Two high-ranking members of the Aryan Brotherhood prison gang will spend the rest of their lives in prison for ordering murders and drug trafficking operations from their California prison cells.
Ronald “Renegade” Yandell, 62, and William Sylvester, 56, were sentenced Wednesday to two consecutive life terms in prison for murder in aid of racketeering and various other Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) crimes, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced in a press release. Yandell, Sylvester, and a third co-defendant were found guilty in April of RICO conspiracy, conspiracy to murder, murder in aid of racketeering, and multiple counts of drug trafficking. The third defendant is set to be sentenced on Feb. 18.
Yandell was defiant in court at his sentencing.
“I’m still standing, and my life hasn’t changed,” he said, the San Jose Mercury News reported. “I ain’t easy to kill, and I’ll be back before this court on appeal.”
The indictment spells out crimes spanning 2011 and 2016. Using smuggled cellphones, the defendants oversaw criminal activities inside and outside of the prisons, authorities said.