Former Survivor star Brandon Hantz could be facing up to 40 years in prison after being indicted by a federal grand jury in Houston, Texas, on charges of racketeering and arson, People reports. 

The 33-year-old’s charges are related to an alleged turf war that began in 2019 between his alleged biker gang, the Bandidos Outlaw Motorcycle Gang, and a rival Houston motorcycle gang known as B*EAST. The Ashley has obtained the court documents which provide more details about what the feds claim Brandon (and his fellow gang members) did.

Brandon was indicted alongside 13 other alleged Houston-area biker gang members. According to the indictment, the Bandidos are a “self-identified ‘outlaw’ motorcycle organization” with approximately 3,500 members in the United States and abroad who have been engaged in “violent criminal activity in and around Houston.” 

Brandon is facing up to 40 years in prison for his alleged crimes, as convictions for arson and conspiracy to commit racketeering activity each reportedly involve 20-year sentences. Brandon is the only defendant among the 14 identified biker gang members to be charged with arson; other members’ charges range from conspiracy to commit racketeering to murder, attempted murder and assault. 

According to the Case Summary obtained by The Ashley, Brandon’s official arson charge is “Arson of a Building Used in Interstate Commerce.”

The Ashley can reveal that, according to the court documents, Brandon received this charge because he is accused of setting the County Line Icehouse bar on fire on December 14, 2023 with the help of two other unknown Bandido gang members. The building was destroyed in the blaze.

The documents state that Brandon, “while aided and abetted by others known to the Grand Jury, did maliciously damage and destroy,
and attempt to damage and destroy, by means of fire and explosive materials” the County Line Icehouse, which is “used in interstate and
foreign commerce.”

As for the racketeering charge, the court documents claim that in February 2023, Brandon and other members went to a bar associated with the gang and “assaulted and aided and abetted the assault” of 14 members of another outlaw gang. They are also accused of robbing and/or aiding and abetting the robbery of those other gang members. 

Fans of ‘Survivor’ may remember Brandon as the nephew of ‘Survivor’ villain Russell Hantz. Brandon made his debut on the CBS competition series during 2011’s Survivor: South Pacific when he was 19 years old. He returned the following year for Survivor: Caramoan, during which he had several infamous meltdowns and was voted out unanimously by his tribe mates. 

In December, Brandon (who went by the nicknames “Gun Drop” and “Loco” while in the gang) did an interview for Locked In with Ian Bick about his time with the Bandidos Motorcycle Gang. He claimed to be “out bad,” a term used by some outlaw motorcycle gangs to indicate a member has been kicked out and is not on good terms with the gang.

In recent posts on Facebook and TikTok, Brandon expressed how happy he was to be out of the gang and the outlaw lifestyle.

@survivingloco The Truth Will Set You Free! #biker #bikers #bikergirl #bikersoftiktok #moto #mc #motorcycle #motorcycles #motorcyclesoftiktok #motorbike #motorcycleclub #fy #fyp #foryoupage #foryourpage ♬ original sound – Riddler

Antoinette T. Bacon of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division said in statement that this recent indictment was an “important step in eliminating the Bandidos Outlaw Motorcycle Gang,” noting that the gang declare war on rivals and “wage that war on our streets.” 

“Criminal behavior like this has no place in America and the Department of Justice is fully committed to bringing peace back to our communities,” she added. 

While several of the 14 men indicted are set to make their first appearance before a judge today, February 21, it’s unknown if Brandon is among them. 

According to a family source who spoke to TMZ, Brandon’s home was raided by the FBI on Thursday, even though he left the Bandidos last year.

As of press time, Russell has not made any public statements regarding his nephew’s arrest.

RELATED STORY: Jonny Fairplay’s Grandma Dies More Than 20 Years After ‘Survivor’ Star Lied About Her Death on TV

(Photos: CBS; Instagram)