Guilty Pleas in Texas Racist Prison Gang Case Rolling In
Federal prosecutors in Texas have obtained guilty pleas from eight of the 35 members of the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas (ABT) charged with racketeering and a host of violent crimes, including murders, arsons, robberies and assaults.
The first guilty pleas in the massive prosecution came just two months after federal charges were filed, suggesting prosecutors have a strong case and are working to strike deals with some of the accused who could get lighter sentences in exchange for cooperation. But some of the guilty pleas include specific language that the defendant isn’t cooperating — so they don’t end up with a “snitch jacket” and protective custody while doing prison time.
The latest plea came Thursday in U.S. District Court in Houston from Samantha Goldman, 29, of Houston, who pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to participate in racketeering activity.
Among her “Aryan” associates, Goldman was known as a “featherwood” — a female racist skinhead — who operated a support hub for ABT’s criminal enterprises. Court documents say Goldman facilitated communication of criminal activities among imprisoned gang members. Specifically, she was involved in communications regarding gang-related business, collection of dues, commission of disciplinary assaults against fellow gang members, and acts of violence against rival gang members and other crimes.
By pleading guilty to federal racketeering charges, Goldman has admitted to being an associate of the ABT criminal enterprise, federal prosecutors said.
Court documents say Goldman and other ABT gang members and associates engaged in racketeering by agreeing to commit multiple acts of murder, robbery, arson, kidnapping, and narcotics trafficking on behalf of the white supremacist gang. She could receive a term of up to life in prison when she sentenced Oct. 17 by U.S. District Judge Sim Lake.
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