Which Aryan Brotherhood Lives Matter?

Illustrating the arbitrary and capricious nature of RICO indictments

Perhaps the most head-scratching aspect of both the Sacramento and Fresno Aryan Brotherhood RICO indictments and trials is which Aryan Brotherhood member (or associate) lives matter. That is, what murder plots that didn’t actually happen rise to the level of being charged in a RICO indictment.

In Sacramento, there were four convictions for murder conspiracies of AB members or associates that did not happen: James Mickey, Kenneth “Kenwood” Johnson, Michael “Thumper” Trippe, and Paul “Dreamer” Diaz. (Diaz was an associate; the other three were full-fledged members in 2016). Yet the jury heard also heard testimony of other murder plots that did not happen that were not charged: Donald Mazza, John Stinson, and Danny Troxell.

In Fresno, no murder conspiracies that did not happen were charged. But the jury heard testimony of murder plots that did not happen, including John Stinson ordering Daniel Rubin to kill Ronnie Yandell, as well as Stinson ordering bad things to happen to Andrew “Misfit” Collins, and Bobby “The Butcher” Stockton.

So what gives? When do AB lives matter and rise to the level of being charged in a RICO indictment and when is it, in the words of Mazza, “if you ain’t been in the hat, you ain’t nobody,” just another day in The Brand.

Danny Troxell

A Deep Dive on the James Mickey Murder Plot

Todd Leras, Danny Troxell’s attorney, filed a Motion for Judgment of Acquittal on June 17, 2024. It was denied and Troxell is scheduled to be sentenced later in 2025. However, it outlines the James Mickey murder plot and just how dubious the case was that it was actually put into motion.

The facts most favorable for the government establish Defendants Ronald Yandell and Danny Troxell were, in August 2016, members and commissioners of the Aryan Brotherhood (the “AB”). The AB is an all-male California-based prison gang. The AB is run by a three-member Commission. The Commission’s duties include resolving disputes between members and approval of any order to murder a current or past member of the AB.

Count Three alleges that between August 20-21, 2016, Yandell and Troxell conspired with AB associate Travis Burhop to murder AB member James Mickey. Burhop, who testified as a cooperating defendant, was auditioning for membership in the AB.

[…]

The AB operated on the principle of “Blood In, Blood Out.” Bood In meant that recruits were either required to kill or might be called upon in the future to kill for the benefit of the AB. Willingness to commit a violent act constitutes the entry fee for membership. Blood Out means that a member must stay in the group and keep the secrets inviolate, particularly from law enforcement, until death by natural or violent means.

[…]

James Mickey, an AB member, failed to forward his tax to the AB. He also ignored directives of the Commission to report to Pelican Bay and explain his transgressions to the AB Commission. As a result, Mickey had reputedly been marked for violent assault.

Travis Burhop was confined at Calipatria State Prison in August 2016. He oversaw the entire prison. He was also auditioning for a role as a member of the AB. His drug dealing was prolific, amounting to profits of at least $10,000 per month. In mid-August, James Mickey was housed in the Administrative Segregation Unit (“AdSeg”) in a form of protective custody at Calipatria State Prison. His protective custody status flowed from potential threats to his safety.

In mid-August, the prison released Mickey into general population on A Yard at Calipatria State Prison. Travis Burhop was housed on B Yard, a separate yard of the prison. Consequently, Travis Burhop had no ability to personally harm James Mickey. Burhop was aware of rumors that the AB had green lighted Mickey.

At this point, it should be noted that the Sacramento jury heard intercepted calls between Yandell and Burhop in which the former was telling the latter about Mickey: “That dude’s got to go!” “We need to send a message!” “Bury a bone crusher in his motherfucking heart!” and “This is top secret shit!”

On August 20, 2016, a court-authorized wiretap on Yandell’s contraband cell phone intercepted a call between Burhop and Yandell. Burhop informed Yandell that “Mickey had hit A Yard at Calipatria.” Yandell said that he was going to have “that due [Mickey] hit.” Yandell indicated that he was waiting to speak to Danny Troxell about his intention toward Mickey. Burhop then volunteered that he had spoken to Troxell that morning. Burhop relayed that “Troxell pretty much agreed” that Mickey needed to be “whacked.” A call later the next evening between Yandell and Troxell arguably confirms this information. […]

This was the infamous, “We can’t have another Lil Ronnie” call in which Troxell ribbed Yandell about sponsoring “Lil” Ronnie Irwin for membership in the AB. Irwin had spectacularly flamed out at Calipatria in April 2016 by getting high on dope supplied by Burhop and assaulted a Southern Mexican with a bar of soap in a sock.

The evidence meets the threshold for a jury to determine that a plot to kill James Mickey came into existence between August 20 and 21, 2016. The plan had been openly discussed between Yandell and Burhop on August 20, with a confirming call from Yandell to Danny Troxell the next day. Burhop relayed he had already discussed the plot with Troxell during the morning of August 20. An intercepted call between Yandell and Troxell during the evening of August 21, 2016, the content of which did not expressly mention James Mickey, supports inferences which would allow a jury to conclude that Troxell or Yandell both signed off on the plot to kill Mickey that evening. In other words, two out of three AB Commissioners agreed to target James Mickey for violent assault or murder as of August 21, 2016.

Execution of the plot fell to Travis Burhop. This was true for obvious reasons. Yandell was confined hundreds of miles away at California State Prison, Sacramento. Troxell was an inmate California State Prison, Lancaster in Los Angeles County. It was a physical impossibility for Yandell or Troxell to physically threaten James Mickey.

This is a key point. Is this a real murder plot if it relies on a guy like Burhop—”The Perjurer”—to carry it out?

Burhop had a motive to put into action a plan to kill Mickey. He was a probationary recruit vying for membership in the AB. He wanted to demonstrate his willingness to kill, a requirement be believed necessary to achieve full membership. However, Burhop harbored a secret agenda. He testified at trial that he did not want to kill James Mickey. In fact, he fervently hoped that circumstances would change and that we he would not be called upon to arrange Mickey’s death. He therefore sat on his hands. He did nothing to put the plot into motion.

Fortunately for Burhop, Task Force Officer Doug McClure, a co-case agent in the investigation at issue in this case, heard the telephone calls discussing the plot to kill James Mickey. He contacted Calipatria State Prison and had James Mickey placed back into protective custody by prison authorities.

The plot to kill Mickey, in short, was thwarted before any steps could be taken to achieve it. Once an agreement between the conspirators came into existence no later over act toward the completion of the planned assault on James Mickey ever took place. Travis Burhop testified that he received this information as welcome news, although he continued to pretend that he would have executed the plan absent the unexpected and unforeseen movement of Mickey back to protective custody.

On August 22, 2016, Yandell and Burhop had an intercepted call in which the former told the latter, “They got his ass, huh?” Apparently, Mickey was taken off the yard on the pretext of a medical visit.

The Kenwood Plot

The Kenneth “Kenwood” Johnson murder plot also follows a similar pattern. Cyco Matt Hall, who was on the streets, complained about Kenwood’s demanding style on an intercepted call with Ronnie Yandell and Billy Sylvester. Kenwood had assessed a $2,500 fine to a Public Enemy Number One (PEN1) member and had assigned Hall to organize the robbery of a drug dealer July 2016. The robbery went wrong and the PEN1 member was shot and killed by the intended target.

Billy Sylvester was heard on an intercepted call with Danny Troxell expressing his desire to kill Kenwood, adding, “Who do I answer to?” Troxell pushed back, telling Sylvester he would have to “answer to the Tip” or the membership of the Aryan Brotherhood. Troxell told Sylvester he would talk to Johnson. Sylvester replied, “I’m not changing my stance on Kenwood.”

Kenneth "Kenwood" Johnson

Doug McClure testified he notified Kern Valley State Prison, where Johnson was incarcerated, of the threat to Kenwood’s life. Johnson was placed in AdSeg for two weeks before he ultimately returned to general population. Hall, Sylvester, and Yandell were charged with conspiracy to murder Johnson in the Sacramento indictment. Sylvester and Yandell were ultimately convicted of conspiracy to commit murder in the Sacramento trial.

Johnson was then named in the Fresno AB indictment in 2024 and charged with multiple murders he ordered from prison. These murders actually happened. And he was convicted.

Kenneth “Kenwood” Johnson has the distinction of having been a victim of a murder plot in Sacramento and the perpetrator of a murder plot in Fresno.

Arbitrary and Capricious

Both the James Mickey and Kenneth Johnson “murder plots” illustrate the arbitrary and capricious nature of these RICO indictments. It seems apparent that AB members end up in The Hat on a regular basis and almost always work their way out of it. In the words of the Government’s star witness Donald Mazza, if you ain’t been in the hat, you ain’t nobody.