Submission declined on 27 April 2026 by PARAKANYAA (talk). This draft's references do not show that the subject meets Wikipedia's criteria for inclusion. The draft requires multiple published secondary sources that: provide significant coverage: discuss the subject in detail, not just brief mentions or routine announcements; are reliable: from reputable outlets with editorial oversight; are independent: not connected to the subject, such as interviews, press releases, the subject's own website, or sponsored content. Please add references that meet all three of these criteria. If none exist, the subject is not yet suitable for Wikipedia. This draft's references do not show that the person meets Wikipedia's criteria for inclusion for people. The draft requires multiple published secondary sources that: provide significant coverage: discuss the person in detail, not brief mentions or interviews lacking independent analysis; are reliable: from reputable outlets with editorial oversight; are independent: not connected to the person, such as interviews, press releases, the subject's own website, or sponsored content. Please add references that meet all three of these criteria. If none exist, the subject is not yet suitable for Wikipedia. If you would like to continue working on the submission, click on the "Edit" tab at the top of the window. If you have not resolved the issues listed above, your draft will be declined again and potentially deleted. If you need extra help, please ask us a question at the AfC Help Desk or get live help from experienced editors. Please do not remove reviewer comments or this notice until the submission is accepted. Where to get help If you need help editing or submitting your draft, please ask us a question at the AfC Help Desk or get live help from experienced editors. These venues are only for help with editing and the submission process, not to get reviews. If you need feedback on your draft, or if the review is taking a lot of time, you can try asking for help on the talk page of a relevant WikiProject. Some WikiProjects are more active than others so a speedy reply is not guaranteed. How to improve a draft Wikipedia:Contributing to Wikipedia – a basic overview on how to edit Wikipedia. Help:Wikitext – how to use the markup Help:Referencing for beginners – how to include references Wikipedia:Article development – how to develop your article Wikipedia:Writing better articles – how to improve your article Wikipedia:Verifiability – make sure your article includes reliable third-party sources You can also browse Wikipedia:Featured articles and Wikipedia:Good articles to find examples of Wikipedia's best writing on topics similar to your proposed article. Improving your odds of a speedy review To improve your odds of a faster review, tag your draft with relevant WikiProject tags using the button below. This will let reviewers know a new draft has been submitted in their area of interest. For instance, if you wrote about a female astronomer, you would want to add the Biography, Astronomy, and Women scientists tags. Add tags to your draft Editor resources Easy tools: Citation bot (help) | Advanced: Fix bare URLs Declined by PARAKANYAA 41 days ago. Last edited by PARAKANYAA 41 days ago. Reviewer: Inform author. Resubmit Please note that if the issues are not fixed, the draft will be declined again.

• Comment: Violates WP:BLPPRIMARY, sources are too local to evidence notability PARAKANYAA (talk) 03:38, 27 April 2026 (UTC)

T.D. Bingham
Born	(1947-04-14) 14 April 1947 (age 79) Wichita, Texas, U.S.
Criminal status	Convicted
Convictions	Murder (3 counts) Attempted murder (2 counts) Murder in aid of racketeering (1 count) Conspiracy to commit murder (2 counts) Drug trafficking Armed robbery (1 count) Bank robbery (1 count) Battery (1 count) Assault with a deadly weapon (1 count) Illegal possession of a firearm (1 count)
Criminal penalty	Three life sentences without the possibility of parole plus 25 years
Escaped	July 1, 1978
Escape end	July 1, 1978
Details
Victims	3 convicted, 5+ alleged
Span of crimes	1966–1997
States	California, Wyoming, Texas, Pennsylvania, Colorado, and Kansas
Imprisoned at	ADX Florence

Tyler Davis Bingham Jr. (nicknamed T.D., born April 14, 1947)^[1] is an American gangster and the current top leader of the Aryan Brotherhood (AB) prison gang. Nicknamed "The Hulk" for his size and strength, Bingham was incarcerated at several California Youth Authority (CYA) correctional facilities as a teenager in the 1960s and later, the California Department of Corrections (CDC) where he joined the AB in the early 1970s and was active all the way through the 2000s.^[2] His current involvement remains disputed due to his highly restrictive conditions. Due to his enormous fighting strength and willingness to engage in extreme violence, he quickly rose through the ranks of the gang throughout the 1970s. He is currently incarcerated at ADX Florence, Colorado.^[3]

He was instrumental in the 1997 war with the D.C. Blacks which caused the deaths of two inmates.

Bingham was born in Wichita, Texas on April 14, 1947^[1] where he lived with his two parents and older brother. Penny Allamprese, Bingham’s ex-girlfriend, testified that they met when she was 12 and he was 14 years old with “auburn hair,” a “beautiful smile” and a “girl on each side.” They ran away together after her mother forbade them from dating. He stole a car where they eventually fell asleep in each others arms. The next morning, they were awakened by a sheriff's deputy who did not believe them when they stated they were from the area. When it was discovered that the car was stolen, Bingham was arrested and set to the California Youth Authority (CYA). Over the years, Bingham sent her hundreds of poems, many documenting the horrors of prison life.^[4]

In the 1960s, CYA correctional facilities were plagued by understaffing, overcrowding, and abusive conditions.^[5] Bingham was released from the CYA at 19 years old. His time there would have made a significant impact on his life and psyche.

On December 10th 1966, Bingham and his acomplice Donald Myers, 21, robbed 60$ from a Beacon service station in Fresno, California. The next morning, the two were stopped by police after being observed driving without a license plate. The two were arrested and when searched, a switchblade as well as an eyedropper and hypodermic needle in his shoe was confiscated from Bingham.^[6] Additional charges of carrying a switchblade and drug paraphernalia were added. On February 5th 1967, Bingham appeared before municipal court judge James V. Paige on a battery charge for assaulting a fellow inmate, Gene Austin Mills, 36. Bingham was sentenced to ten days in jail and six months of probation. On March 24th 1967, Bingham and Myers plead guilty to one count of petty theft after the robbery charge was reduced. Myers confessed to police that they stole the money to buy heroin. The two were ordered to undergo a drug treatment program for narcotics addiction.^[7]

The treatment did not appear to be successful, as on January 29th 1968, T.D., his older brother Samuel, and three other accomplices were arrested after their vehicle crashed at North Wishon Avenue at the Santa Fe Railway underpass. They were booked on charges of possessing marijuana and amphetamine pills after twelve pills were found in the pocket of one of the vehicle occupants and marijuana was found in the car.^[8]

On September 19th 1968, Bingham's car was stopped on Sunrise and Edison Avenues after driving with a defective brake light. With permission from Bingham, officer Kenneth Reid conducted a search of Bingham's vehicle. Nothing was found in his car, but when Reid noticed Bingham kept his hand in his pocket, Reid decided to search him for weapons and discovered several amphetamine pills. Bingham was arrested and booked in the local jail for one charge of possession of dangerous drugs for possible sale. Shortly after being booked, Bingham was released on bail.^[9]

On October 8th 1968, Bingham was hit with his first serious charge. Bingham and Helen M. Crice, 25, entered a Santa Rosa Street service station. Bingham pistol whipped the clerk and stole the money in the cash register. The pair sped away in their vehicle. Officer Gary Wilde spotted the car and followed suit on Highway 101. The two were stopped at Shell Beach and they were booked on charges of armed robbery and assault with a deadly weapon.^[10] On November 4th, Bingham was convicted on both counts and sent to San Quentin state prison.

For many inmates, joining a gang was a necessity because refusing and being left in "no man's land" left you vulnerable to attacks and exploitation from other gangs.^[11] Bingham joined the AB almost immediately and quickly stood out for his enormous strength, fighting ability, and propensity for extreme violence. On March 12th 1971, Bingham attacked two black inmates in the east block of San Quentin in retaliation for the murder of a white inmate. The two black inmates suffered multiple stab wounds and Bingham was stabbed once in the right leg. Two foot long knives and a blackjack knife were confiscated from the combatants.^[12]

In 1972, Bingham was transferred to Folsom state maximum security prison (a.k.a. Old Folsom) in Sacramento, California. Folsom prison in the 1960s, 70s, and 80s was plagued with violence and was a hotbed for frequent fights between race based prison gangs like the Black Guerilla Family (BGF), the Mexican Mafia (La Eme), and the Aryan Brotherhood. On June 11th 1972, former AB member Jack "Nasty Jack" Batchelder, 38, was stabbed to death in Folsom state prison. Prison officials suspected Bingham and fellow AB member, Robert "Bobby" Moore, of being responsible for the murder. However, no one was willing to testify and thus no one was charged.^[13]

In 1977 Bingham was granted parole and was released. However, Bingham had no intention of going straight. Local authorities believed that Bingham and his accomplice, John Peter Capitanich, 31, were major heroin dealers in west Contra Costa County. On February 22nd 1978, the Contra Costa Narcotics Strike Force and the Richmond Police Department executed a search warrant of Bingham's home. Officials made six purchases of heroin from Bingham and Capitanich during the investigation. Bingham was already in custody in the Fresno County jail on an unrelated charge and was charged with one count of sale of heroin. Bingham was transferred to Martinez County jail.^[14]

On July 1st 1978, Bingham, Michael P. Squires, 31, and Larry C. Miller, 27, used a smuggled hacksaw blade to saw through the third window south of the north wall on the west side of the main jail. They then forced open the outside metal grating, jumped out of the window, and entered their waiting getaway vehicle. Jail staff discovered the escape shortly after and the vehicle was traced to its owner.^[15] By 6 AM, 40 law enforcement officers from S.E.R.T. and S.W.A.T., local police officers, county sherriff's officers, and highway patrol surrounded the housing complex belonging to the vehicles owner. While the building was being evacuated, officers observed Bingham and Squires looking out the window of apartment 4. At 10:15 AM, the S.E.R.T. and S.W.A.T. teams entered the apartment and Bingham and Squires were taken into custody.^[16] On October 4th 1978, Bingham was convicted of escape in Contra Costa County superior court and was transferred back to Folsom prison.

At the same time Bingham reentered Folsom prison, racial tensions between white and black inmates were at an all time high. In one incident, on May 18th and 19th 1979, two fights between the AB and BGP broke out. First in the Secure Housing Unit (SHU) recreation yard on the 18th which left nine inmates injured.^[17][18] The day after, a group of white inmates in general population attacked black inmates who were waiting in the canteen line. Another nine inmates were hurt and one black inmate, Jessie Lee Harge, 36, was killed after being stabbed in the heart.^[19] Both fights required officers to fire live rounds from the gun tower and three correctional officers were wounded while attempting to break up the fight.^[20] Bingham and Bobby Moore were suspected of being responsible for the murder of Harge. Once again, because there was no physical evidence and no one testified, no one was charged with the murder of Harge.

Because there was no official record of his violence, in 1981, Bingham was once again granted parole. Bingham moved to Texas, where he was originally born. Bingham seemingly attempted to live a normal life. He got married and formally adopted his wife's two children and had a third child together.^[4] However, in 1985 Bingham robbed the InterFirst bank in Odessa, Texas at gunpoint.^[21] On June 9th 1985, the Odessa American newspaper released a wanted poster of Bingham and his getaway driver. On June 19th, Bingham was arrested when exiting a motel in Cheyenne, Wyoming.^[22]

On August 20th 1985, Bingham was sentenced to 20 years for bank robbery and 5 years without parole for the firearm. The sentences were to be served consecutively.^[23] He was incarcerated at Lompoc federal prison in California where the AB was already established. Previously the AB's internal structure operated on a one man one vote system where long time or respected members, like Bingham, often had a louder voice. Around this time they formed a three man council that would make serious decisions, such as who gets granted membership and contract killings. The original three man council consisted of Barry "The Baron" Mills, Edgar "The Snail" Hevle, and Thomas "Terrible Tom" Silverstein. After Silverstein was transferred to extreme isolation after the murder of correctional officer Merle Clutts at USP Marion, Bingham took over his position in the council.^[24]

On October 24th 1985, Bingham allegedly attempted to murder a fellow inmate, Garry Evilsizer,. Despite being stabbed multiple times, Evilsizer survived.^[25] Bingham was aquitted of attempted murder, but was transferred to the Control Unit at USP Marion which was, at the time, the highest security prison in the United States. Here he was housed together with the previous leader before his death, Barry Mills. This allowed them to lead and structure the gang more effectively. In 1989, Bingham ordered the murder of AB member Arva Ray. Ray maintained an openly homosexual relationship with another inmate, had mishandled drugs, and disrespected other AB members. Edgar Hevle disliked Ray because he believed it "looked bad" for the gang. Bingham gave the green light to have him killed.^[26]

In 1993 the council was replaced with a more powerful three man commission consisting of Barry Mills, T.D. Bingham, and Allen "Big Al" Benton.^[24] The council was expanded to a seven to nine member body which was overseen by the commission. This gave Bingham the ability to order murders across the United States from his prison cell. According to federal prosecutors, in 1992 Bingham ordered the murder of a Latin Kings associate, Ismael Benitez-Mendez at USP Leavensworth. Despite being stabbed multiple times, Mendez survived the attack.

Around 1995, Bingham along with Barry Mills was transferred to the newly built Administrative Maximum Facility in Florence, Colorado (a.k.a. ADX Florence), the most secure prison in the United States where he is still incarcerated today.

In 1997, the AB were enemies with the D.C. Blacks after decades of conflict dating back to the murder of the former leader of the D.C. Blacks, Raymond "Cadillac" Smith by Thomas Silverstein in 1982.^[27] AB member Michael Wagner had been transferred to ADX Florence to prevent further violence. Wagner had asked the AB commission for permission to retaliate against the D.C. Blacks. Despite Wagner being housed in solitary confinement, Wagner and Mills were able to speak through a series of drainage pipes that connected the two. Mills said he would “see what’s going on, work this out,” and told Wagner not to make any moves.^[28] The AB commission and council had agreed that if war was declared, they would use the phrase "its a (baby) boy" or "its a (baby) girl" if war was called off. In the event of a war, Mills and Bingham wanted it to be nationwide so that they could “kill as many as we could as quick as we could.”^[28]

Mills learned that the D.C. Blacks had ordered the murder of AB members, Dave Sahakian and Michael McElhiney. Mills proceeded to send a letter to Bingham, via AB member Chris Risk, telling him “The Toads put a hit on Dave and Mac — The war is on — Let Lewisburg know.” Bingham proceeded to use "invisible ink" or urine, which when poured on paper is invisible when dried, but visible when heated. He wrote a letter to Al Benton in USP Lewisburg with innocuous information, but read “War with DC Blacks /s/ T.D.” when the urine was heated. On August 17., Bingham wrote back to Mills saying, “I am a grandfather, at last my boys [sic] wife gave birth to a strapping eight pound seven ounce baby boy.”^[28][29] Baby boy was code for declaring war and "eight pound seven ounces" referred to California Penal Code § 187, the crime of murder. This caused the AB to attack multiple D.C. Blacks members in several prisons, leading to the death of D.C. Blacks members, Abdul Salaam and Frank Joyner.^[28]

In 2002, 40 AB members were indicted on the Racketeering, Influenced, and Corrupt Organizations act (RICO) charges. Of the 40 defendants, 16 of them were eligible for the death penalty. It is the largest death penalty case in U.S. history. In 2006, despite the prosecution seeking the death penalty, Bingham was sentenced to three consecutive life sentences and was transferred back to ADX Florence where he remains today.^[3]

• Bingham has a swastika tattoo on one shoulder and a star of David tattoo on the other shoulder. It is meant to represent the AB as well as his Jewish heritage, but also to signify that the AB is not actually a hate group, but a race based prison organization and profit motivated criminal organization.
• According to former AB leader in California, Michael Thompson, as well as prison weightlifting competitions, Bingham could bench press 500 lbs.