Texas Aryan Brotherhood Members Convicted of Meth Conspiracy

FORT WORTH, Texas - Last week, following a four-day trial before U.S. District Judge John McBryde, a federal jury convicted seven defendants, including members and associates of the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas prison gang, for their roles in a methamphetamine distribution conspiracy that operated in north Texas. This operation occurred from approximately January 2014 to April 2016, said a DEA press release.

In addition, 80 defendants charged in drug conspiracy cases related to this one have pleaded guilty between April and August 2016.

Seven of the defendants were convicted of one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. Billy Ray Skaggs, 48, of Brownwood is among those convicted.

One defendant, James Marcus Laxson, was acquitted.

According to the release, the penalty for the offense is not less than five years or more than 40 years in federal prison and a $5 million fine. The defendants are scheduled to be sentenced by Judge McBryde in February 2017.

"The government presented evidence at trial that some of the defendants were members, including ranking members, or associates, of the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas.  The government presented further evidence identifying the defendants and the role of each in the conspiracy," said the DEA. "Text messages from some defendants’ phones, and recordings of phone calls from jail, were introduced that detailed their methamphetamine trafficking."

The Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Fort Worth Police Department investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Shawn Smith and Frank Gatto are prosecuting the case.