The federal government has indicted twenty-four defendants, including alleged Aryan Circle (AC) gang members and associates, on charges of racketeering conspiracy, violent crimes in aid of racketeering, drug conspiracy, and unlawful firearms trafficking in states including Missouri.

According to court documents, the AC is a violent, race‑based organization that operates inside federal prisons across the country and outside prisons in states including Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Missouri.  The group was originally a spin-off of the prison-based Aryan Brotherhood of Texas. According to federal prosecutors, the AC’s structure and influence have expanded outside of prisons to rural and suburban areas in various states.

These indictments are part of “Operation Noble Virtue,” a larger investigation into AC leadership that has resulted in seventeen federal convictions in six jurisdictions to date.

One of the indictments in the Eastern District of Texas charges six alleged AC members and associates with a racketeering conspiracy that includes acts involving murder, five alleged AC members with assault resulting in serious bodily injury in aid of racketeering, and two alleged AC members with kidnapping and conspiracy to commit kidnapping in aid of racketeering. An alleged AC member charged in Texas is Jesse Paul Blankenship, aka “JP,” 39, of Missouri.

Court records further indicate that the AC enforces its rules and promotes discipline among its members, prospects, and associates through murder, attempted murder, assault, and threats against those who violate the rules or pose a threat to the organization.

Compiled from DOJ reports