Former “Survivor” contestant Brandon Hantz is facing up to 40 years in prison after being charged with arson and conspiracy to commit racketeering for alleged activities he committed with the Bandidos motorcycle gang.
The bust, announced Wednesday by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas, also ensnared 13 other suspected gang members, whose alleged offenses include murder, robbery, arson, narcotics distribution and witness intimidation in and around Houston.
According to court records, the charges stem from activity following a 2019 “smash on site” order issued by Bandidos national leadership, calling for gang members to attack members of B*EAST, a rival gang in the Houston area.
A vicious “turf war” ensued for years, resulting in violence erupting “on public roadways and in public establishments with innocent civilians present,” according to the charges.
Hantz, who prosecutors say used the street names “Loco” and “Gun Drop,” faces a maximum of 20 years behind bars for each of the two charges against him.
His home was reportedly raided by the FBI on Wednesday, a family member told TMZ, but said Hantz left the Bandidos gang last year.
The 33-year-old competed on “Survivor: South Pacific” in 2011 and “Survivor: Caramoan” in 2013. Hantz didn’t win either time, but proved to be competitive, volatile and confrontational.
His uncle, Russell Hantz, also competed on several seasons of “Survivor” and is known as one of the most infamous villains in the show’s history.
