12 Inmates Accused of Racketeering

A dozen suspected members of the Nazi Low Riders, a white racist prison gang, have been indicted on federal racketeering charges that include allegations of murder, robbery, witness intimidation, extortion and drug dealing, authorities announced Thursday.

All of those charged have been in custody, either awaiting trial or serving time in the California penal system.

The indictment, which was returned by a Los Angeles federal grand jury Wednesday, capped a three-year investigation into the Low Riders.

According to the indictment, the Low Riders have now succeeded the Aryan Brotherhood as the dominant white gang in California’s state prison yards.

The change is an outgrowth of a systemwide “lockdown” of Aryan Brotherhood members, cutting them off from access to the general inmate population, the indictment said.

In return for getting “the keys to the yard,” the indictment said, the Nazi Low Riders now serve as chief enforcers for the Aryan Brotherhood.

It said they have formed strategic alliances with other prison gangs, including the Mexican Mafia. Those indicted are accused of carrying out one murder and 19 attempted murders behind prison walls.

Michael Bridge, 34, identified as a high-level Nazi Low Rider, and Robert Baltimore, 32, described as a soldier in the organization, were charged with killing an inmate in 1996. Both are eligible for the death penalty if convicted under the racketeering charge.

Eight other defendants face maximum life terms and two could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

The investigation was conducted by a task force headed by the FBI and the Ontario Police Department with assistance from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms; the California Department of Corrections; the Orange County Sheriff’s Department; and the Costa Mesa Police Department.