Debra Wong Yang
United States Attorney
Central District of California
United States Courthouse
312 North Spring Street
Los Angeles, California 90012
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June 26, 2006
Thom Mrozek (213) 894-6947
Los Angeles, CA - A former correctional officer who worked at the California Institute for Men in Chino was sentenced today to 210 months in prison for his conviction earlier this year on federal racketeering charges for assisting the Nazi Low Riders (NLR) prison gang by helping members distribute narcotics and assault inmates.
Shayne Allyn Ziska, 44, of Fontana, was sentenced this morning by United States District Judge Terry J. Hatter Jr., who convicted the defendant in February after a two-week bench trial. After Judge Hatter issued the prison sentence, there was an outburst in court in which Ziska chastised prosecutors and cursed the judge.
Ziska, who was a correctional officer from 1984 through 2000, was found guilty of three federal charges: participating in a Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) conspiracy, violent crime in aid of racketeering (VICAR) and deprivation of rights under color of law.
The NLR is a white supremacist organization with a philosophy centered on "racial pride." The NLR controls a significant portion of the illegal activities committed by white inmates in California's prisons. Ziska assisted the NLR by engaging in a series of acts that included conspiring to distribute drugs such as methamphetamine and heroin. Judge Hatter also found that Ziska allowed an NLR member to assault an inmate by stabbing him underneath his eye.
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which received assistance from the California Office of the Inspector General.
Release No. 06-084
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