Aryan Brotherhood Member Sentenced to Life in Prison

Jason Corbett, 52, was sentenced today to life in prison for murder in aid of racketeering, according to the DOJ.Photo byJamie TayloronUnsplash

Jason Corbett, 52, of Paradise, California was sentenced to life in prison today by U.S. District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller for committing murder in aid of racketeering, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

Corbett, a member of the Aryan Brotherhood, carried out the killing as part of the gang’s criminal enterprise, which involved drug trafficking and other illegal activities both inside and outside California prisons, the DOJ says.

According to the DOJ, between 2011 and 2016, AB members and associates engaged in a wide range of racketeering activities, including murder, conspiracy to murder, and drug trafficking.

AB members managed a heroin and methamphetamine trafficking operation from their California prison cells, using smuggled cellphones to direct illegal activities both inside and outside the prison system.

In his plea agreement, Corbett admitted to murdering an inmate on July 28, 2018, at High Desert Prison. The victim falsely claimed to be an AB member and had accrued significant drug debt, both of which violated AB's strict codes.

Corbett carried out the murder with premeditation to maintain his status within the gang.

In April 2024, after a nine-week trial, three of Corbett’s co-defendants were found guilty of conspiracy, racketeering, and drug trafficking charges.

Two of them, Ronald Yandell, 62, and Billy Sylvester, 56, are set to be sentenced on Nov. 19, 2024. Danny Troxell, 71, will be sentenced at a later date, according to the DOJ.

This case was the result of an investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, with support from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, according to the DOJ.