TEXAS – An alleged general of the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas gang plead guilty Friday to federal racketeering charges.
Authorities said Terry Ross Blake, aka “Big Terry,” 56, of Corpus Christi, Texas, plead guilty before U.S. District Judge Sim Lake in the Southern District of Texas to one count of conspiracy to participate in racketeering activity.
Blake faces a maximum penalty of life in prison when he is sentenced in October, officials said.
Blake is one of 36 defendants charged with conducting racketeering activity through the ABT criminal enterprise, among other charges. To date, 28 defendants have pleaded guilty, officials said.
According to court documents, Blake and other Aryan Brotherhood gang members and associates agreed to commit multiple acts of murder, robbery, arson, kidnapping and narcotics trafficking on behalf of the ABT gang.
Officials said Blake and numerous other Aryan Brotherhood gang members met regularly at various locations throughout Texas to conduct gang-related business, collect dues, commit disciplinary assaults against fellow gang members and discuss acts of violence against rival gang members, among other things, officials said.
The Aryan Brotherhood was established in the early 1980s within the Texas prison system. The gang modeled itself after and adopted many of the precepts and writings of the Aryan Brotherhood, a California-based prison gang that was formed in the California prison system during the 1960s.
Initially, the Aryan Brotherhood was primarily concerned with the protection of white inmates and white supremacy/separatism. Over time, the Aryan Brotherhood expanded its criminal enterprise to include illegal activities for profit, officials said.
Court documents allege that the Aryan Brotherhood enforced its rules and promoted discipline among its members, prospects and associates through murder, attempted murder, conspiracy to murder, arson, assault, robbery and threats against those who violate the rules or pose a threat to the enterprise.
Members, and oftentimes associates, were required to follow the orders of higher-ranking members, often referred to as “direct orders,” authorities said.