U.S. prosecutor quits Aryan case, citing security

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A federal prosecutor in a major case in Houston against the notorious Aryan Brotherhood of Texas prison gang has withdrawn over security concerns in the wake of the weekend killings of a Dallas-area district attorney and his wife, said a source familiar with the case.

Jay Hileman, an assistant U.S. Attorney, had been assigned to the case.

Houston defense attorney Gus Saper, who represents alleged Aryan gang leader Terry Ross Blake, confirmed prosecutor Hileman notified him he was no longer on the case.

"I'd say it's not a regular thing. You know people get transferred and moved around the (prosecutor's) office, so people get moved on and off cases," said Saper. "But I would say this situation is probably a little bit different from all of those."

State and federal authorities are investigating whether the killings of Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland and his wife, along with the January slaying of his assistant, Mark Hasse, are linked to alleged threats by white supremacist gang members to retaliate against law enforcement.

The weekend slayings at the prosecutor's home have prompted stepped up security measures to protect a number of Texas prosecutors, including Harris County District Attorney Mike Anderson.

The federal racketeering case against 34 members of the racist gang, a three-year investigation spearheaded by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the FBI, was announced in November by Assistant U.S. Attorney General Lanny Breuer and U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson.

Kaufman County Mike McLelland and his wife were found dead in their home -- the second murder of a US prosecutor in the same office in less than two months, sparking fears of a larger plot. In January, Kaufman County assistant district attorney Mark Hasse, 57, reportedly investigating the white supremacist Aryan Brotherhood, was gunned down just outside a courthouse in a small Texan town. On March 30, McLelland, and his wife, Cynthia Woodward McLelland, were found shot dead at their home. less Kaufman County Mike McLelland and his wife were found dead in their home -- the second murder of a US prosecutor in the same office in less than two months, sparking fears of a larger plot. In January, Kaufman ... more Photo: Ho, AFP/Getty Images Photo: Ho, AFP/Getty Images Image 1 of / 9 Caption Close U.S. prosecutor quits Aryan case, citing security 1 / 9 Back to Gallery

Three slayings were attributed to gang members, including the killing of a Houston man whose bullet-riddled body was found near the Houston Ship Channel.

Little official comment

Angela Dodge, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney's Office, issued a brief statement.

"The case currently pending in the Southern District of Texas has been and will continue to be worked by the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Texas in partnership with the Department of Justice's Criminal Division," Dodge said. "Beyond that, we cannot comment further."

Houston defense attorney Tom Berg, who has represented members of several prison gangs, said it was unusual for an assistant prosecutor to withdraw from a case.

But he noted that federal racketeering cases that involve homicides are considered very dangerous.

"It's speculation, and sure it could be jitters based on Kaufman County, or it could be something completely independent that provoked it," said Berg, who added that law enforcement would be reluctant to release any specific information.

"So there's a general hunkering down going on with prosecutors that are related to some of these gang prosecutions."