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Showing posts with label A.C.A.B.. Show all posts
Showing posts with label A.C.A.B.. Show all posts

Thursday, February 28, 2019

Undercover cops not charged in Pagan's beating

Pittsburgh, PA (February 27, 2019) BTN — The U.S. Attorney’s Office on Wednesday announced it will not file charges against the undercover Pittsburgh police officers involved in a brawl with members of the Pagan's motorcycle club at a South Side bar last year.


The FBI was investigating whether there were any civil rights violations by the officers. “Upon review of the FBI investigation into the incident, the United States Attorney’s Office determined there is no basis for charging any individual with a federal crime,” a statement from the office for the Western District of Pennsylvania said. The brawl happened early Oct. 12 at Kopy’s Bar and ended with four members of the Pagan's motorcycle club in jail.


The Biker Trash Network as been covering this story from the start. 

Timeline stories below

Related Undercover cops drinks bought by city
Related Pagans MC: Another member sues city officials
Related | Pagan MC member files lawsuit against City and Police
The District Attorney’s Office withdrew all charges against the members of the motorcycle club and held off investigating the officers until federal authorities concluded their investigation. The city’s Office of Municipal Investigations and the Citizens Police Review Board are also investigating. Beth Pittinger, who heads the Pittsburgh Citizen Police Review Board, said the board put its investigation on hold pending the outcome of the federal inquiry.

The board will now “aggressively” pursue its investigation, Pittinger said Wednesday. She was stunned by the decision by the U.S. Attorney’s Office. “I’m sure there is more to learn about, but my initial response is that it should concern everyone of us,” Pittinger said, adding that she felt the officers involved weren’t justified to use force against the members of the motorcycle club. “The officers escalated that situation. They initiated it and escalated it.” The city’s Office of Municipal Investigations is continuing its investigation.

Pittsburgh Department of Public Safety had no comment on the decision by the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Spokesman Chris Togneri said an internal investigation continues and the department won’t discuss ongoing investigations. The decision by the U.S. Attorney’s Office comes a day after a federal civil lawsuit was filed against the city, the four officers involved and the police union on behalf of Michael Zokaites. Zokaites’ lawsuit, filed by attorney Wendy Williams, essentially calls the police an organized crime enterprise and alleges the city and the officers violated the RICO Act — a federal law meant to target organized crime participants.

Two of the other three men involved in the brawl have also filed lawsuits.

SOURCE: Trib Live

Wednesday, October 31, 2018

Mongols MC: Feds going after clubs colors at racketeering trial

Santa Ana, California. (October 31, 2018) BTN —The feds have called the Mongol Nation "the most violent and dangerous" biker gang in the country, and they're trying an unusual tactic to dismantle them: Stripping them of the trademarked patches that are prized by members and feared by rivals.

A racketeering trial is set to begin in Santa Ana, California, later this week — opening arguments begin Wednesday — in which prosecutors accuse Mongol Nation of operating as an organized criminal enterprise involved in murder, attempted murder, assault, drug-dealing and more.

The Feds are going after the Trademarked colors of the Mongols MC

And prosecutors want to force the organization to forfeit "any and all marks" that include the organization's logo — the word "Mongols" and a drawing of a Genghis Khan-styled rider on a motorcycle.

That caricature is serious business for the Mongols, court papers say.

Higher-ups in the estimated 600-person gang "will frequently bear patches that indicate that they are officers in the enterprise," and they earn those patches through violence and mayhem, prosecutors say.

"The Mongols Gang is a violent, drug trafficking organization that advocates and rewards its members and associates for committing violent crimes, including, and specifically, assaults and murders, on behalf of the gang and in order to promote what the gang terms 'respect,' prosecutors wrote in one court filing.

In another filing, they said the club's 'Mother Chapter' may award a specific Mongols member a 'skull and crossbones' or 'Respect Few Fear None' patch to those members who have committed murder or engaged acts of violence on behalf of the Mongols."

The Feds showing off motorcycles and colors they confiscated from the Mongols MC

The U.S. Attorney's Office for California's Central District has been trying to go after the patches for a decade. Then-U.S. Attorney Thomas O'Brien first announced the unusual legal bid after 79 members of the gang were indicted in 2008.

“If the court grants our request ... then if any law enforcement officer sees a Mongol wearing his patch, he will be authorized to stop that gang member and literally take the jacket right off his back," O'Brien said at the time, according to a McClatchy report.

But that bid and a later one got shot down in court. A federal appeals court gave prosecutors the green light to try again last year. Opening arguments are is set to begin for the expected eight week trial on Wednesday. Prosecutors say they expect to call 96 witnesses detailing the gang's criminal history.

Defense lawyers say the motorcycle group is simply a loose configuration of riders in the Southwest, not an organized criminal enterprise. They also maintain that the government doesn't have the right to seize the patches of members who haven't been involved in any criminal activity.

In court filings, the group's lawyers say they plan to call former Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura as an expert witness on the group and its history. Ventura — also a former professional wrestler and actor — was a member of the the group in the 1970s. Defense lawyers also want to call journalist Lisa Ling, who interviewed the group for a CNN documentary in 2015, to testify about the "organization and structure of the club."

The government has objected to both Ventura and Ling being called as witnesses, saying neither is an expert.

SOURCE: NBC News

Wednesday, March 29, 2017

Virginia Going After Biker Bars

Virginia ABC Cracking Down on Biker Bars in Central Virginia 

ORANGE, Va. (March 28, 2017) – Motorcycle Clubs in Central Virginia are the focus of a new campaign by the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control.
The Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) is trying to put the brakes on biker bars in central Virginia. The ABC is warning restaurants and bars they could lose their licenses by becoming a hangout for motorcycle clubs.

The ABC says this crackdown comes in response to concerns from law enforcement in Greene County, Louisa, and Orange.

An unknown biker on his Harley

John Nagro, the owner of CJ’s at Byrd Street in the town of Orange, is trying to shake off that reputation for his bar.

“The windows aren't black, there's nobody undressed in here dancing. It's not a biker bar,” Nagro explained. “Don't just say because you have a motorcycle patch on there that you're a bad guy, because it's not true.”

Nagro believes police and the ABC are targeting bikers after a dust-up between a member of a motorcycle club and another customer

“You know, they all like to play dress up with their jackets and who they are, what they are,” Nagro said. “They're good guys, they don't bother me. They don't bother anyone in this town.”

Nagro got a letter (LINK) calling his restaurant a rendezvous for an outlaw motorcycle gang.

“Next thing I know, the big boys from ABC came in and basically threatened me that I was going to lose my license,” Nagro explained.

ABC agents are handing out the letter to 30 bars and restaurants around Central Virginia, including in the town of Louisa. It describes an increase of outlaw motorcycle gang activity, but these aren't just your weekend riders.

Police describe the groups as the "one-percenters".

“Those one-percenters, the ones that create the problems for us in law enforcement and the criminal activity, is the area we need to focus on,” said Chief Ronnie Roberts with the town of Louisa police.

The ABC warns it can revoke the license of a business that becomes a meeting place or rendezvous for outlaw motorcycle gangs.

A pub in Louisa posted the letter and a sign warning bikers not to wear their colors or cuts.

“What we've done is try to make sure everybody is on the same page and not leaving anyone out, so everyone knows what the regulatory issues are,” said Roberts.

Nagro says he's losing business in this battle over rights.

“If the ABC wants to take my license, I guess they can take my license. There's nothing I can do about it, but I do believe that Constitutional rights are being violated here every day,” Nagro said.

Members of motorcycle clubs and their supporters are sending letters (LINK) to the governor and members of the General Assembly about this issue with the ABC.

The letter calls the department's actions "intimidation" and an "infringement of freedom of speech."

Statement from Virginia ABC:

Virginia ABC Bureau of Law Enforcement Region 9 distributed a letter addressed to Region 9 on premise licensees advising them of an increase in outlaw motorcycle gang activity in on premise ABC licensed establishments. This letter was created in response to information received from four local law enforcement agencies within the Charlottesville region. The letter was provided as an educational resource for licensees and was hand-delivered to approximately 30 licensees in the region during inspections and day to day interactions. Special agents are continuing to distribute the letters.

The letter includes applicable sections of Virginia Code and states that all Virginia ABC licensees should take reasonable measures to prevent their establishments from becoming a meeting place or rendezvous for members of a criminal street gang or from becoming a place where patrons of the establishment commit criminal violations. The letter also advises licensees of potential penalties that could be incurred in the event of a violation. It does not state that licensees should decline service to certain individuals and does not require any specific actions on the part of the licensee.

At their request, Virginia ABC is working with the following local law enforcement agencies on this effort: Town of Orange Police Department; Town of Louisa Police Department; Louisa County Sheriff’s Office; and the Greene County Sheriff’s Office.

SOURCE: NBC29

Friday, December 16, 2016

An 'Alleged' Mongols MC member arrested for wearing rings

He was the first to face Queensland's new anti-biker laws

BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA  (December 15, 2016) — An alleged Mongols MC club member has become the first to face a charge under the State Government's reworked anti-biker laws, for wearing gold and diamond "biker rings".

Police intercepted a four-wheel-drive at Hamilton on Brisbane's north side early this afternoon, when they say they noticed a man wearing rings inscribed with "1%" and "Mongols".

They conducted a search of the car and found a Mongols-branded vest in his luggage.

The 44-year-old Brisbane man has been issued with a notice to appear in court next month for wearing a prohibited item in a public place.

Confiscated rings that the 'alleged' Mongol member was wearing

It is the first time a person has been charged under the new section of the Summary Offences Act 2005.

Police Minister Mark Ryan said the new laws would further deter outlaw motorcycle gangs.

"My message to outlaw motorcycle gangs, or any crime group, is: if you commit a crime, the police will catch you and you will suffer the full force of the law," he said.

An unidentified Mongol MC member wearing illegal vest

Under the laws passed by the Newman government in 2013, it was illegal to wear bikie colours in a licenced premises and criminal gang members were not allowed to congregate in a public place.


SOURCE:  ABC AUSTRALIA 

Thursday, December 15, 2016

New York Police waging war against Hells Angels

"Now there’s hell to pay"...Cops said

NEW YORK, NY (December 12, 2016) — There’s an all-out war brewing between the Hells Angels and city cops — who swarmed the bikers’ clubhouse Tuesday as payback for refusing to help solve a shooting, police and witnesses said.


More than 30 cops stormed the East Village headquarters and slapped bikers with summonses for any minor infractions they could find, according to police.

“It was done just to mess with them,” one police source said. “They’re not cooperating with the investigation. If they’re gonna give us a hard time, we’re gonna give them a hard time.”

New York Police removing ramp with saw at the Hells Angels Clubhouse

The bikers — who have refused to answer cops’ questions about a shooting over a parking space in front of the clubhouse early Sunday — were slapped with at least three summonses, cops said.

They were ticketed for blocking the sidewalk with planters and failing to display license plates on motorcycles, which were covered with a protective sheet.

Cops also used a saw to cut away a metal ramp in front of the clubhouse and ripped out an outdoor bench.

Park bench in front of the Hells Angels Clubhouse

Police said they hassled the bikers to send them a message.

“We want them to feel our presence and to let them know we are here,” the source said. “They don’t own that block and they have no right to block parking spots for themselves. It’s a public street.”

The cop added, “They want to bring chaos and outrage into the community, [so] we are going to enforce the law and ensure they are following the rules.”

Meanwhile, the man shot in the gut, allegedly by one of the bikers, is terrified to work with police — possibly for fear of retribution from the motorcycle club, police said.

“All witnesses are afraid,” one police source said, adding they would likely still testify.

The victim, David Martinez, 25, was recovering from surgery Tuesday after a biker shot him for moving a parking cone — used to save a parking space outside the clubhouse — on East Third Street near First ­Avenue.


SOURCE: New York Post

Tuesday, December 6, 2016

Wanted Outlaw MC member turns himself in

Hillsborough County firefighter was a wanted man

TAMPA, FLORIDA (December 6, 2016) — A Hillsborough County firefighter wanted in connection to a Key West bar fight involving Outlaw Motorcycle Club members turned himself in Monday in Monroe County.

Clinton Neal Walker, 33, of Bradenton was booked on a misdemeanor battery charge at a county jail site in Tavernier, a Monroe County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman said. Walker posted $3,000 bail and was released shortly after his arrest.

Walker was wanted by the Key West Police who say he and other Outlaws members beat up the manager and an employee at a downtown Key West bar called Rumor Lounge on Sept. 27.

A woman told officers the fight started after she got into argument with one of several men wearing shirts and jackets with the "Outlaws" logo, according to a police report.

Black vest with the Outlaws MC Colors

The arrest warrant, obtained by Key West police on Nov. 10, states Walker is a "confirmed active member" of the Outlaws, considered by authorities to be the state's dominant motorcycle club. It is strongest in South Florida but has chapters in Tampa and St. Petersburg.

According to the FBI, the Outlaws use their motorcycle clubs as conduits for crime, including trafficking in weapons and drugs.

After the warrant was issued, Walker was placed on paid administrative leave from Hillsborough County Fire Rescue pending the outcome of an internal investigation.


His attorney, Jerry Theophilopoulos, did not immediately return messages Tuesday.

NOTE: After Walker's arrest, Hillsborough County Administrator Mike Merrill outlined a new policy effective immediately barring membership in groups or clubs considered criminal organizations by the state or federal government. The list includes the Outlaws.

Saturday, November 19, 2016

County in Florida bans workers from Motorcycle Clubs

Hillsborough County bans workers from Motorcycle Clubs after fight warrant issued

TAMPA, FL ( November 18, 2016) — Hillsborough County is banning employees from participating in certain biker clubs and other so called criminal groups after a firefighter associated with the Outlaws motorcycle club was accused of taking part in a bar fight in Key West.

In a memo Friday, County Administrator Mike Merrill outlined a new policy effective immediately barring membership in groups or gangs considered criminal organizations by the state or federal government.

Involvement in these organizations "will not be tolerated as these affiliations are contrary to the mission of public service," Merrill wrote. "This directive is a reminder of our continuing obligation to represent all the citizens of Hillsborough County."

The list of banned organizations is guided by the 2015 FBI National Gang Report and it includes the Outlaws, as well as Crips, Bloods, Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation, Hells Angels Motorcycle Club and the Pagans.

Violating the rule can result in termination of employment.

The announcement comes after an arrest warrant was issued in Key West for Clinton Neal Walker, a Hillsborough County firefighter and suspected member of the Outlaws motorcycle club. He is accused of taking part in a September bar fight involving as many as 15 Outlaws members.

Walker, 33, of Bradenton, is wanted on a misdemeanor battery charge. According to an arrest warrant, Walker and other Outlaws members beat up the manager and an employee at a downtown Key West bar.

Walker was placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of an internal investigation.

According to the warrant, Walker is a "confirmed active member" of the Outlaws, considered by authorities to be the state's dominant motorcycle club. It is strongest in South Florida but has chapters in Tampa and St. Petersburg.

Outlaws MC Clubhouse in Florida

According to the FBI, the Outlaws use their motorcycle clubs as conduits for crime, including trafficking in weapons and drugs.

Hillsborough County officials have known for months that Walker and at least one other firefighter were suspected members of the Outlaws. In August, Fire Rescue Chief Dennis Jones said the county was close to issuing a policy regarding association with biker groups but discussions were complicated by concerns over constitutional rights.

Jones said Thursday those conversations were on hold while county officials wait to see if the Florida State Fire Marshal asks lawmakers in Tallahassee to address the issue. He said participation in biker gangs by fire and rescue personnel was a "broad issue that impacts fire departments across Florida."

Apparently, the county decided not to wait on the state to act.

A proposal to disqualify employment of firefighters with "gang affiliations or known terrorist group affiliations" was sent to the State Fire Marshal in July by the Florida Firefighters Employment Standards and Training Council.

Existing disqualifications range from tobacco use to a felony conviction punishable by one year in prison.

There are currently no formal plans to update the list of disqualifications to include participation in a motorcycle gang, said Joel Brown, a spokesman for the State Fire Marshall. But Brown acknowledged there is an "ongoing conversation."

Whether that leads to statewide or local changes remains to be seen.

"It's fair to say the division is welcome to any and all conversations that would reinforce the high level of integrity of fire service in the state of Florida," Brown said. "We want to be very active in the conversation to continue to ensure that."

The issue is not isolated to Hillsborough. At least one firefighter in Pasco County is a member of the Pagans motorcycle club.

Pasco County spokeswoman Tambrey Laine said there was no existing policy or legal basis to take action against the firefighter. The county is seeking guidance from the legislature, she said, and "is open to reviewing policies from other jurisdictions."

The city of St. Petersburg and Pinellas County do not prohibit employees from participating in motorcycle clubs.

"However, should the need ever arise, we would certainly be open to discussing a human resources policy change to address it," said Benjamin Kirby, a spokesman for St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman.


Monday, November 7, 2016

Police swoop in on Hells Angel MC Member

Police confiscate a belt buckle, keys, knives & more

SOUTHPORT, QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA (November 3, 2016) The elite Taskforce Maxima police arrested a patched member of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club after a traffic intercept on the Gold Coast Highway at Surfers Paradise.

During the search of a black BMW, the officers found three knives including one a with Hells Angels insignia, a belt buckle with a Hells Angels insignia, a spiked knuckle buster and a meat cleaver.

Photo of Meat Clever, Knuckle Buster, Car Keys and 3 pills of a very dangerous drug

Police also said during the search, they found and confiscated a belt and belt buckle with a Hells Angels insignia on the buckle. 

Photo of the Hells Angel belt buckle confiscated by police


The 41-year-old was charged at the Southport Magistrates Court with one count each of possess knife in a public place, possession of a category M weapon and possession of a dangerous drug. 

Friday, November 4, 2016

Tuesday, November 1, 2016

Judge allows unusual evidence for Biker Club trial

A Nova Scotia judge has allowed prosecutors to employ a little-used type of evidence called "Extrinsic Evidence" in an attempt to prove the Bacchus Motorcycle Club is a criminal organization.

NOVA SCOTIA, CA (November 1, 2016) Normally, extrinsic evidence — something that shows similar misconduct — isn’t allowed at trial. But, in a decision released Monday, Nova Scotia Supreme Court Justice Peter Rosinski ruled it will be permitted in the case against Duayne Jamie Howe, Patrick Michael James and David John Pearce, three alleged Bacchus members facing charges of uttering threats and intimidation to protect their territory.

“I conclude that the probative value of the proposed evidence outweighs any prejudicial effect on the fair trial rights of Mr. James, and that this is also true in relation to Mssrs. Howe and Pearce,” Rosinski said.

Police arrested James, and Pearce, both of Dartmouth, and Howe, of Grand Desert, in the fall of 2012. All three are slated to go to trial in the next few months.

The charges involve an alleged victim, named only as R.M., who is described as “a simple motorcycle enthusiast,” in court documents, who wanted to set up a recreational motorcycle club in Halifax County.

R.M. “decided that the club should have its own distinctive name, and logo,” to sew on members’ jackets, as well as a patch indicating they were from Nova Scotia, said Rosinski’s decision.

“Before doing so, he searched the Internet, and became convinced that he should first seek the approval of the most prominent motorcycle club in the area; consequently he sought out the approval of the Bacchus Motorcycle Club.”

R.M. “had ongoing communications and personal meetings with Patrick James, who held himself out as the representative of the Bacchus Motorcycle Club for such purposes,” said the judge’s decision.

“Mr. James persuaded him that he could not have a motorcycle club with a ‘three patch’ design as it would be seen as a provocation and sign of disrespect by existing ‘three patch’ motorcycle clubs in Nova Scotia (including the Bacchus Motorcycle Club).”

At some point in the summer of 2012, James approved R.M.’s modified proposal for a single patch that said “The Brotherhood,” associated with a motorcycle club of that name from Montreal.

In late August, R.M. and his friends traveled to Montréal for a short vacation.

An unidentified Bacchus Motorcycle Club Member

“On their return, while at the airport on August 26, one of his club members received a phone call from a neighbour that there were five members of the Bacchus Motorcycle Club at his house looking for him; shortly thereafter, R.M. received a number of text messages in close succession from Patrick James — ‘was hoping to run into you today. If I don't hear from you, I will just pop in your office tomorrow’ — and ‘in Montréal by chance?’ — and — ‘will see you as soon as you get back. Don't waste your dollars on any souvenirs’ — and ‘saw you three came out of the closet on Facebook.’ ”

A “very upset” James allegedly visited R.M. at his office the next day, wearing his leather Bacchus vest.

“‘What the f*** were you thinking? Do you think you could get away with something like that? I f***ing told you that you are not having a f***ing patch,” James allegedly told R.M.

R.M. interjected: “You told me no three-piece — you told me that the Brotherhood name was OK."

But James allegedly denied that was the case. “I f***ing told you that you were not to have a f***ing Montréal Brotherhood patch down here and you went ahead and f***ing did it. We were driving around the whole weekend looking for you because of that picture that went on Facebook, you guys getting patched over in Montréal... because those were coming off your back... you f***ing disrespected us. You more or less or might as well have told us to go f*** ourselves by putting those patches on your back.”

James offered R.M. a way to appease Bacchus. He was to take photos of their clothing and patches being cut up and email them to James, and let the Montreal club know it had no chapter in Halifax.

“R.M. had discussions with his own club members and they decided they should have their cut-to-pieces vests/patches personally turned over to Patrick James; another member of R.M.’s club delivered the remnants of their vests to Mr. James who was in the company of four or five members of the Darksiders Motorcycle Club,” say court documents.

While that appeared to appease Bacchus members, two weeks later R.M. ran into six of them at a charity event wearing their regalia.

“Mr. Howe and Mr. Pearce were among them and in close proximity to R.M., at which point Mr. Howe angrily said to him – ‘I'm telling you right f***ing now, get on your f***ing bike and get the f*** out of here. You're not f***ing welcome here. The only reason why we don't kick the living s*** out of you right f***ing now is because there's too many f***ing people around. You're not welcome at any f***ing biking event in Nova Scotia... I'm telling you to get the f*** out of here right now or you're going to get the s*** kicked out of you... What makes you think you can f***ing disrespect us and then show your f***ing face around here?... Oh, getting the f***ing patch from Montréal? You didn't f***ing disrespect us?... You go f***ing say your hellos, put your money in, and get on your bike and get the f*** out of here, and we don't want to see you anywheres at any events in Nova Scotia. You are f***ing done.’”

R.M., his wife and friends were frightened by these events, said Monday’s decision. The next day, Sept. 15, 2012, R.M. called police. Within days of his giving a statement, police arrested James, Pearce, and Howe, and executed search warrants on the Bacchus clubhouse on Hogan Road in Nine Mile River and homes on Renfrew Road and Elmwood Road in Dartmouth and Dyke Road in Grand Desert.

Investigators allegedly seized vests bearing Bacchus identification, as well as marijuana, magic mushrooms, computers and mobile phones.

At trial, the Crown is expected to try and “establish that the Bacchus Motorcycle Club is a criminal organization, and was so at the time of these offences, and that Mssrs. Howe, Pearce and James were then acting for the organization,” the judge said.

Prosecutors hope to use the evidence of another unnamed witness, dubbed S.H. in the decision released Monday, that they expect to be relevant in the case against all three men.

Defence lawyers for the three accused “argued that the probative value of the evidence is greatly outweighed by the prejudice to the fair trial rights of Mr. James and the defendants generally, and it should therefore be ruled inadmissible.”

S.H. testified that he bought a Harley Davidson in 2009, but was not interested in joining a recreational motorcycle club, despite repeated and “persistent” requests. He eventually made up a fictitious patch for a fictitious club called the Wolverines and put it on his vest along with the words Nova Scotia so people would stop bothering him.

“He had a picture taken from the back, while wearing his unique motorcycle jacket with the three-piece patch on the back. He made it his profile picture on his Facebook page,” say court documents.

In December of 2011, “a couple of members of the Darksiders [motorcycle club]” told S.H. he couldn’t wear that patch.

“I showed them a picture of it, and they said: You can’t wear that patch. There is already a club in Nova Scotia that has that, has ‘Nova Scotia’ on it, so you have to take that off. And in the spring of 2012 as well — I think it was about April or May — a couple of them sort of reinforced that idea that I couldn’t wear that and they told me I had to take the ‘Nova Scotia’ part off of it and the ‘MC’ part off as well. So I don’t think I wore it on my bike. I just had it for a profile picture. It looks good.... at that time we had a bit of a conversation on my property, in front of my barn, and at that time I think I told them that if they saw me wearing the patch, they should take it. And I wasn’t really afraid of them taking it off, because I never wore it.”

Around the end of June 2012, S.H. received a private Facebook message from James.

“He was kind of concerned about, I guess this back patch... So I blocked him. And got in touch with the RCMP to see what this was all about. At that point in time, the RCMP gave me a bit of counselling as to how to handle this, and they suggested that I unblock him and carry on the conversation to try to smooth it over, because I didn’t want to run into any trouble over a fictitious motorcycle patch and motorcycle club. So I unblocked and we carried on a bit of conversation over the course of, I think a couple of days.”

James allegedly carried on a written exchange with S.H. where he eventually agreed not to wear the patches.

“Succinctly put, the Crown alleges that during January–September 2012, Mr. James’s conduct in relation to both R.M. and S.H. reveals that he intervened in the lives of both these recreational motorcycle enthusiasts to ensure that they did not wear or display a ‘three patch’ combination regarding their real or made-up ‘motorcycle clubs,’” said the judge.


“The Crown will argue that his conduct in relation to R.M. was criminal. They say that his conduct in relation to S.H. is relevant, material and should be admissible in this trial involving R.M., because it provides direct or indirect proof of ‘the essential elements of establishing that the Bacchus Motorcycle Club is a criminal organization … and that the offences in question were committed for the benefit of, at the direction of, or in association with that criminal organization.’ "


SOURCE: Local Xpress

Wednesday, June 8, 2016

Ten Hells Angels arrested in Edmonton

Hells Angels investigation leads to 10 arrests, recovery of $1M in stolen property

Edmonton, Canada, (June 8, 2016) Ten people have been arrested after an investigation into the Edmonton’s Hells Angels motorcycle club led by the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT).

“Project Al-Wheels” allege the club’s members and associates were involved in theft, re-vinning and trafficking of various stolen trailers and recreational vehicles. Re-vinning refers to the process of giving vehicles false ownership histories and identification numbers.

The investigation dates back to October 2015. A total of 15 search warrants were carried out in Edmonton, Grande Prairie, Alberta Beach, Gunn, Onoway, Morinville, Legal, Ryley, Sherwood Park, Red Deer, St. Albert and Langley, B.C.

Over $1 million in stolen property and 21 firearms were seized in the investigation, including:
  • 17 Travel trailers
  • 3 Pick-up trucks
  • 6 All-terrain vehicles
  • 1 Snowmobile
  • 2 Dirt bikes
  • 18 Rifles
  • 2 Shotguns
  • 1 Handgun

ALERT spokesman with some of the items seized in the investigation

Officers believe the vehicles were stolen from houses and businesses and then fraudulently registered. They would then be sold amongst Hells Angels members and associates at steep discounts, ALERT said.

Police believe in some cases insurance fraud was also being committed.

Some of the weapons seized during the raids

The 10 people arrested are facing upwards of 300 criminal charges and officers believe more arrests will be made.

The following people were arrested in connection with the investigation:

  • Lawrence Cotter, 41,of Alberta Beach
  • Bobby Dodman, 42, of Red Deer
  • Christopher Escott, 32, of Edmonton
  • Mark Funk, 38, of St. Albert
  • Laura Hawkridge, 41, of Alberta Beach
  • Jacob Jenkins, 38, of Gunn
  • Kane Laplante-Racine, 29 of Strathcona County
  • Frank Preeper, 42, of Morinville
  • Julien Roussel, 58, of Edmonton
  • Anthony Shaw, 56, no fixed address, arrested in Grande Prairie

SOURCE: Global News

Shake Down


Tuesday, June 7, 2016

Bandido’s Clubhouse shot at - Cops raid it

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia (June 7, 2016) Police have raided a Bandidos clubhouse after reports of a shooting at the premises.

Officers searched the Bandidos clubhouse in Brunswick after a member of the public reported several shots being fired at the Weston Street property.

It is believed detectives seized several items, including a computer hard drive which is thought to store the clubhouse’s CCTV footage.

Victoria Police spokeswoman Creina O’Grady confirmed: “Police have executed a warrant at a Bandidos OMCG clubhouse in Brunswick following a report of a firearms incident overnight.

 The Bandidos clubhouse in Weston St, Brunswick

“Investigators have been told a number of shots were possibly fired into the Weston Street property. “

She added: “It’s believed no one was injured and the investigation is ongoing.”

SOURCE: Herald Sun

Sunday, June 5, 2016

Police Follow Bikers on Benefit Run

Cochrane, Alberta (June 3, 2016) A group of bikers, including the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club, rode through town last weekend with a heavy police presence following the bikers.

Approximately 100 riders from motorcycle clubs throughout Alberta, including Rock Riders Brotherhood, Family Jammin' MC Badlands, Veterans Canada MC Calgary, Unforgiven MC, Los Desperados MC, Calgary Chinook Riders, Apostles Motorcycle Society, and the Hells Angels MC stopped in Cochrane for ice cream Saturday.

The riders and members of the community noted the heavy police presence as RCMP from Cochrane, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat and Calgary Police Services – with some from the Special Tactical Operations Unit/Team – escorted the ride.

“Every year Hells Angels does a ride somewhere in Alberta and in preparation we wanted to ensure public safety. Anytime there is a large group that comes to town, there is an increased police presence and given the club’s criminal history we want to show law enforcement presence,” said Cochrane Sgt. Jeff Campbell.

A police officer monitors Bikers at the Dairy Queen in Cochrane.

Campbell said to his knowledge, the annual ride in Alberta has never resulted in any violent crimes but the RCMP like to “err on the side of caution.”

“If something does happen and we don’t have the numbers to handle the situation then we get criticized,” Campbell said.

“Our main job is to keep the peace and making sure everyone is safe and following the rules.”

While the Hells Angels MC has officially been listed as a criminal organization in Manitoba, Alberta has not given the club any formal designation.

While eating ice cream on Saturday one Hells Angels MC member jokingly asked if some called the cops on him because he just “murdered his chocolate dipped cone.”

The Eagle attempted to contact members from Hells Angels MC Southland chapter but no one was able to respond with a comment at press time.

Wednesday, April 6, 2016

New video released of Twin Peaks biker shooting

Waco, Texas (April 8, 2016) New video has been released of the Twin Peaks' biker club shooting from a lawyer in Nevada.
Stephen Stubbs who is not representing any of the bikers, he just wants the truth to be told. He also said most of the bikers were there for a political meeting and ran when the shooting began.


WARNING DISTURBING VIDEO 



Saturday, February 27, 2016

Two identified as Hells Angels facing charges

Hells Angels Back Patch

Canton, Ohio Feb. 27, 2016 - Local officials say the Hells Angels, Pagans and Outlaws are active in Northeast Ohio but have a limited presence in Stark County.

Local men identified as Hells Angels members are facing several criminal charges, accused of having machetes, knives and other weapons at the biker clubs’s New Jersey gathering.

Canton resident Justin D. Morris, Massillon resident Kerry K. Kester and two other Northeast Ohio men are accused of stowing the weapons in a car trunk Aug. 22, according to a news release from the Hunterdon County Prosecutor’s Office in New Jersey. Officials observed their actions in the parking lot of a restaurant — the site of an “End of Summer Bash” hosted by the Hells Angels of Newark, New Jersey.

The news release identifies the men as Hells Angels members, but a spokesman from the prosecutor’s office did not elaborate on their ties to the organization.

Surveillance was conducted by New Jersey State Police, Clinton and Readington township police and the Hunterdon County Prosecutor’s Office Gangs, Guns and Narcotics Task Force.

The prosecutor’s office reported that Kester rented the Chevy Malibu involved in the traffic stop and arrest in Clinton Township, which is about 50 miles west of New York City. He is charged with one count of possession of a prohibited weapon, 12 counts of unlawful possession of a weapon and 13 counts of certain persons not to possess a weapon, having previously been convicted of involuntary manslaughter.

Morris is charged with 10 counts of unlawful possession of a weapon.

Joshua R. Woods, of Akron, is charged with one count of unlawful possession of cocaine and 12 counts of unlawful possession of a weapon.

Rocco P. Gullatta, of Aurora, is charged with one count of unlawful possession of methamphetamine, 11 counts of unlawful possession of a weapon, and 11 counts of certain persons not to possess a weapon, having previously been convicted of attempted murder.

They were indicted by a grand jury in December and were scheduled to appear in court Friday for a status hearing, according to the prosecutor’s office.

TJ Legg, the attorney representing Morris in New Jersey, declined to comment.

Anthony Iacullo, who is representing Kester in New Jersey, did not return messages seeking comment.

PRESENCE IN NORTHEAST OHIO

Local officials say the Hells Angels, Pagans and Outlaws are active in Northeast Ohio but have a limited presence in Stark County.

“None of the major outlaw motorcycle clubs has an official chapter here or clubhouse here at this time, but there are people that are present that live here and are part of other chapters or charters,” said Mark McMurtry, special agent with the Canton FBI office.

Friday, February 26, 2016

Cossacks MC member asks appeals judge to intervene

Members being held after Waco Massacre

Texas -February 26, 2016
A man indicted in the fatal shooting between bikers and police outside a Waco, Texas, restaurant nearly a year ago said he is entitled to a speedy trial and asked a state court of appeals to order a local judge to set a date, according to court documents.

Scene of Biker Massacre in Waco, Texas

Cody Ledbetter, a Cossacks motorcycle club member charged with engaging in organized criminal activity and who watched his stepfather die in the shooting, argued that nine months have passed since his arrest and that he is entitled to a speedy trial. He added that he would not enter a plea, so the case would either have to be dismissed or go to trial. The filing was made late Thursday with the 10th Court of Appeals in Waco.

District Judge Ralph Strother in December scheduled Ledbetter’s trial for May 31, but less than a month later, postponed it indefinitely. The request for the court of appeal’s intervention comes weeks after another local judge in Waco postponed a trial for one of 186 people arrested after the shooting. No one among those arrested has been given a date for trial.

The investigation is ongoing and not all of the evidence, including forensic testing, has been analyzed, McClennan County District Attorney Abel Reyna said in a January motion to delay the Feb. 29 trial of another man arrested in the melee, Matthew Clendennen. It could take a year for the firearm DNA analysis alone to be completed, Reyna said.

During a pretrial hearing earlier this month, District Judge Matt Johnson did not grant the state’s motion for a delay but effectively postponed the trial by scheduling a hearing for April 1 to consider Clendennen’s motion for a change of venue. Clendennen had argued that pretrial publicity would taint the jury pool.

The district court judge also ordered the state to turn over evidence from a federal sting operation that led to the January indictment of top officers of the Bandidos motorcycle club.

Nine people were killed and 20 people were injured in an apparent confrontation last May between the Bandidos and Cossacks motorcycle clubs and police.

The gunfire had erupted shortly before a meeting of a coalition of motorcycle clubs that says it advocates for rider safety.

Evidence reviewed by The Associated Press shows that four of the dead were shot by the rifles police use.

A grand jury indicted Ledbetter along with 105 others in November, all on the charge of engaging in organized criminal activity. Prosecutors haven’t yet presented the remaining cases.

Source: Dallas News

Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Outlaws MC loses appeal to return Colors

Outlaws MC Illinois at a Motorcycle Event


CHICAGO, ILL 2/24/2016
Leather vests and colors confiscated after a bar fight do not have to be returned to the Outlaws Motorcycle Club, appeals judges have ruled.

RELATED STORY: Outlaws MC still seeks return of leather Vest

The ruling from the 2nd District Appellate Court in Elgin, delivered by Justice Mary Seminara-Schostok, was in line with that of a McHenry County judge, who found the vests and patches to be "contraband in that they were used by members of the Outlaws to facilitate street-gang activity," court documents say.

Several people affiliated with the group were wearing the vests when they were involved in a bar fight at the Lizard Lounge outside Wonder Lake in 2012.


Joel Rabb, an attorney for the Outlaws, has long said the group is a civic organization, not a gang, and that the vests were incidental to the bar fight. He said, “Wearing the vest in and of itself is not a crime,”

This leather vest will be held as contraband, a McHenry County judge ruled

But appeals judges cited testimony from a detective that they said "demonstrated that the Outlaws wore their vests and would resort to violence to recruit members and to show others that they were not to be 'messed with.' "

"In this regard," the appeals judges added, "wearing the vests facilitated the defendants' goal, to be achieved by violent means if necessary, to show their dominance to others."

"Obviously, we are disappointed with the court's determination," Rabb said.

The four Outlaws members who were arrested had their cuts confiscated when they were arrested.  
The "plea deal" was for the criminal charge only & had nothing to do with the case about the vests. In other words, the Law already had their cuts in their possession & fought hard to keep them.



Monday, February 8, 2016

Lone Chopper Rider

A Chopper Rider at the Waupun State Prison in Waupun Wisconsin for a Motorcycle Show

Thursday, February 4, 2016

Mongols MC Killer On Paid Leave

 People exit the Denver Motorcycle Expo after shooting

The club that fought the Iron Order during a Motorcycle show in Denver say their members acted in self-defense during the brawl that left 1 person dead and 7 others shot, stabbed and/or beaten.

A member of the Mongols MC was killed when he tried to disarm an Iron Order puke who was pointing a gun at a crowd, Las Vegas attorney Stephen Stubbs said Thursday in the latest salvo in the clubs' ongoing dispute over who sparked the fight.

Victor Mendoza, 46, charged toward the gunman and was shot, Stubbs said during what he described as the Mongols' first-ever press conference, held at a VFW hall. Two Mongols who refused to speak or give their names flanked him.

Stubbs had no comment about the 7 others hurt during the Saturday brawl at the Colorado Motorcycle Exposition, where other MC’s from around the country gathered.

Iron Order's lawyer, John C. Whitfield, said a Colorado Department of Corrections officer who belongs to his club opened fire during the brawl in self-defense after its members were jumped by a group of Mongols. Stubbs' account makes absolutely no sense, he said.

Iron Order's members are composed of mostly of law enforcement officers, prison guards and military personnel that get a kick playing weekend biker then go back to their regular jobs during the week.

As of yet no charges have been filed and the Denver cops would not comment on either side's story of the fight, saying that detectives were still interviewing people involved. They have said more than 1 person opened fire, and they were analyzing more than 1 gun to determine who fired the fatal shot.

"Running to the top of the stairs, pointing a gun at a crowd below, and shooting an unarmed man that bravely tries to disarm you cannot be self-defense," Stubbs said.

He also added, "If you are an unarmed man that is charging some intoxicated lunatic at the top of the stairs that is waving a gun at a crowd of people, that is definitely self-defense."

Corrections officer and Iron Order member Derrick Duran was put on paid leave while authorities investigate his story. He did not immediately return calls seeking comment Thursday.

Stubbs called Mendoza a dedicated family man that sacrificed his life trying to save others.

Others involved in the brawl have not been identified.