Five members of the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas have been sentenced to federal prison for the beating of a prospective member who violated rules of conduct.
A judge sentenced 31-year-old Zechariah Aaron Johnston to seven years; 33-year-old Stephen Kyle Knebel to two years; 33-year-old Robert Lynn Sheats to three years; and 35-year-old Johnny Ray Nichols to 18 months in prison.
In March, 34-year-old Rusty Dwayne Plante received three years.
All five, who are from the Houston area, pleaded guilty to the aggravated assault. Johnston, Knebel and Nichols each pleaded guilty to racketeering aggravated assault.
Plante and Sheats pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit racketeering aggravated assault. Eleven of 12 co-defendants have pleaded guilty in the 2008 assault, which caused serious injury. A 12th was found guilty at trial.
