Aryan Circle Member Convicted of Racketeering Attempted Murder
A federal jury in the Eastern District of Kentucky convicted a Louisiana man today for his attempted murder of a man at the direction of the violent prison gang, Aryan Circle.
Evidence presented at trial showed that Mitchell Farkas, aka Lifter, 52, of Baton Rouge, along with Johnathan Gober, stabbed another inmate, who the Aryan Circle believed had violated gang rules, while all were housed at federal prison U.S. Penitentiary (USP) Big Sandy in Martin County, Kentucky.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, the Aryan Circle is a violent, white-supremacist, prison gang with hundreds of members operating throughout the country, both inside and outside of prisons. The Aryan Circle enforces its rules and promotes discipline among its members, prospects, and associates through threats, intimidation, assaults, and murder.
The jury convicted Farkas of Violent Crimes in Aid of Racketeering (VICAR) attempted murder, VICAR assault with intent to do serious bodily harm, and attempted murder and assault with intent to do serious bodily harm. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 5 and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Gober was sentenced on Dec. 21, 2021, to 10 years in prison.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) investigated this case, with the assistance of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Houston Police Department – Gang Division, and the Montgomery County (TX) Precinct One Constable’s Office.
Trial Attorney Rebecca Dunnan of the Justice Department’s Organized Crime and Gang Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory Rosenberg of the Eastern District of Kentucky are prosecuting the case.
