WASHINGTON D.C.
Three Aryan Brotherhood members were sentenced Monday in federal court for a violent RICO conspiracy involving murders, drug trafficking, fraud, and robbery, officials stated.
Francis Clement, 58, was convicted in February of RICO conspiracy and five murders committed while in state prison. He received a life sentence with no parole.
Kenneth Johnson, 63, also received life for RICO conspiracy and two murders.
John Stinson, 70, already serving time in California state prison, was sentenced to 20 years for RICO conspiracy.
“Today’s sentences are yet another blow to the leadership of a violent criminal enterprise run from inside California prisons and spanning multiple counties and states,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith for the Eastern District of California. “The Aryan Brotherhood has maintained its deadly influence over members, associates and others both inside and outside prison. We are committed to doing everything we can to stop these violent inmates from orchestrating their criminal activities from inside prison walls.”
Between 2016 and 2023, the Aryan Brotherhood operated a criminal enterprise inside and outside California prisons. Using smuggled cellphones, Clement and Johnson directed killings and oversaw drug and fraud operations. Clement profited from drug sales and ordered multiple murders, including three in early 2022, targeting individuals who violated gang rules or owed debts.
Stinson, a high-ranking gang leader, managed member recruitment, dispute resolutions, and murder approvals from inside his cell, also via contraband phone. Jurors heard wiretapped calls linking him to the enterprise’s drug operations, from which he also profited.