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Aryan Brotherhood of Texas Gang Leader Sentenced in Houston for Violent Crimes
HOUSTON, Texas – A high-ranking member of the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas (ABT) was sentenced to 87 months in federal prison for his role in an aggravated assault that took place in Tomball, Texas, in September 2008.
Steven Walter Cooke, 48, aka ‘Stainless,’ pleaded guilty on March 16, 2012, to racketeering aggravated assault for his role in the beating of an ABT prospect member. Cooke was sentenced on March 16, 2012, to 87 months in federal prison by senior U.S. District Court Judge Ewing Werlein Jr.
The sentence will run concurrent with a life sentence imposed by U.S. District Judge Marcia Crone on May 3, 2012, in the Eastern District of Texas in connection with Cooke’s role in a 2008 Liberty County, Texas, homicide.
According to court documents, Cooke was a leader of the ABT, a powerful race-based, state-wide organization that operated inside and outside of state and federal prisons throughout the United States. The ABT was established in the early 1980s within the Texas prison system.
The ABT enforced its rules and promoted discipline among its members, prospects, and associates through murder, attempted murder, conspiracy to murder, assault, robbery, and threats against those who violate the rules or pose a threat to the enterprise.
Cooke, along with 11 fellow ABT gang members, participated in the beating of a prospective ABT member at Cooke’s home in Tomball on Sept. 22, 2008. The ABT prospect, who sustained serious bodily injury, including an orbital blowout fracture, was beaten by ABT gang members because he violated ABT rules of conduct.
This case is being investigated by a multi-agency task force consisting of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Drug Enforcement Administration; the FBI; the U.S. Marshals Service; the Texas Rangers; the Texas Department of Public Safety; the Walker County, Texas, Sheriff’s Office; the Montgomery County, Texas, Sheriff’s Department; the Houston Police Department-Gang Division; the Tomball Police Department; the Texas Department of Criminal Justice – Inspector General; and the Harris County, Texas, Sheriff’s Office.
The case is being prosecuted by David Karpel of the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Hileman of the Southern District of Texas.
Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Category: Violent Crime|Organized Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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