Michele Beckwith Acting U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of California
Following a four-week trial in Fresno, California, three members of the Aryan Brotherhood prison gang were convicted of racketeering activities. The charges included murder, drug trafficking, fraud, and robbery. Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith made the announcement after the verdict was delivered by a federal jury under U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston.
John Stinson, aged 70 and an inmate at California State Prison, was found guilty of conspiracy to conduct affairs through racketeering activity. Francis Clement, 58, also an inmate at the same facility, was convicted on similar conspiracy charges and five counts of murder in aid of racketeering for the deaths of Allan Roshanski, Ruslan Megomedgadzhiev, Michael Brizendine, James Yagle, and Ronnie Ennis. Kenneth Johnson, 63 and another inmate from California State Prison, faced similar conspiracy charges along with two counts of murder in aid of racketeering for the murders of Roshanski and Megomedgadzhiev.
Court documents revealed that between 2015 and 2023, Aryan Brotherhood members engaged in multiple criminal acts involving murder conspiracies as well as fraud and drug trafficking crimes. The group used smuggled cellphones to coordinate these activities while controlling membership within their ranks. Stinson held a leadership role within the organization with significant authority over its operations.
Several other individuals are awaiting trial related to this case: Jayson Weaver (47), Waylon Pitchford (47), Andrew Collins (42), Evan Perkins (38), and Justin Gray (39). Their trials are scheduled between September 2025 and April 2026.
The investigation leading to these convictions involved multiple agencies including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Office of Correctional Safety; United States Marshals Service; various local police departments; Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office; Kern County District Attorney’s Office among others. Assistant United States Attorneys Stephanie Stokman and James Conolly alongside Department of Justice attorney Jared Engelking are handling prosecution duties.
Sentencing for Stinson is set for May 19th next year where he faces a maximum life sentence due to his RICO conspiracy conviction while Clement's mandatory life sentences stem from his murder convictions tied directly into aiding racketeering activities.
This case falls under investigations conducted by Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces aiming at dismantling high-level criminal organizations posing threats across America through coordinated efforts led by prosecutors leveraging intelligence-driven strategies supported collaboratively across agencies nationwide.
