75 supremacists convicted, leaving Aryan Brotherhood of Texas in 'absolute chaos,' Feds say

HOUSTON -- A federal prosecutor says the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas is in "absolute chaos" after nearly 75 people were convicted following a six-year investigation into the white supremacist gang, but others warn the crime network won't be brought down by a single bust.

The U.S. Justice Department secured a combined total of 900 years in prison time for the convicted Aryan Brotherhood members after a federal probe that began in 2008, the Houston Chronicle reported Sunday. A review of records, court documents, transcripts and interviews by the newspaper found that the roughly 2,000-member gang is now struggling to rebuild.

"They are in chaos, absolute chaos," said David Karpel, a Department of Justice attorney who spearheaded the prosecutions. "It has reduced their power; they don't know who to trust."

The Aryan Brotherhood has a history of crimes in Texas that includes robberies, burglaries, kidnappings and murders. Formed in the 1980s in the Texas prison system, its members are all white, heterosexual felons. They can never have served in law enforcement, been an informant or been convicted of child molestation.

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