'Survivor' alum Brandon Hantz charged in indictment against Bandidos motorcycle gang
The former reality star was indicted in Houston along with 13 other current and former members of the Bandidos Outlaw Motorcycle Gang and Mascareros Motorcycle Club, the U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Texas, said Wednesday in a statement. The 22-count indictment, unsealed Feb. 11, alleges that the Bandidos, a self-identified 'outlaw' motorcycle organization, allegedly engaged in a conspiracy to commit racketeering activity and committed violent crimes, including murder, attempted murder and assault.
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Hantz, 33, also known as Loco and Gun Drop, is charged with conspiracy to commit racketeering activity, as well as arson. If convicted, he could face up to 20 years on each count.
The U.S. Attorney's Office said the indictment is "an important step in eliminating" the Bandidos Outlaw Motorcycle Gang.
"The Bandidos declare war on rivals — and they wage that war on our streets," Supervisory Official Antoinette T. Bacon of the Justice Department's Criminal Division said in the news release. "Criminal behavior like this has no place in America, and the Department of Justice is fully committed to bringing peace back to our communities.'
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The indictment alleges a violent turf war erupted in 2019 between the Bandidos and B*EAST, a rival motorcycle gang, in the Houston area. Federal prosecutors allege that the Bandidos' national leadership allegedly put out a 'smash on site' order to commit physical assaults, including murder, against B*EAST members. The turf war, they said, resulted in gunfire exchanged on public roadways and in public establishments with civilians present.
"Ensuring the safety of the public is SDTX's paramount concern,' U.S. Atty Nicholas J. Ganjei said. 'The indictment here not only alleges shocking crimes of violence, but also alleges that these offenses were committed openly and wantonly, where any innocent member of the public could have been hurt or killed.'
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The Bandidos allegedly have approximately 1,500 to 2,000 members in the United States and an additional 1,000 to 1,500 members internationally, including in Mexico, according to the the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Several of the individuals named in the indictment are expected to make an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Dena Hanovice Palermo on Wednesday at 2 p.m. It is not yet clear if Hantz will be among them. Representatives for the DOJ did not immediately respond to requests for confirmation.
Hantz, the nephew of notorious "Survivor" villain Russell Hantz, is from Crosby, Texas, and appeared in Season 23 of "Survivor: South Pacific" in 2011 and in Season 26 of "Survivor: Caramoan" in 2013. In the latter season, he infamously dumped his tribe's food reserves after an altercation with another cast member. According to TMZ, a family member said Hantz's home was raided Wednesday by the FBI and that he left the Bandidos last year.
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
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