WARSAW — The Aryan Brotherhood, also known as the Brand or AB, is a white supremacist prison gang and organized crime syndicate with about 10,000 members in and out of prison. It is not connected with the Ku Klux Klan. The large gang is active not only in the prisons, but also on the streets, including in Indiana. A few members reside in Kosciusko County.

The reported tattoo design of members in the Indiana Aryan Brotherhood. (Photo from Anti-Defamation Legue website)

Mike Cox, former gang specialist for Warsaw Police Department and past president of the Midwest Gang Investigation Association, states Warsaw and Kosciusko County are not exempt from the presence of these members. “We’ve never had a lot of problems … not a lot of graffiti … not an active group (in the area).”

“We have had a few AB members that have lived in this area. When I found out about one, I would check with the prison system. I recall three that I checked and confirmed as members of AB who lived in or outside the city in Kosciusko County.” There are also a number of individual who are relatives of Aryan Brotherhood members living in the city and county in the fairly recent past.

Cox described the Aryan Brotherhood as being a prison gang. “They have a lot of power in and outside,” he said. Once an individual is a member, it’s for life. He does know a few who successfully left, but they are now in witness protection. “It’s blood in, blood out,” said Cox, explaining you shed someone’s blood to get in, and it is normally your blood shed to get out.

Additional Indiana Aryan Brotherhood tattoo

Members of this gang are “heavy into tattoos with Nazi insignia, white power symbols,” said Cox. While Indiana Aryan Brotherhood has its own symbol, each group uses different marks. Cox said each group swears allegiance to the same core, each area builds its own identity. “In Indiana, the markings are different than the east cost. The east coast markings are different than the west coast, where it all started.”

The Indiana group’s logo, according to the Anti-Defamation League website, is distinctive, consisting of a stylized letter “A” inside a circular emblem that has the words “Aryan Brotherhood” as well as SS bolts and a swastika. Often the circular emblem is yellow with the A in the middle red. Occasionally a rank will also appear as a part of the tattoo. Other symbols in the tattoo design could include 666, shamrocks and Celtic iconography.

While the Aryan Brotherhood, from the inception was a prison gang where its members are racists and more for self preservation, it now does work with the Mexcian Mafia, selling drugs. “It’s a bad group,” Cox said.

Additional Indiana Aryan Brotherhood tattoo

Cox mentioned there have been some Aryan Brotherhood members come through the Kosciusko County Court system. “They are not shy about their membership,” he said. “It doesn’t do much good to deny (because of all the tattoos). There are some who don’t want to be identified (with the gang) any more … if a person wants to be less active, sometimes they (the leadership) will go along with that. If you’re in good standing,” said Cox. But you’re never out. “Sometimes if they need something, you will be asked. You cannot refuse because you’re still a member and you do what you’re told.”

Members of the Ayran Brotherhood are generally more prevalent in areas around prisons, such as Indianapolis, Plainfield, Michigan City, Peru. “It can be any prison, federal or state.” However, larger populated areas may have more members.

Not Part Of KKK

Cox stated the AB is not connected to the Ku Klux Klan. “The KKK was created by people in the south, which was then the Democratic party — not by prisoners, but business members, farmers who didn’t want to see slavery end. The AB is different from the KKK. The KKK presents itself as a group protecting the U.S. from blacks, Hispanics, Asians, etc.”

A Little History

An Aryan Brotherhood Symbol

The Aryan Brotherhood was formed in 1966 at San Quentin State Prison, California, by George Jackson, to fight the Black Guerrilla Family. The Black Guerrilla Family would beat, kill and maim random white prisoners when caught out of their cells for no other reason than being white. This hate fermented race wars in the California prison system and led to the rise of four prison gangs, divided along radial lines – The Aryan Brotherhood, Black Guerrilla Family, Mexican Mafia and Nuestra Familia.

According to the Inside Prison website, there are currently 800 gangs in its database and the Aryan Brotherhood has been reported 205 times in 177 different locations and correctional facilities across North America, including Indiana.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation says the gang makes up less than .1 percent of the prison population but is responsible for up to 30 percent of murders in the federal prison system. The AB has focused on the economic activities typical of organized crime entities, such as drug trafficking, extortion, inmate prostitution and murder-for-hire.