorney Dennis Fries, the lead prosecutor on the case.
The investigation is under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act.
"The RICO case that we are bringing will dismantle and disrupt the operations of the Universal Aryan Brotherhood, and Oklahomans in northeastern Oklahoma should sleep better at night knowing that we’re aggressively pursuing this violent gang," Shores said.
Of the 18 people indicted, seven were in the Oklahoma State Penitentiary, and three were in other Oklahoma prisons. Shores said contraband cell phones were the main method of communication with the gang’s leaders behind bars.
Defendants Randy Seaton, Richard Young, Michael Clinton and Brandy Simmons were arraigned Wednesday and each pleaded not guilty.
The indictment does not indicate if the charges are related to drug charges filed last week against alleged members of a white supremacist gang in Arkansas.
