In 2006-2007, prison officials and police on the streets alike struggled to rein in the criminal activities of racist prison gangs across the United States.  Members of such groups committed murders, kidnappings and assaults, and engaged in trading illegal drugs, identity theft, counterfeiting and more.

Taking center stage were the high-profile federal trials of Aryan Brotherhood leaders in California on racketeering charges for a variety of murders, attempted murders, and other crimes, some involving a potential death penalty.  One trial, in Santa Ana, resulted in convictions for four Aryan Brotherhood leaders:   Barry "The Baron" Mills, Tyler "The Hulk" Bingham, Edgar "The Snail" Hevle, and Christopher Gibson.  Two received sentences of life without parole and the third received three consecutive life sentences; a fourth's sentencing was delayed.  A second trial went to court in Los Angeles in December 2006; the two defendants face a possibility of life in prison without parole if convicted. 

The California trials involved criminal acts dating back decades, but Aryan Brotherhood members and associates were quite active in committing more recent crimes around the country.

• Aryan Brotherhood related criminal activities occurred across Texas in 2006.  Authorities in Dallas and Mesquite in August 2006 arrested a number of suspected Aryan Brotherhood members on a variety of charges.  This includes four members (among them one of the group's highest ranking leaders, Jason Hankins) charged with capital murder.  Meanwhile, Harris County officials charged several more reported Aryan Brotherhood members with capital murder or aggravated kidnapping for a different murder, and yet other members on racketeering charges.  San Angelo authorities arrested seven suspected Aryan Brotherhood members for a drug-related abduction in July 2006.  In May, Jefferson County officials charged two suspected Aryan Brotherhood members with the alleged murder of a woman.  On the west side of the state, five Aryan Brotherhood members were convicted or pleaded guilty to a variety of firearms charges. One of them, Matthew C. Courtney, a "major" in the group, received a sentence of nearly 15 years in prison.  Texas has another large and dangerous racist prison gang as well, the Aryan Circle.
• In Oklahoma, Aryan Brotherhood members Brandon James Horne and Michael Sean Rose were charged with first degree murder in October 2006 for the alleged murder of a an inmate who was a sex offender.  Police say that the Aryan Brotherhood was involved in extorting protection money from sex offenders, and that the two suspects allegedly beat the victim to death when he refused to pay them money. 
• In Utah, reported Aryan Brotherhood fugitive Curtis Michael Allgier was briefly Salt Lake City's "public enemy number one" before his capture in November 2006 on weapons and parole violations charges.  Utah has been plagued by racist prison gangs in recent years, including the Silent Aryan Warriors and Soldiers of Aryan Culture.
• In Mississippi, federal authorities charged five suspected Aryan Brotherhood members and associates, three men and two women, with allegedly running a methamphetamine ring from a community work center. 
• In Ohio, Aryan Brotherhood leader James Blomquist was sentenced in January 2006 to nine years in prison after pleading guilty to eight drugs, forgery, and fraud charges. 

In addition to the Aryan Brotherhood, many regional racist prison gangs also caused problems in 2006-2007.  Among them were:

• Aryan Circle.  Four members of the Texas-based Aryan Circle were arrested in February 2007 and charged with the brutal murder of a man near Coahoma, Texas, who had allegedly been disrespectful to a family member of one of the suspects. 
• Nazi Low Riders (NLR).   Members of this large racist prison and street gang have a high association with criminal activity ranging from hate crimes to the illegal drug trade.  The year 2006 was no exception for the NLR.  One member, Michael David Cottler, was arrested in August 2006 for allegedly conspiring with another man in prison to murder a California Highway Patrol officer who was going to testify against one of them in court.  An NLR associate and former corrections officer, Shayne Allyn Ziska, received a 17 ½ year prison sentence in June 2006 on drug and civil rights violations.
• Public Enemy Number 1 (PENI or PEN1).  PENI, a large and growing hybrid white street gang, racist skinhead gang, and racist prison gang, based primarily in California, caused many problems for law enforcement officers in 2006, including alleged plots to target police and prosecutors.  In March 2006, a sweep of PENI by police in Orange County resulted in 23 arrests and 12 weapons seized; a larger raid in Orange County in December 2006 resulted in the arrest of 67 PENI members on weapons and drugs charges, as well as parole and probation violations.  In July 2006, PENI leader Dominic Rizzo received a 25-years-to-life sentence for assault with a deadly weapon for a razor blade attack against another inmate.
• European Kindred.  This Oregon-based racist prison gang has grown rapidly since its founding in 1998 (some estimates put it at as many as 500 members), and the problems associated with the gang have grown as well, including on the streets, especially in Portland.  In June 2006, for example, European Kindred member Rocky Robison and two associates were arrested for allegedly breaking into a home in Portland, assaulting and robbing a woman who lived there, and using a stun gun on her.  Crimes committed by the European Kindred range from hate crimes to drug-related crimes (especially methamphetamines) to identity theft.  Smaller racist prison gangs, such as the Organized Aryan Crime Syndicate, have also caused problems in Oregon in 2006.