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Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Defendants point fingers for killing Outlaws president

Tampa, Florida, USA (July 31, 2019) BTN – Two men this week will stand trial in the 2017 assassination of a rival motorcycle club leader who authorities said was shot and killed while sitting in his pickup truck in rush hour traffic in Pasco County.

The two defendants, Christopher “Durty” Cosimano, 31, and Michael “Pumpkin” Mencher, 52, are both alleged members of the Hillsborough County chapter of the 69’ers Motorcycle Club.


They sat together at the defense table as their murder trial started Tuesday. But their lawyers told jurors that someone else was to blame for the slaying of Paul Anderson, 44, president of the Cross Bayou chapter of the Outlaws Motorcycle Club:

Mencher’s attorney told the jury that Cosimano shot Anderson.

Cosimano’s attorney said someone else — he did not say who — was responsible.

But prosecutors said it was Cosimano who pulled the trigger, and if he missed then Mencher was there to finish the job.

Related Outlaws MC President was killed over club colors
Assistant U.S. Attorney Natalie Adams walked the 16-person jury through the Dec. 21, 2017 assassination and the violent feud that led to it. Cosimano and Mencher rode motorcycles behind Anderson, tracking him. Both carried loaded guns, prosecutors say, and wore masks to hide their faces.

When Anderson took an exit on the Suncoast Parkway and stopped at a red traffic light near State Road 54, Cosimano walked up to the truck’s window, tapped on the glass, then shot the Outlaws leader several times with a Glock 45 semiautomatic pistol, according to prosecutors. “He was dead with his foot on the brake, and a phone in his hand,” said Adams as Cosimano and Mencher looked on, quietly.

The state accused Mencher of being Cosimano’s backup, prepared to kill Anderson if the 69’ers’ president messed up the hit. Anderson, the Outlaw leader, was killed “to claim territory, to demand respect,” Adams said. But Cosimano and Mencher’s attorneys challenged the state’s account of what happened and what motivated the shooting.

Defense attorney Anne Borghetti said her client, Mencher, was told by Cosimano that he wanted to go riding on Dec. 17, 2017. That’s all.

Cosimano never mentioned anything about Anderson, she said, or any plan to execute him. She also tried to minimize Mencher’s ties to the 69’ers, saying the gang treated him poorly, even sometimes leaving him behind at club events. They called Mencher “the village idiot,” she said, and Cosimano’s plan “was to blame Michael Mencher” for the shooting.

Cosimano’s attorney, J. Jervis Wise, said someone else executed Anderson in 2017, but did not name that person. Instead, he described the incident as a “rogue act” that the leader didn’t know about. The attorney said prosecutors are relying on testimony from 69’ers members who will do anything they can to reduce their jail time for involvement in the case.

“They will tell the government what they think the government wants to hear,” Wise said.

Both Cosimano and Mencher faces charges of first-degree murder and a slew of related charges, including conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering activity and use of a firearm in a crime of violence causing death. If convicted, each faces up to life in prison. Mencher also faces drug-related charges for his involvement in a cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine ring that prosecutors accuse the 69’ers of running.


Members of the 69’ers, including at least one who has already pleaded guilty to charges related to this case, are expected to testify on behalf of the government, the state told jurors. Three members of the 69’ers — Allan Burt “Big Beefy” Guinto, Erick Richard “Big E” Robinson and Cody James “Little Savage” Wesling — were indicted along with Cosimano and Mencher and accused of taking part in the plot to kill Anderson. They took plea deals earlier this year.

Authorities said the 2017 murder of Anderson was part of an escalating conflict between local chapters of two prominent and motorcycle clubs, the Outlaws and the 69’ers, whose Hillsborough branch called itself the “Killsborough” chapter.

The trial is expected to take three weeks.

SOURCE: Tampa Bay Times

Tuesday, July 30, 2019

Jury selection begins in Vagos MC case

Las Vegas, Nevada, USA (July 30, 2019) BTN — Jury selection began Monday in U.S. District Court for a trial scheduled to begin with openings August 12 and stretch until about Thanksgiving.

The eight men, all from California and ranging in age from 36 to 70, represent the first of three groups totaling 21 defendants in a sweeping case that prosecutors allege involves Vagos and crimes in California, Arizona, Hawaii, Oregon, Utah and Nevada.

The centerpiece of the case is the shooting death of Jeffrey Pettigrew, president of the Hells Angels chapter in San Jose, California, during a brawl at a crowded Reno-area casino that sent gamblers diving under blackjack tables and left bullet fragments in slot machines.

September 23, 2011: Police officers keep an eye on handcuffed men at the east entrance to John Ascuaga's Nugget hotel-casino after a shooting in Sparks, Nevada - The Reno Gazette-Journal

Two Vagos members received non-fatal gunshots in the exchange of gunfire and one was wounded while riding his motorcycle several hours later in what authorities called a retaliatory drive-by shooting.

“The Vagos are always trying to be the big dog. In some areas they are,” said Terry Katz, a retired Maryland State Police lieutenant and gang expert with the International Outlaw Motorcycle Gang Investigators Association.

“Everybody’s heard of the Hells Angels, the Pagan’s, the Bandidos, the Outlaws. But the Vagos are right up there,” Katz said. “To kill Pettigrew in a setting like a casino shows that they just don’t care. It’s not like there are no cameras around.”

Now, nearly eight years later, prosecutors plan to tell a jury the case goes well beyond allegations that the eight defendants plotted to carry out a “green light order” to kill Pettigrew.

“That’s the enterprise. They’re the Vagos,” Daniel Schiess, the assistant U.S. attorney heading the prosecution, told Chief U.S. District Judge Gloria Navarro during a recent pretrial hearing. “The entire conspiracy for the enterprise is admissible against everyone.”


A 12-count indictment filed in 2017 accuses the 21 defendants of being a transnational gang with a hierarchical chain-of-command in which members reach leadership posts by adhering to club rules and committing acts of murder, kidnap, assault, extortion, robbery and witness intimidation as well as drug and weapons trafficking.

Charges date from a January 2005 bar brawl in Los Angeles; include allegations of cocaine and methamphetamine smuggling into the U.S. from Mexico; and point to a September 2011 kidnapping at gunpoint of a Vagos member suspected of violating gang rules. Prosecutors say he was beaten and robbed of his jewelry, guns and motorcycle.

The case relies on hundreds of recorded telephone conversations, reports by confidential informants and accounts by an undercover law enforcement officer who posed as a Vagos member in 2011 and 2012.

One allegation is that club members in Utah were ordered in August 2012 to pay a $100 tax to support lawyers for Ernesto Manuel Gonzalez, who was convicted in state court in Reno of Pettigrew’s death and sentenced to life in prison.

The Nevada Supreme Court overturned Gonzalez’s conviction in December 2015 due to faulty jury instructions at trial. He was awaiting a retrial when the federal racketeering indictment was filed.

He and his co-defendants — Pastor Palafox, Albert Lopez, Albert Perez, James Gillespie, Bradley Campos, Cesar Morales and Diego Garcia — have each pleaded not guilty. Each faces up to life in prison if he’s convicted.

SOURCE: My Northwest

Monday, July 29, 2019

Hells Angels MC members gathering today

Clemson, South Carolina, USA (July 29, 2019) BTN — The Hells Angels Motorcycle Club are gathering  today in Clemson for their annual summer rally. Clemson police Chief Jimmy Dixon said he expects more than 500 bikers from the motorcycle club.

"They're not coming here to cause problems," Chief Dixon said. "I know everybody thinks that the world is getting ready to come to an end. But I can assure you that that it is not."


Dixon said the Hells Angels will come from all across the country to meet for their annual rally starting on July 29 through Friday, August 2. Dixon compares the visit to a family reunion and while some know about their old reputation, but are rolling out the welcomes.

"I think that's in the past, I think they have evolved from that," Connie McKee said. McKee works in downtown Clemson and said the visit will help revenue, especially during a time when this college is lacking thousands of students.

Pierce Womack and Denise Kwiatek say Pickens County Emergency Management will be heavily involved. People in the area will see a command post set up in case an emergency were to arise.


Local law enforcement said they've checked in with other states who have hosted Hells Angels before. The Department of Justice has cited the Hells Angels as "an outlaw motorcycle gang". But that's hasn't impacted their stay in other states like Missouri and Virgina; all of whom say it was a pleasant experience.

"To quote Sheriff Holcombe, he would tell you he 'would have them back tomorrow.' He said it was one of the best weeks they've ever had," Dixon said.

Dixon added expect to see more traffic on the roads and more of his officers along with state and federal agencies. He wants to make sure everyone to remain safe during this time.

SOURCE: 7News

Sunday, July 28, 2019

Alleged leader of local Deadly Sins MC arrested

Carson City, Nevada, USA (July 27, 2019) BTN — A 49-year-old Carson City man was arrested by the Tri-County Gang Unit on five felony charges, one gross misdemeanor charge, and three misdemeanor charges after he allegedly committed felony domestic battery.

According to the report, David Sanchez is the president of the Deadly Sins Motorcycle Club Carson City Nevada chapter and he is associated with the Vagos Motorcycle Club and was arrested early Friday morning.


Late Thursday evening, upon arrival, deputies made contact with Sanchez and his child. Deputies took Sanchez into custody for felony domestic battery.

Just before 2 a.m. on Friday, deputies were granted a search warrant of the property and found the following evidence, which was confiscated and booked:

— A Glock 17 9mm pistol was located in a clothing hamper of the master bedroom that Sanchez resides in along with magazines.

The gun was verified through dispatch as stolen out of Carson City. Sanchez is a registered ex-felon and he has prior history of domestic batteries.

— 14.56 grams of Cocaine in a small plastic bag was located in the master bedroom in a desk drawer on the west wall. The Cocaine was Nartec tested and yielded positive results.

— Additionally $521 U.S. currency was located next to the Cocaine in the drawer, and $251 U.S. currency was located in a pair of jean pants approximately three feet from the desk drawer containing the Cocaine.

— A digital scale and numerous small plastic bags were located next to the Cocaine as well

— A vile of Testosterone without a prescription was located in the same desk as the Cocaine

— A small plastic bottle with no prescription was located on the east night stand. The contents of the bottle were 17.5 counts of Cyclobenzaprine 10mg and one count Cyclobenzaprine 10mg with a separate imprint

— Three separate plastic bags of marijuana weighing approximately 10.2 ounces were located in the master bedroom. Each package had a hand written name on it, indicating it did not come from a legal dispensary.

— Samples of blood located in the residence along with clothing containing blood drops were collected in respect to the domestic battery that occurred

The door to Sanchez’s room is approximately ten feet from his child’s bedroom, which was unlocked. He was additionally charged with child endangerment.

Full list of charges:

Trafficking controlled substance (Cocaine)
Possession with intent to sell
Possession of a stolen firearm
Ex-felon possessing a firearm
Possession of a controlled substance (Testosterone)
Possession of dangerous drug without a prescription
Possession of drug paraphernalia
Possession of less than one ounce of marijuana
Child Endangerment

SOURCE: Carson Now


Wednesday, July 24, 2019

DA: End of the road for local motorcycle club

Columbus, Georgia , USA (July 24, 2019) BTN — Lloyd Jefferson Harris, a member of the Iron Cross Motorcycle Club, was sentenced to 20 years to serve three after pleading guilty to aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and violation of the Georgia Street Gang and Terrorism Prevention Act.

According to Investigator Ryan Foles with the Coweta County DA’s office, the Iron Cross had been on the radar of law enforcement prior to an incident in 2016, which saw the group thrust into the spotlight.

Foles also stated "The sentencing of four local men associated with an outlaw motorcycle group has signaled the end of that group in Coweta County – and a victory for local law enforcement in their battle against gangs."

In November 2016, two teenage girls were chased along U.S. Hwy. 29 into Newnan by members of the Iron Cross and Knights of Solomon motorcycle clubs after a biker lost control of his bike and crashed.

Confiscated patches belonging to the Iron Cross Motorcycle Club

Club members blamed the driver of the car and began pursuing her. At one point during the chase, Harris pointed a firearm at the occupants and shot at least one round in their direction.

The chase ended after the bikers were intercepted by deputies near the intersection of Bullsboro Drive and Ga. Hwy. 154. A handgun was recovered at the scene.

After the chase, Harris was arrested and charged with discharging a weapon near a public highway, pointing a gun at another, and reckless conduct.

Three other members of the club were ultimately sentenced to probation.

Stephen Maxwell Kemp was given 12 months probation for aggressive driving, while Thomas Joseph Lewandowski and Ricky James Hartfree were both sentenced to six months’ probation. All four men were ordered to have no contact with the Iron Cross Motorcycle Club or any other motorcycle clubs.

District Attorney Herb Cranford Jr. said his office could not prove the other bikers involved in the incident knew Harris pulled a gun on the girls while chasing them, so the office only pursued felonies against the most culpable defendant.

“This case was about a group of bikers, all wearing their club patches, chasing down two teenage girls because the girls had disrespected the bikers on the road,” Cranford said. “The girls did not get in a wreck with any bikers, and there was no lawful reason to chase them.

“Nevertheless, we are satisfied that the defendant who pulled a gun and fired one round into the air was sentenced to prison following his non-negotiated guilty plea,” Cranford added.

Following the shooting, the investigation into the group escalated, resulting in the search of its clubhouse on East Jones Street in March 2017.

The house was allegedly being run and managed under the name of a deceased Iron Cross member and was serving as an illegal alcohol establishment for those in the biker culture.

Defunct Iron Cross MC Clubhouse in Columbus, Georgia 

Inside, investigators reportedly recovered two truckloads of evidence connecting the bike group to gang culture, hate groups and other “1-percenters” across the state and nationwide – including membership documents and oaths.

Foles said the search of the clubhouse was successful for many reasons, one of which included the discovery of over 50 Christmas cards sent from other 1-percenter clubs across the country – each card containing the names, pictures and addresses of its members.

Foles shared this – and other information collected from the clubhouse – during the summer conference of the Georgia Gang Investigators Association.

The Iron Cross case was significant, Foles said, because local law enforcement agencies are rarely successful at shutting down motorcycle clubs. It is a task typically handled by federal agencies.

Foles said the success was in part to the Security Threat Group Unit (STGU), which operates in the Coweta County Jail, where detention officers help identify gang members and collect evidence for prosecution.

“From the help of the 911 operator to the officer who made original arrests all the way to the detention officers collecting evidence for gang charges – the case was a success because of everyone working together,” Foles said. “They’re pioneers in what they’re doing and are continuing to make the program even better.”

Cranford said biker clubs who associate with the Outlaws, a widely known motorcycle club like the Hells Angels, should be scrutinized by law enforcement and should not be allowed to intimidate and threaten the citizens of Georgia.

“Those Outlaw affiliated biker clubs, like the Iron Cross, give a bad name to law-abiding motorcycle clubs and others who simply enjoy riding motorcycles,” Cranford said. “The sheriff's department should be commended for this investigation which appears to have had the result of removing this Outlaw-affiliated biker gang from our community."

SOURCE: The Newnan Times-Herald

Friday, July 19, 2019

Pagan's MC: Ruling could toss out evidence in case

Providence, R.I. (July 19, 2019) BTN —In what could be a major blow to a criminal case that targeted two motorcycle clubs, a judge ruled a mass of wiretapped phone conversations should be tossed from trial.

The decision came after defense attorneys successfully argued the wrong judge signed off on an extension of the order to authorize wiretaps in the case.

On Wednesday, Superior Court Judge Netti Vogel ruled in favor of the defense, saying the wiretap extension was improperly signed off on and the evidence at the center of the case for many of the defendants could not be used at trial.


In May, state police, along with federal and local authorities, arrested 50 people in what authorities called the single largest take down in R.I. State Police history.

The raids were the result of a year-long investigation called Operation Patched Out, which focused on two motorcycle clubs – the Pagans and Kryptmen – operating in northwestern Rhode Island.

Related | Rhode Island grand jury indicts MC members and associates

Among those arrested was Deric “Tuna” McGuire, who police identified as the head of the Pagan's motorcycle club. McGuire was hit with 221 drug-related counts.

It’s unclear how much of the evidence could be affected. Kristy dosReis, a spokesperson for Attorney General Peter Neronha, did not answer that question, but said in an email, “We respect the court’s decision in this case and intend to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court.”

At issue is who signs off on the paperwork that allows investigators to listen in on phone conversations. By law, the presiding justice of the Superior Court is authorized to do so. In this case, Presiding Justice Alice Gibney did OK the order on the original request, but was unavailable when detectives asked for an extension.


Legal experts say the next senior-most judge is then supposed to take the responsibility, but defense attorneys in the biker case say that didn’t happen.

Prosecutors argued Gibney assigned a different judge because there was a conflict of interest with the next jurist in line. But the argument didn’t resonate with Vogel, who issued her decision from the bench.

Veteran defense attorney Jack Cicilline represents McGuire and was one of the attorneys who spotted what they saw as a mistake in evidence gathering and filed the motion. His son, John M. Cicilline, represents Yevgeniy Mazo, of North Providence – known as “the Russian.” John Cicilline said he believes it will be a “significant amount” of the evidence that will have to be tossed from the case.

“This ruling could impact 20-something defendants,” said Cicilline.

Some defendants had already pleaded no contest in the case.

At the time of the arrests, the state police said several rival clubs were competing for turf in Rhode Island, “resulting in increasingly violent confrontations – including three shootings that were never reported to law enforcement.”

Because of the growing tensions, Lt. Col. Joseph Philbin said at the time the decision was made to execute the search and arrest warrants. Police said they obtained the warrants with evidence detailed in a 1,300-page affidavit, including thousands of phone conversations and text messages.

The Raids took place in several communities, including Woonsocket.

It is unclear when the state’s high court will take up the appeal.

SOURCE: WPRI 12

Another suspect arrested in Pagan's MC assault

Charleroi, Pennsylvania, USA (July 19, 2019) BTN -A 10th suspect has been arrested in a brutal assault by alleged members of the Pagan's Motorcycle Club at a Charleroi social club in April.

Online court records indicate the suspect who solicited the assault, Brian A. Keruskin, 57, of Charleroi, was arrested Tuesday afternoon and sent to Washington County jail without bond.


Testimony at a preliminary hearing that morning for six other suspects in the case showed that Keruskin talked on the phone after the assault at the Slovak Club with the man who let the group of Pagan's into the bar at 700 McKean Ave.

“I told him it was really bad,” Zachary Yagnich, 26, a club officer testified about his conversation with Keruskin.

“I was scared,” he said.

Prosecutors have not revealed a motive in the April 18 assault of Troy Harris, who had left the Pagan's to join a rival group known as Sutars Soldiers.

Related | Pagan's MC members charged


Harris suffered severe trauma to his head, causing him to have a stroke and cognitive problems, his wife, Michele, testified Tuesday.

District Judge Larry Hopkins, who presided over Tuesday’s hearing, found sufficient evidence to hold the six suspects for trial, and he sent them all back to area jails without bond.

The suspects who were charged with attempted homicide and other offenses are: Corey Volk, 24, of West Newton; Paul Cochran, 54, of Charleroi; John Sadvary, 39, of Penn Hills; Matthew Vasquez, 30, of Monessen; Joshua Pagliei, 43, of Monongahela; and Jason Huff, 40, of Plum.

Washington County Judge John F. DiSalle has scheduled a bond reduction hearing for the suspects at noon today.

Yagnich also faces an attempted homicide charge, and he has waived his case to court. Vasquez’ fiancée at the time, Jamie Granato, is awaiting a preliminary hearing on charges including conspiracy.

Keruskin and another suspect who was arrested in the case this week, Joseph Olinsky, 45, whose address was not immediately known, are scheduled to appear for a preliminary heating at 10 a.m. Aug. 7 before Hopkins.

All of the cases remained sealed Wednesday.

Keruskin was sentenced in October 2002 to 27 months in a federal prison after pleading guilty to one felony count of assault with a dangerous weapon, online court records show.

He was among 73 Pagan's who carried out a surprise attack on a group of Hells Angels at a motorcycle and tattoo exposition in Long Island in February of that year. One member of the Pagan's died in the attack.

SOURCE: Observer-Reporter

Last suspect arrested in Hells Angels meth bust

Modesto, California, USA (July 19, 2019) BTN — Michael Pack, 32, a prospect with the Modesto Hells Angels Motorcycle Club, has been arrested in connection with an alleged methamphetamine distribution ring.

A Department of Justice spokeswoman said that Pack was subsequently arrested after federal agents failed to locate him during a June 25 sweep that netted club president Randy Picchi, 61; his wife, Tina Picchi, 51; and Michael Mize, 61. Pack, a Modesto resident, was arraigned in federal court in Fresno on Tuesday.



Related | Modesto Hells Angels President Arrested




Search Warrants Executed at Seven Locations

Officers executed search warrants at seven locations June 25 in Stanislaus County, including the Hells Angels clubhouse in Modesto.

Court documents allege that Randy Picchi led a drug conspiracy and directed his wife to regularly deliver drugs to Mize and others in Ceres. Randy Pichi also enlisted Pack to help obtain methamphetamine on at least one occasion. Pack was stopped by law enforcement officers and was found with 499 grams of meth on him.

In addition, the court documents allege that Randy Picchi directed Tina Picchi to drive from Modesto to Redding to deliver meth to a customer. On the way, Tina Picchi was stopped by law enforcement and found with approximately 4 ounces of meth, which she had wrapped in a plastic glove and hidden in a cup of soda.

Defendants Face 10-Year Minimum Sentences

This case involved the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the IRS Criminal Investigation, the Central Valley Gang Impact Task Force, the Modesto and Turlock police departments, the Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, and the California Highway Patrol.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ross Pearson and Laurel Montoya are prosecuting the case. If convicted, each defendant faces a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison, a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison and a $10 million fine.

SOURCE: GV Wire

Wednesday, July 17, 2019

Pagan's MC members charged

Charleroi, Pennsylvania, USA (July 17, 2019) BTN - Six members of the Pagan's Motorcycle Club have been charged with attempted homicide after allegedly attacking a former member inside a bar in Charleroi, authorities said.

Surveillance video of the attack, which happened in April inside the Slovak Club, was shown in court Tuesday as the six men faced a judge.


The video shows the victim and his wife sitting at the bar. When the men walked in, the victim can be seen reaching out to shake hands before being punched, kicked and stomped on.

The attack lasted less than a minute, police said.


The victim, a former local chapter president of the Pagan's who is now with another motorcycle club, was flown to a hospital. He continues to recover.

Defense attorneys for the suspects argued Tuesday that the video does not capture what is happening on the ground.

The victim’s wife testified she crawled between the suspects’ kicking legs in an attempt to get to her husband.

“I went for my gun because I was afraid they were going to kill him,” she said.

The victim’s wife said her husband suffered a traumatic brain injury, two broken eye sockets, a broken nose and had a stroke. He now walks with a cane.

All six men charged in the attack are being held without bond. In addition to attempted homicide, they are charged with conspiracy.

Two more members of the Pagans have been arrested and their hearings are in August.

SOURCE: WPXI

Thursday, July 11, 2019

Hells Angels MC members charged after attack

Lisbon, Portugal (July 11, 2019) BTN - Portuguese prosecutors charged 89 members of the Hells Angels motorcycle club with involvement in organized crime, attempted murder, robbery and drug trafficking. The club members were also charged with qualified extortion and possession of illegal weapons and ammunition.

"According to the indictment, the accused belong to Hells Angels Motorcycle Club," said the chief prosecutor's statement.


Dozens of the group's Portuguese and members from other countries have been arrested following a long investigation.

Out of the 89 members charged by Portugal, 37 are in pre-trial detention, five are under house arrest, and two are detained in Germany awaiting extradition to Portugal, the prosecutors said.

Related | Hells Angels MC members arrested

Prosecutors allege that the motorcycle club members tried to kill four people and seriously injured others last year at a restaurant on the outskirts of Portugal's capital, Lisbon. The restaurant was destroyed in the Hells Angels attack.

At the time of the restaurant attack, the Hell Angels was involved in a war for control of illicit guns and drug trade, according to authorities.

SOURCE: WSAV

Tuesday, July 9, 2019

Cops in Pagan's bar fight keep their jobs

Pittsburgh, PA (July 9, 2019) BTN — Four Pittsburgh police detectives who fought with members of the Pagan's motorcycle club on the South Side in October will remain on the police force, the city announced Tuesday.

Detectives David Honick, Brian Burgunder, David Lincoln and Brian Martin will, however, be reassigned to new positions within the bureau.

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

Timeline stories below

Related Undercover cops not charged in Pagan's beating
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 move comes nearly nine months after the fight at Kopy’s Bar on South 12th Street, which brought heavy scrutiny to the police bureau’s narcotics and vice unit, prompted a lawsuit against the city and resulted in new internal police guidelines for undercover drinking by officers while on duty.


Police on Tuesday refused to say to where the detectives would be assigned or whether they will be working as patrol officers or as detectives in their new roles. Spokesmen for police Chief Scott Schubert, Public Safety Director Wendell Hissrich and Mayor Bill Peduto said the officials declined to comment Tuesday.

Elizabeth Pittinger, executive director of the city’s Citizen Police Review Board, said she was stunned and disappointed by the decision to keep the detectives on the force.

“It’s unconscionable that they weren’t criminally charged in the first place,” she said. “And administratively, it’s shameful that they were not terminated for their behavior that night. It just is not the professionalism or the demeanor the Bureau says they aspire to.”

The Allegheny County district attorney’s office decided in February not to pursue criminal charges against the police officers, and the U.S. attorney’s office declined to prosecute federally.

The detectives had apparently been drinking at the bar for several hours before they fought with four members of the Pagan's motorcycle club on Oct. 12.

At one point during the brawl, one officer pinned a motorcycle club member against the bar while a detective punched him 19 times in the face.


The fight ended with the arrival of uniformed police officers. One sergeant deployed pepper spray into the faces of two detectives. The four Pagans members were arrested and charged with felonies; all those charges were later withdrawn. They have since sued the city, alleging excessive force.

The undercover detectives were placed on paid leave during the subsequent investigation into the incident, which revealed several other instances in which undercover police officers drank alcohol during operations. The city has assigned a new commander to the narcotics and vice unit.

Detectives Honick, Lincoln and Burgunder did not return requests for comment Tuesday. Detective Martin declined to comment.

Ms. Pittinger said the city’s decision to keep the four undercover detectives on the force erodes the public’s trust in the police bureau because they’ll continue to operate as police officers.

“They are not the finest we have,” she said. “It’s disgusting. It was an example of sadistic force. In the civilian world we would call it an assault.”

The Citizen Police Review Board has opened an inquiry into the policies and procedures that guide undercover operations, Ms. Pittinger said. She hopes the public process will shed some light on the city’s policies at the time of the incident as well as any revisions officials have made.

Pittsburgh police have refused to say whether undercover officers are allowed to drink on the job or to what extent. The police bureau’s public policy on alcohol and drug use prohibits all police members from being under the influence of alcohol or drugs while on duty.

Police said last month that the bureau established new “guidelines” for undercover alcohol use, but refused to make those guidelines public. The guidelines have not been formalized into actual policies or procedures.

SOURCE: CBS Pittsburgh 

Thursday, July 4, 2019

Hells Angels MC member pleads guilty

Ontario, Canada (July 4, 2019) BTN — Mark David Heickert, 50, of Orillia pleaded guilty last week in Dartmouth provincial court to three charges: conspiracy to traffic cocaine, conspiracy to possess proceeds of crime and breaching his release conditions by having contact with members of the Hells Angels MC or affiliated clubs.

Heickert and an Eastern Shore man – Paul Francis Monahan of Ostrea Lake - were arrested in November 2017 following a nine-month police investigation that included undercover officers.


RCMP executed search warrants at homes in Ostrea Lake and Orillia and at the Hells Angels clubhouse in Musquodoboit Harbour.

Officers allegedly seized two kilograms of cocaine, a sawed-off shotgun, a large quantity of cash, motorcycle club paraphernalia, cellphones and electronics from the homes and a small quantity of hashish and marijuana, pills, gang paraphernalia, cellphones, electronics and cash from the clubhouse.

Ontario Hells Angels member Mark David Heickert is wheeled out of Dartmouth provincial court in November 2017 after his arraignment on drug conspiracy charges.

Police said Monahan is a “hang-around” member of the New Brunswick Nomads Hells Angels chapter and Heickert is a full-patch member of the Hells Angels chapter in Oshawa, Ont.

Monahan, 53, pleaded guilty this April to trafficking marijuana, conspiracy to traffic cocaine and conspiracy to possess proceeds of crime.

According to court documents, Monahan committed the trafficking offence between February and July 2017. The conspiracy offences occurred between March and November of that year.

Heickert breached his release conditions this March while he was in Dartmouth for a court appearance.

The men will return to court in August for a sentencing hearing.

Crown attorney Mike Taylor said lawyers might have a joint recommendation for Monahan, but Heickert’s sentencing will be contested.

Heickert is free on $10,000 cash bail, while Monahan posted $7,000 with the court to secure his release.

SOURCE: The Chronicle Herald

Tuesday, July 2, 2019

Apache MC allegedly has colors pulled

Charleston, West Virginia, USA (July 2, 2019) BTN — Kanawha County Sheriff's deputies responded to the Apache Motorcycle Club near St. Albans Saturday. The call was for a disturbance.

When investigators arrived, they found club members "bloody and beaten." The Apache club members said they were robbed by members of two other clubs: the Pagans and the Demons.


According to the criminal complaints, witnesses told deputies that rival club members "entered the Apache Club uninvited and after some communication between club presidents, a physical altercation ensued."

The complaint continues, "The victims were physically beat up, held down, and held at gunpoint in order to be removed of their 'cuts' or motorcycle club patches or insignia."

The suspects allegedly stole guns, knives, and clothing from the victims. Investigators say they were taken by force or threat.


Deputies investigated and ended up arrested eight people on felony charges. According to the criminal complaints, these eight suspects are accused of taking part in the robbery or being present for it.

The following four suspects are charged with armed robbery: James Grim, 37, of Poca, Rhonda Brisendine, 47, of Elkview, Roger Lee Prater, II, 33, of Delbarton, and Gary Steven McDaniels, 34, of Stollings.

The following four suspects are charged with conspiracy to commit armed robbery: James Overby, Jr, 47, of Lorado, Christopher Scragg, 45, of Charleston, Douglas Bailey, 51, of Charleston, and Linda Paetz, 51, of Temperance, Michigan.

Only five mugshots were available Monday morning. Brisendine, Prater II, McDaniels, Overby, and Paetz are in the South Central Regional Jail.

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