According to information presented in court and contained in court filings, Glynnwood Derrick, 46, of Texarkana, joined the Aryan Circle (AC) while in state prison in Texas in 2000, and received his “patch,” or gang tattoo, in 2004 while serving a sentence in federal prison.
Derrick pleaded guilty today to violent gang-related activities in the Eastern District of Texas.
Derrick held various ranks within the organization over the years, including the ranks of Captain and Major. Derrick attended “church,” or gang meetings, on numerous occasions at the homes of other AC members.
The AC is a violent, white supremacist organization that operates inside federal prisons across the country and outside prisons in states including Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Missouri.
The AC enforces its rules and promotes discipline among its members, prospects and associates through murder, attempted murder, assault, and threats against those who violate the rules or pose a threat to the organization. Members, and oftentimes associates, are required to follow the orders of higher-ranking members without question.
Prior to Oct. 2, 2016, AC members learned that an AC member wanted to switch his gang affiliation, or “patch over,” from the AC to a different gang.
AC members were ordered to attack the former member in order to “X” him, or attack and remove him from the gang, because it violated the AC’s rules to join another organization. A meeting was held at an AC member’s home in the Tyler, Texas area where AC members planned the logistics of the assault.
On Oct. 2, 2016, Derrick and other AC members met at a park near Tyler, Texas, where they had planned to attack the former member, who was also present.
Multiple AC members violently beat the victim, including kicking the victim in the head while he was on the ground. This attack resulted in the victim seeking medical care.
Derrick will be sentenced at a date to be determined.
Nicholas L. McQuaid, Acting Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, and Nicholas J. Ganjei, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas, made the announcement.