Federal authorities in Alaska have charged six members of the 1488 white-supremacist prison gang with the beating death of gang member Michael Staton, according to ABC News 13. “The defendants allegedly participated in the heinous murder of Michael Staton, with the goal of impressing their vile and racist gang,” Assistant Attorney General Brian Benczkowski said in a statement late Wednesday. “The Criminal Division is committed to bringing the 1488s to justice, and holding accountable those who further its agenda of violence and hatred.” The gang members allegedly used a hot knife to burn a Nazi tattoo off Staton’s ribcage after they deemed him unworthy of gang membership. The group is known to be present in prisons across Alaska, Arizona, and Colorado, according to Benczkowski.
