He was known as "The Baron." To the feds, Barry Byron Mills was the most dangerous man in the American prison system. To his followers, he was a near-mythic figure who turned a disorganized group of brawlers into a disciplined, multi-state criminal syndicate.
Barry the Baron Mills didn't just survive the hardest prisons in America; he ran them. Honestly, it’s kinda wild when you look at how much power one man could exert while locked in a concrete box for decades.
Who Was Barry the Baron Mills?
Born in 1948 in Windsor, California, Mills didn't start as a kingpin. He was just another young guy in and out of trouble. His first real stretch came in 1967. By 1969, an armed robbery sent him into the California state system for good. This is where the story actually begins.
Inside San Quentin, the Aryan Brotherhood (AB) was already a thing, having started around 1964. Mills didn't just join; he climbed. He had this weird mix of raw brutality and high-level organizational intelligence. Think of him like a CEO, but instead of quarterly earnings, he was managing heroin distribution and "green-lighting" hits from a cell in a Supermax.
The Rise of the Commission
By the late 70s, the AB was messy. Mills, alongside guys like Tyler "The Hulk" Bingham, realized they needed a real structure if they wanted to survive.
In 1980, they formed what they called the "Federal Commission." It was basically a three-man board of directors for the gang’s federal branch. This wasn't just about white supremacy—though that was the core recruitment tool. It was about business. They controlled the gambling, the drug trade, and the "protection" rackets inside the walls.
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One of the most famous (and gruesome) stories about Mills involves a 1979 incident at USP Atlanta. He nearly decapitated a fellow inmate, John Marsloff, over a gambling debt. That's the kind of violence that cemented his reputation. You didn't just fear him; you knew he was capable of anything.
The 2006 Trial and the RICO Takedown
For years, the government tried to break the AB. It’s hard to stop a gang when the leaders are already serving life sentences. What are you going to do? Give them more time?
The feds eventually used the RICO Act—the same law used to take down the Mafia. In 2006, one of the largest capital cases in U.S. history kicked off. Mills and Bingham were the primary targets.
Prosecutors alleged that Mills was responsible for at least 14 murders. The evidence was straight out of a movie:
- Secret notes written in invisible ink made from urine.
- Coded messages passed through lawyers and family members.
- Orders for a "race war" at FCI Lewisburg in 1997.
The jury actually deadlocked on the death penalty. Even though the government wanted him executed, Mills walked away with four consecutive life sentences. He was sent back to ADX Florence—the "Alcatraz of the Rockies"—where he’d spend the rest of his life.
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Life at ADX Florence
If you haven't heard of ADX Florence, it’s the end of the line. We’re talking 23-hour-a-day lockdown. No windows. No contact.
Even there, the legend of "The Baron" grew. He was housed near people like the Unabomber and 9/11 conspirators. Despite the total isolation, the FBI believed he still managed to exert influence. He was the "living ghost" of the Brotherhood.
The Death of a Leader
Barry Mills died on July 8, 2018. It’s a bit poetic, in a dark way—he passed away just one day after his 70th birthday.
He was found dead in his cell. The coroner ruled it natural causes. No big dramatic showdown, just a 70-year-old man who had spent nearly 50 years behind bars finally running out of time.
Why Does This Still Matter?
You might wonder why we’re still talking about a guy who died years ago. Basically, it’s because the structure he built didn't die with him.
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The Aryan Brotherhood is still considered one of the most violent "Security Threat Groups" by the Bureau of Prisons. Mills proved that you could run a massive, profitable criminal enterprise from a 7x12 foot cell. He changed the way law enforcement views prison gangs. They aren't just "inmate problems" anymore; they are national security concerns.
What We Can Learn from the Mills Era
Looking back at the life of Barry the Baron Mills, a few things stand out:
- The Failure of Isolation: Putting leaders in Supermax prisons often just turns them into martyrs or "mythic" figures.
- The Business of Hate: While the ideology was racist, the motivation was often "green." Money and power were the true drivers.
- The Reach of RICO: The 2006 trial proved that the government can eventually pierce the "blood in, blood out" code of silence, even if it takes decades.
If you’re researching the history of American prison culture, you can’t skip Mills. He is the blueprint for the modern gang leader.
To get a better sense of how the AB operates today, you should look into the recent federal indictments from 2019 and 2020, which show that the "Commission" structure Mills created is still very much alive, even if the man himself is gone. You can also check out the Department of Justice’s archives on the 2006 racketeering case for the actual transcripts of the "urine-ink" letters.