Aryan Brotherhood of Texas Member Convicted

An Aryan Brotherhood of Texas member has been convicted in East Texas.

52-year-old John Oliver Manning, a Pasadena, Texas native also known as “Fish”, has been convicted with violent crimes in aid of racketeering activities. Those activities include possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, assault with a dangerous weapon, and conspiracy to commit assault with a dangerous weapon.

32-year-old Joshua Mark Bodine of Vidor, Texas is also a co-defendant in the case, and pleaded guilty on October 11^th of this year to assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering activity. Bodine has been in police custody since February 24^th and Manning was arrested on September 9^th.

According to information presented at the trial, Manning went to up ABT member Matthew Fails in Nederland, Texas on September 7^th, 2009 with a firearm and a pair of handcuffs, attempting to collect a debt for Bodine. Fails was shot by Manning, and managed to recover after first being declared brain-dead.

Manning faces up to life in prison, and the minimum sentence is 25 years.

ABT members are reportedly required to follow the directions of higher-ranking members, and enforce its rules using murder and the threat of murder. The organization was founded in the early 1980s inside the Texas prison system, moving on to focus on illegal activities for profit.