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Showing posts with label Grim Reapers MC. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Grim Reapers MC. Show all posts

Wednesday, September 20, 2023

Feds want the Grim Reapers MC clubhouse

Evansville, Indiana USA (September 20, 2023) - After indicting and sentencing more than a dozen members of the Grim Reapers Motorcycle Club, the federal government is wanting to seize the MC's clubhouse. United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, Zach Myers, filed a formal civil complaint in December, 2022 asking a judge to forfeit the building at located 1104 East Diamond Avenue in Evansville, Indiana “to the United States of America.

 


The civil case, featured an amended complaint and the dropping of a defendant, is still working it's way through court system. The newest filing came on September 5, 2023. The amended complaint, issued in late June, says the building is “subject to forfeiture because it was used, or intended to be used, to commit, or to facilitate, the commission of drug-trafficking offenses.”

It’s the culmination of years of investigation. The feds kicked off the criminal portion of the case in November 2019, when members of the FBI, Drug Enforcement Agency, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms and Explosives, among others obtained a search warrant and knocked down the Motorcycle Club’s front door.

RELATED | Former Grim Reapers MC Prez Sentenced


They reportedly seized 10 pounds of meth, 23 guns, $35,000 in cash and a couple of motorcycles. The dope alone reportedly had an estimated street value of more than $250,000. What followed next was a bunch of indictments over the coming months and now years. The latest sentence was handed down in February of this year.

Besides going after the Grim Reapers MC, the main defendant in the civil side of the case is former Grim Rreapers MC leader Gary Wayne Forston. He was sentenced in October to 16-and-a-half years in prison after he plead guilty to four of the 12 counts against him. He’s currently serving his sentence in Texarkana, Texas.

As part of Wayne's plea deal that he signed in July 2022 “Forston agreed that the defendant property was subject to forfeiture and consented to the forfeiture of his interest in the defendant property,” the amended complaint says. Prosecutors accuse Forston of living at the clubhouse while the dope ring was doing business. The feds want the court to block Grime Reapers MC members from using the building and ultimately hand it over to the U.S. government.

Monday, October 10, 2022

Former Grim Reapers MC Prez Sentenced

Evansville, Indiana, USA (October 10, 2022) - A federal judge handed down a long prison sentence this week to the former president of the Grim Reapers Motorcycle Club chapter in Evansville, Indiana. On Wednesday, U.S. Southern District of Indiana Judge Richard Young sentenced Gary Forston to serve 16-and-a-half years in federal prison for his role in an alleged drug trafficking scheme.

The former GRMC president pleaded guilty to four out of the 12 counts originally listed in his indictment back in July.
 


According to the agreement, Forston admitted he conspired to distribute more than 550 grams of methamphetamine and used a firearm to further a drug trafficking operation.Forston was arrested in November 2019 after local and federal law enforcement officers swarmed the Grim Reapers' club house in the former SheLounge strip club off Diamond Avenue.

RELATED | Grim Reapers MC Members Busted In Drug Raid


At the time of the raid, Forston, a convicted felon, allegedly had in his possession a 0.40 caliber Smith & Wesson handgun and Mossberg 12-gauge shotgun, leading a grand jury to indict him on weapons charges. Ten pounds of meth, 23 guns and $35,000 in cash were seized during the raid, according to then U.S. Attorney Josh Minkler. The drugs reportedly had an estimated street value of more than $250,000.

In February 2020, a federal grand jury indicted 17 people from Indiana and Kentucky, including Forston, for allegedly operating the methamphetamine trafficking ring affiliated with the motorcycle club. Of the 17 people indicted, 13 were from Evansville. When those indictments were announced, Minkler called the Grim Reapers Motorcycle club a "criminal organization."

Central Holman IV, of Owensboro Kentucky, is alleged in federal court documents to have been the club's main supplier of methamphetamine. Besides Holman and Forston, the other 15 people indicted were believed by law enforcement to be "mid-level distributors," records show.

Some of their cases are still ongoing. In September, Holman pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and was sentenced to serve 18 years in federal prison. He has since appealed his conviction, according to court records.

Source: WTVW  

Friday, September 18, 2020

Grim Reapers MC Members Busted In Drug Raid

Evansville, IN, USA (September 18, 2020) - A raid by federal law enforcement agents in Evansville is having reverberations in the drug trade that reaches from Daviess County to Mexico.

U.S. Attorney for Southern Indiana Josh Minkler announced the raids in Evansville that led to the arrest of 17 people, most of them members of the Grim Reapers Motorcycle Club.

“Drugs, guns and money have been taken off our streets,” said Minkler."This is big news. This is a big win.”



The raids in Evansville resulted in the confiscation of 23 weapons, the seizure of $35,000 and the recovery of 10 pounds of methamphetamine with a street value of $250,000.

“This is a huge victory for us,” said Drug Enforcement Agent Mike Gannon. “We’re going to identify every single one of you pushing this poison in our community. We’re going to use every resource we can and hold you accountable and put you where you belong, in jail.”

Related | Grim Reapers MC involved in federal indictment 
Related | Prez of Grim Reapers MC trial starts
Related | Feds Raid Grim Reapers Motorcycle Club

The raid is expected to have an impact on the drug trade in Daviess County.

“We do not have a direct link that we can trace to that group,” said Daviess County Sheriff Gary Allison. “But any time you can take a large amount of meth like that off the street in our region, it will have an impact. I am certain that if we were able to trace back the small bags that we recover that some of it would lead back to Evansville.”

Officials say Central Holman IV, 28, Owensboro, was the ringleader of the operation. Most of those arrested lived in Evansville and Owensboro although one man, Daniel Wiscaver, 61, Winslow, was also swept up in the raid.


The arrests and raids in Evansville were part of a larger set of indictments on drug operations that reached into California and Mexico. Eleven defendants were indicted in Evansville on charges of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and fentanyl.

“Drug trafficking organizations operate on greed and takes advantage of the addiction problem this community, our state and our nation faces,” said Minkler. “This illegal activity cannot and will not be tolerated. I am fully committed, my office is fully committed, and the federal, state, and local law enforcement partners are fully committed, to help stop the flow of narcotics into this state and this community.”

Those indicted include two fugitives from Mexico, five from California and one each from Washington state, Tennessee, Arizona and Ohio.

Authorities say the investigations resulted in seizures of 123 pounds of methamphetamine, 769 grams of fentanyl powder, 114 fentanyl pills, 500 oxycodone pills, 345 grams of heroin and $14,346 in cash.

“The aim of these types of investigations is to remove illegal narcotics and violent drug dealers from our community and country,” said Dan McClain, US Marshal, Southern District of Indiana. “This investigation is an example of the tremendous teamwork and comradery shown by all organizations involved from start to finish.”

“These results are the reason that we are involved with these federal investigations,” said Allison. “These raids will have reach out well beyond Evansville to impact the drug trade over a large area, including ours.

But the sheriff says that even these big raids are not enough to stop the drug trade.

“I don’t think this will lead to people cooking their own meth again,” said Allison. “As long as there is a demand for meth someone new is going to step in and try to become the new supplier.” 

SOURCE: Washington Times Herald

Thursday, February 6, 2020

Grim Reapers MC involved in federal indictment

Evansville, Indiana, USA (February 6, 2020) BTN - Seventeen people have been federally indicted for allegedly operating a drug ring in Indiana and Kentucky with ties to the Grim Reapers Motorcycle Club.

Grim Reapers Clubhouse after police raid

The following have been charged as part of Operation Reapin Benefits:
  • James Benton, 66, of Evansville
  • Brian Eden, 40, of Evansville
  • Gary Wayne Forston, 39, of Evansville
  • Clarence Grubbs, 48, of Evansville
  • Central Holman IV, 28, of Owensboro, Kentucky
  • Demoreal Killebrew, 21, of Owensboro
  • Adam Lafferty, 38, of Evansville
  • Shane Lewis, 32, of Evansville
  • April Martin, 45, of Evansville
  • Matthew Meredith, 40, of Evansville
  • Prince Moss, 34, of Owensboro
  • Paul Overby, 45, of Evansville
  • Derek Sander, 48, of Evansville
  • Daniel Wiscaver, 61, of Winslow
  • Jason Wilson, 42, of Evansville
  • Jesse Wilson, 34, of Evansville
  • Kimberly Wilson, 37, of Evansville

Some of the accused are members or associates of the Grim Reapers, which U.S. Attorney Josh Minkler called a criminal organization during a news conference Thursday morning in Evansville announcing the indictments.

Federal prosecutors believe Forston and Jason Wilson were the ringleaders of the group, which allegedly distributed methamphetamine in Evansville and nearby communities.

Forston, the Grim Reapers president, was previously indicted on weapons charges after a raid on the club in November. Holman was the ring's alleged supplier.

Almost all of the other defendants are believed to be mid-level distributors, accused of selling drugs to lower-level drug dealers or directly to users, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Related | Prez of Grim Reapers MC trial starts
Related | Feds Raid Grim Reapers Motorcycle Club


"Drugs, guns and money have been taken off our streets," Minkler said. "Armed drug dealers seeking to infest our cities and our towns with drugs have been taken off our streets."

Ten pounds of meth, 23 guns and $35,000 in cash were seized, Minkler said. The drugs, which now sit in evidence vaults, have an estimated street value of more than $250,000.

Fifteen of the accused are now in federal custody. Siblings Jesse and Kimberly Wilson are believed to be on the run. The indictments are the culmination of a sixth-month, multi-agency investigation, which included federal, state and local law enforcement.

Vanderburgh County Sheriff Dave Wedding used the news conference as an opportunity to call for expanding the county's jail.

"I will tell you something that makes me sick to the stomach is we have legislators on the state and federal level saying that we have a problem of over-incarceration, that we need to let people out of jail," he said.

"I am pleading for a larger jail to be built here in Vanderburgh County so the dirtbags that we take off the street will have a bed to sleep in at night," he added.

Prosecutors said all defendants except Sander could face between 10 years to life in prison if convicted. Sander could be sentenced to up to 10 years.

The U.S. Attorney's Office will also consider pursuing forfeiture of the Grim Reapers' headquarters in the 1100 block of East Diamond Avenue in Evansville. "What we don't want is the Grim Reapers to come back and relocate in that clubhouse and start doing business again," Minkler said.

SOURCE: Evansville Courier Press

Monday, January 27, 2020

Prez of Grim Reapers MC trial starts

Evansville, Indiana, USA (January 27, 2020) BTN - The trial of Gary Forston starts in US Federal Court today. Forston was indicted on federal gun charges.

Back in November of 2019, Federal and local law enforcement agents served a search warrant at the Grim Reapers Motorcycle Club. Agents used heavy equipment to breakdown the building's door.


The warrant was served by the ATF's Special Response Team, which is often deployed for search warrants or high-risk situations, said an agency spokeswoman at the scene.

Related | Feds Raid Grim Reapers Motorcycle Club


An alphabet soup of agencies assisted the ATF in the raid, which took place around 6 a.m. at the club at 1104 E. Diamond Ave., including the FBI and DEA.

Investigators say two grams of meth were also found during the search in Forston’s vehicle.

That trial is set for today at 9:00 am.

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Feds Raid Grim Reapers Motorcycle Club

Evansville, Indiana, USA (November 19, 2019) BTN - Federal and local law enforcement agents served a search warrant at the Grim Reapers Motorcycle Club this morning. Agents used heavy equipment to breakdown the building's door.

The warrant was served by the ATF's Special Response Team, which is often deployed for search warrants or high-risk situations, said an agency spokeswoman at the scene. An alphabet soup of agencies assisted the ATF in the raid, which took place around 6 a.m. at the club at 1104 E. Diamond Ave., including the FBI and DEA.


Other law enforcement assisting at the scene included Indiana State Police, Vanderburgh County Sheriff's Office and Evansville Police Department. Suzanne Dabkowski, an ATF public information officer at the scene, would not say whether there were any arrests or if the building was occupied when officers arrived. Two motorcycles were taken from the scene.


She did say that the investigation that led to the search warrant had been going on for "quite awhile." The Grim Reapers Motorcycle Club was founded in Louisville in 1965 and a local chapter was organized in Warrick County in the mid-1970s.

In June 1983, the local chapter moved its club to a house on Indiana Street near First Avenue, where it stayed until September 2017. The motorcycle club's current hangout on Diamond Avenue is the former location of the Exotic She Lounge strip club.


This is not the first time the motorcycle club has been targeted by federal investigators.

The Evansville club was raided several times in the late 1990s, culminating in the 1999 indictment of three members on federal criminal charges. The Evansville members were indicted on charges of racketeering, conspiracy and transporting stolen vehicles. Those indictments came just days after agents raided Grim Reapers clubhouses in five states, including the Evansville club.

The three-year undercover operation resulted in a total of 59 indictments and the seizure of guns, drugs, stolen vehicles and other contraband, according to an Evansville Courier report.

SOURCE:

Thursday, April 25, 2019

Grim Reapers MC members fight off attacker

Evansville, Indiana, USA (April 25, 2019) BTN — A man that opened fire at the Grim Reapers MC clubhouse was sent to the hospital after the members fought him off with pool sticks. Evansville Police were called to the motorcycle club on Wednesday evening in the 1100 block of Diamond Avenue.

Cale Winternheimer, 47, reportedly drove a truck into the club’s building and came out with a gun. City police say he went into the club and began firing. The suspect is out of the hospital and now in jail.

“He had brought with him a five gallon gas can, he attempted on more than one occasion to light that on fire in front of the building,” Evansville Police Department Sgt. Jason Cullum said.


Police said after Winternheimer drove the truck into the building he tried to get away, the Grim Reapers stopped him with both gunfire and force.

“At that point several members that were inside the club came out, they discharged firearms, due to the suspects behavior that he tried to set their building on fire and was now ramming it with his truck,” explains Sgt. Cullum.


Police say no one was hit by those gunshots. Winternheimer was taken to the hospital after he was physically assaulted by pool sticks, fists and feet.

One woman who owns a business next door said she’s never had an issue like this with the club before.

“If I need something I went down and talked to them if someones harassing me a few times, they went down and took care of it,” said Patti Hurley.

At this time police don't know why Winternheimer did that.

He is facing several charges including arson and criminal recklessness while armed with a deadly weapon.

SOURCE: Tri State

Thursday, March 3, 2016