Gladiators MC: Member charged with animal cruelty and growing weed

Grafton, NSW, Australia  (October 16, 2018) BTN — A life-member of the Gladiators motorcycle club has been charged after Raptor North located prohibited drugs and weapons, and the RSPCA seized animals from a property near Grafton, NSW Police say.

On September 30, 2018, officers from the Criminal Groups Squad’s Strike Force Raptor North and Coffs/Clarence Police District attended a rural property at Lanitza for the purpose of a Firearms Prohibition Order (FPO) search.

While attempting to locate the subject of the FPO – a 36-year-old man – officers located a small cannabis crop growing on the property.

They also located a .303 rifle in long grass a short distance from the main homestead. It has been seized for forensic and ballistic examination.

Further, Raptor North located a number of animals that appeared to be malnourished, had limited access to clean water, and some were locked in small cages or confined to small spaces. They also located deceased animals on the property.

A crime scene was established and following an extensive search, officers seized ten cannabis plants, cannabis, cocaine, various calibres of ammunition, a firearm scope, fireworks, and a sling shot.

Police also contacted RSPCA NSW, who attended, seized the animals and commenced an investigation.

Following extensive attempts to locate the man, he was arrested at Grafton Police Station just before 10 am Monday 15 October 2018.

He was charged with fail to provide reasonable care to animal, fail to provide water to animal, four counts of contravene firearms prohibition order, three counts of possess ammunition without authority, contravene weapons prohibition order, cultivate prohibited plant, possess prohibited plant, and two counts of possess prohibited drug.

The man was granted strict conditional bail to appear at Grafton Local Court on Monday 19 November 2018.

Investigations are continuing.

Strike Force Raptor was established in 2009 and conducts proactive investigations and intelligence-based, high-impact policing operations to prevent and disrupt conflicts, and dismantle any network engaged in serious organised criminal activity.

SOURCE: Mirage News

Pagans MC: The cops were drunk and started the fight

Pittsburgh, PA  (October 15, 2018) BTN — Four members of the Pagans motorcycle club are facing charges after brawling with undercover police officers in a South Side bar last weekend. Video of the brawl at Kopy's quickly surfaced and spread on social media.

According to the criminal complaint, members of the Pagans came into the bar on South 12th Street, and one of the club members realized who the police were and blew their cover.

One of the club members became hostile and detectives tried to control the situation, the complaint said.

Bruce Thomas, one of the men charged, disputes those claims. He told Pittsburgh's Action News 4 that the undercover officers were visibly intoxicated and initiated the encounter.

"Next thing you know, one of them said something disrespectful, and one of our guys got mad and we never knew they were cops," Thomas said.

Video from the fight shows Thomas being taken down by one of the undercover officers.

"I got handcuffed, kicked in the ribs, and kneed in the back and the spine," Thomas said. "I didn't even hit anybody. We didn't think police would be in a bar drinking."

Surveillance video from the bar was turned over to Pittsburgh police.

Pittsburgh's Citizen Police Review Board is investigating the force used and the demeanor of the officers during the incident, and is asking anyone with information.

SOURCE: Pittsburg Action News

Mongols MC: Members converge downtown for meeting

Palm Springs, California (October 11, 2018) BTN — If you see more police on the streets of Palm Springs this weekend, it's because the Mongols Motorcycle Club is coming to town.

The motorcycle club will hold a membership meeting at the Hilton Hotel in Downtown Palm Springs, prompting police to increase their presence as part of what Palm Springs police Lt. Frank Browning calls "an abundance of caution."

Police wouldn't comment on their plans, but Browning, in a post on the social media site Nextdoor, said the department is expecting several hundred members of the Mongols to hit the streets this weekend.

"We have sought out the assistance of numerous police agencies to ensure everyone’s safety, and security remains a priority," he wrote.

The Mongols have had a contentious relationship with the law and with their rival club, the Hells Angels MC. They are considered an "outlaw" motorcycle club, similar to the Bandidos, Pagans and Hells Angels groups, police say. 

The labels "outlaw" or "one percenter" among motorcycle clubs originates from the time of the 1947 Hollister Riot in Hollister, Calif., after which the American Motorcycle Association sought to distance itself from clubs that participated in violence by issuing a statement claiming that 99 percent of motorcyclists were law-abiding citizens, while 1 percent were outlaws.

"There's a difference between biker clubs and outlaw clubs," said Thomas Barker, an expert on outlaw motorcycle clubs. "It doesn't necessarily mean they're criminal."

Barker is a former police officer who went on to earn a PhD from Mississippi State University and taught on the subject of organized crime and motorcycle gangs at Eastern Kentucky University for 13 years. 

The label "outlaw" might not be a tell-tale sign that a motorcycle gang is involved in criminal activity, but the Mongols have had plenty of run-ins with the law over the years.

On Jan. 18, the Department of Justice unsealed a 54-count federal indictment against 12 members and three associates of the club's chapter in Clarksville, Tenn., which included charges of racketeering conspiracy and large-scale drug trafficking.

In May 2017, two motorcyclists were gunned down in Riverside. One of the victims, 31-year-old James Duty of Orange, died as a result of the shooting. In a Facebook post, the Riverside Police Department identified the victim, as well as others present at the scene, as members of the Hells Angels, the Mongols' largest rival. The suspect in the fatal shooting, Joshua Herbert, denied affiliation with the Mongols but had the club's name, as well as the "one percenter" logo tattooed on his neck.

"They're the most dangerous motorcycle group in the United States and maybe the world," Barker said, pointing to the group's expansion efforts in Asia and Australia.

Still, Barker said, Palm Springs residents have little to worry about as long as they stay out of the club's way, don't take photos of the members or touch their leather vests.

"Everyday residents don't have anything to worry about," Barker said. "Just leave 'em alone."

Staff at the Hilton in Palm Springs and the neighboring Agua Caliente Spa Resort and Casino said they've had no issues with the group since its members started spending their annual retreat at the Palm Spring hotel in 2013.

"The group itself has come for many years and we've never had any issues with them," said Shannon Anderson, general manager at the Hilton. "They're quite communicative and they're actually one of our best groups."

In previous years, during the gather, the Palm Springs Police Department has arrested several members of the club on felony and misdemeanor warrants, as well as gun-related charges. 

SOURCE: Desert Sun

Hells Angels MC: Murder conviction appeal going to court

Ottawa, Canada (October 11, 2018) BTN — Eighteen years after a Halifax-area man was gunned down for having an affair with an Hells Angels MC members girlfriend, the Supreme Court of Canada has agreed to hear an appeal in the case against the alleged shooter.

Sean Simmons, 31, was shot in the head in the lobby of a Halifax-area apartment building in October 2000.

Dean Kelsie was convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder in 2003 and sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for at least 25 years.

But the Appeal Court of Nova Scotia ordered a new trial after ruling last year that the trial judge erred in his instructions to the jury, particularly when it came to what the jurors could make of the hearsay evidence of co-conspirators.

The appeal ruling also said the trial judge should have mentioned manslaughter to the jury as an alternative verdict, even though Kelsie’s lawyer didn’t object that it wasn’t.

In a decision issued Thursday, the Supreme Court of Canada agreed to hear the Crown’s appeal of that ruling.

“The application for leave to appeal is granted,” the court said.

Kelsie was one of four men who have been convicted of the crime, although only two of those convictions stand; testimony at the trials indicated that it was Kelsie who pulled the trigger, which he denied.

In the Nova Scotia appeal court ruling, Justice David Farrar set out how Simmons came to be targeted.

Sean Simmons, right, was shot in the head in the lobby of a Halifax-area apartment building in 2000.

The Chronicle Herald 

“Mr. Simmons, in the early 1990s, had been closely affiliated with the Halifax Hells Angels and hoped to become a member. By 1993, however, he was targeted for violence by the club and was beaten up twice. The evidence suggested that this was the result of a belief among Hells Angels members that he had had an affair with the mistress of Michael McCrea, the then president of the Halifax chapter,” the judge said in his decision

“As a result, Mr. Simmons and his wife left Halifax and spent several years in New Brunswick, returning at the end of 1998.”

When the Hells Angels learned about Simmons’ return, a hit was ordered, the judge said.

Kelsie’s conviction is the second that has been thrown out in the murder.

In October 2016, the Court of Appeal threw out — for a second time — the first-degree murder conviction of an Ottawa man, Steven Gareau, who claimed he had no idea Kelsie was planning to shoot Simmons when they went to the apartment building on Oct. 3, 2000.

Gareau, who is now in his early 60s, was first convicted in 2004, but it was thrown out eight years later because of different legal errors by a different judge. He was retried over seven months in 2013 and 2014.

In February, a Nova Scotia Supreme Court judge stayed the charges against Gareau, saying a third trial would undermine the integrity of the judicial process. Justice Jamie Campbell noted Gareau had served 17 years in prison, endured “two fatally flawed trials” and is confined to a wheelchair and in failing health. 

SOURCE: The Telegram

Political Smear: Biker runs for city council seat against straights

Upland, California (October 9, 2018) NOTE: We are running this article in its original and biased wording, Biker Trash Network — A candidate for Upland City Council is more than the business owner he declares himself to be on the November ballot, according to records from Upland police.

Rudy Zuñiga, 47, is a documented member of the Vagos outlaw motorcycle gang, police records show, leading the city’s top cop to question his fitness for elected office.

During a traffic stop seven years ago, Zuñiga told Upland police Officer Maurice Duran he was a member of the outlaw group, according to the field interview report filed by Duran that day.

Upland, California City Hall 

Since Zuñiga announced his candidacy for Upland City Council, he has made mention of his affiliation with motorcycle enthusiasts but has not publicly identified the group.

On Aug. 16, Zuñiga posted a video on his campaign’s Facebook page, entitled “Confession.”

“Through the whole process of my divorce, I was building a motorcycle,” Zuñiga said on the video. “It kind of helped me get by and get through the days, and such.

“So I built my bike, I got it on the road. I started riding all the time by myself. At the time, I didn’t have any friends who had motorcycles,” Zuñiga said. “I used to go to this one spot over by my mother’s house, and there was a bunch of guys always hanging out with motorcycles and I’d stop in and hang out and talk to them. They were pretty cool. They turned out to be pretty good guys. I started hanging out with them for a bit. And more and more and more. And I ended up joining up with them.

“We had our differences,” he continued. “I decided I should move on. It was time for me to do something else.”

In the video, Zuñiga never identifies the motorcycle group he joined.

Zuñiga twice declined to discuss questions about the group when contacted by a reporter. In a brief telephone conversation Monday, however, he said he is not affiliated with a gang.

“I have not committed any crimes. I am not in a gang. I am not in a motorcycle club. I don’t know what to tell you,” Zuñiga said before hanging up on a reporter.

‘A family group’

According to documents obtained from the Upland Police Department under the California Public Records Act, however, Zuñiga has identified himself as a member of the Vagos outlaw motorcycle club.

On March 5, 2011, Officer Duran stopped Zuñiga for having a modified exhaust on his motorcycle and for not wearing a helmet.

According to the field interview report, Zuñiga was wearing Vagos gang attire and his motorcycle featured an “SGV” sticker on his front headlight (the Vagos’ fifth chapter was founded in the San Gabriel Valley, according to its website), a “22” sticker on his fuel tank (which stands for the 22nd letter of the alphabet, V), and a personalized license plate, “GNG GRN.”

“Which he states means ‘going green,’ but I believe actually means ‘gang green,’” Duran wrote in his report. Members of the Vagos refer to themselves as the “Green Nation” on their website and use green throughout their attire.

“Zuñiga refused to let me take photos of his tattoos and his fingerprint,” Duran continued in the report. Fingerprints and photos are typically collected for use on a gang card, a document shared between agencies to help them identify known and suspected gang members.

“Zuñiga stated he is a member of the Vagos,” the report reads in part, quoting Zuñiga saying the club is “nothing more than a ‘family group.’”

‘A brotherhood’

Whatever they may call themselves, Upland’s police chief says there’s little question what kind of organization the Vagos actually are. The Vagos website lists a “Badlands” chapter based in Upland.

“Vagos are an outlaw motorcycle gang that refer to themselves as a ‘club,’” Chief Darren Goodman said. “By definition, they’re a criminal street gang as defined under Penal Code 186.22. Its members go through a prospecting stage where they’re required to commit crimes at the direction of existing members.”

In 2012, Keith Allen Silva, the former president of the San Bernardino Chapter of the Vagos, was sentenced to 75 years to life for the 2003 killing of a man over the sale of a motorcycle.

Photo of Rudy Zuñiga From: Rudy4Upland

In June 2017, federal agents arrested 22 alleged Vagos Motorcycle Club members in the Inland Empire and around Southern California, accusing them of committing violence against rival gang members — and even their own — and building their territory through crime and intimidation.

According to Hunter Glass, a ationally recognized expert on street gangs, gang mentality and culture, few members ever fully cut ties with gangs like the Vagos.

“When you get into stuff like the Vagos and the (Hells) Angels, that’s a brotherhood. You don’t just turn your back on your old buddies,” he said. “It’s a fraternal order you don’t walk away from. No matter what you think, you will always have those ties.”

Outlaw motorcycle gang members often own businesses, usually bars or nightclubs, in which they typically engage in illegal activity, Glass said.

“I’d say that would be a real concern for people,” Glass said.

Political battle

Zuñiga describes himself as an “engineer/business owner” in his candidacy filing: He and his current wife run a furniture store in downtown Upland. He’s running for a council seat representing the city’s 4th District.

And Zuñiga is running, in part, by appealing to voters’ concerns about safety in the city.

“Having raised my family in a safe community we once enjoyed, it saddens me that other families can’t enjoy the same safe neighborhoods (as) it once was,” Zuñiga’s ballot statement reads in part. “If elected I would utilize my experience in budgeting to cut waste in order to save tax dollars for improvements throughout our city, provide training for our reserve police officers to assist in the lack of safety downtown, the bike trail and skate park.”

He may face an uphill battle politically. Zuñiga is running against incumbent Carol Timm and business owner Tammy Rapp. While there’s no polling on the race publicly available, campaign donations have been highly lopsided.

According to his most recently released campaign financial disclosure statement, Zuñiga has raised $4,248 in 2018, including a $600 loan to himself. Other than a $1,000 donation from Rancho Cucamonga-based RMP Management Co., the majority of his donations come from individuals, most of them described as retirees on his California Form 460, filed on Sept. 18. As of Sept. 22, Zuñiga still had $2,740 in his campaign chest.

Rapp, meanwhile, has raised $765 so far in 2018 and still has $215 left on hand.

But both trail Timm, who has raised $24,705 so far in 2018, including $1,000 received from the Police Officers Research Association of California’s political action committee donated on Sept. 29. As of Sept. 22, Timm still had $15,720 on hand.

Zuñiga has been attacked on social media, including in a Facebook page post with photos allegedly showing him in Vagos gang attire. The owner of the Facebook page did not respond to a request for comment on this story.

Zuñiga’s supporters accuse Timm’s campaign of engineering the attacks on him.

“I have nothing to do with any website like that and I do not know anyone who is involved or behind it,” Timm wrote in an email.

Similarly, Rapp said the “information isn’t stemming from me or my campaign.”

Candidates with criminal records

California law was changed in 2012, making it illegal for felons to hold office in the state. But Zuñiga doesn’t appear to have been convicted of any felonies.

San Bernardino County court records indicate Zuñiga was arrested and charged with driving under the influence in 2000 and being drunk in public in 2008. Both are misdemeanors and both charges were dismissed, court records indicate. He also received a traffic infraction in 2008.

Candidates statewide have been called out for questionable ties or possible criminal activity in the past, according to Marcia Godwin, a professor of public administration at the University of La Verne.

Omar Navarro, the Republican candidate opposing Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Los Angeles, was on probation until March for placing an electronic tracking device on his wife’s car.

Richard Bunck, who’s made unsuccessful runs for Apple Valley Town Council, Claremont City Council and the Claremont Unified school board, has been dogged by what he said were former connections to a Nazi splinter group, the National Socialist White People’s Party.

And three mayoral and City Council candidates in Oroville this November have criminal convictions, including for prostitution, drug possession and impersonating a police officer.

“It is not all that rare for a former gang member or someone who got into trouble at a young age to run for political office later,” Godwin said. “Some of these candidates attribute their interest in elected office to mentors or local programs that helped them.”

Among them, she said, is Luis Rodriguez, author of “Always Running: La Vida Loca: Gang Days in LA,” who ran as the Green Party candidate for governor in 2014.

But that’s not what’s happening here, according to Upland’s chief of police.

“I believe in redemption and the power of change. I have seen scenarios where people have denounced their gang and totally changed their life,” Goodman said. “However, that doesn’t apply to people who deny they are gang members, deny what the gang is, and deny what the gang does. If a person is lying about their affiliation and deceiving people about the horrific acts of the gang, then they are not done being a member. I do not believe a gang member should sit on any city council and set policy that affects a police department. There is no legitimate, ethical police officer who would disagree with me."

“Look, I am committed to unifying this city, strengthening the police department, reducing crime and improving quality of life,” Goodman added. “How the hell do I accomplish that if a Vago gang member is on my City Council?”

SOURCE: Daily Bulletin
SOURCE: Rudy4Upland

Rebels MC: Strike Force Raptor intercepts National Run

Moree, New South Wales, AU. (October 9, 2018) BTN — Police have intercepted dozens of Rebels MC members during a week-long operation involving local and interstate officers.

The blitz, code-named "Operation Morpheus", saw officers swarm Moree, as the Rebels MC members took part in their club’s national run.

But several riders made a u-turn at Moree, and north of the town, after they were met with the men and white in blue, the commander of the club's squad said.

Strike Force Raptor raiding a Rebels MC clubhouse

As part of Operation Morpheus, the Criminal Groups Squad’s Strike Force Raptor joined their counterparts from Queensland Police Service and Victoria Police to proactively target the Rebels National Run from Sunday, September 30, 2018 to Sunday, October 7, 2018.

Operation Morpheus is a National Anti-Gangs Squad initiative, combining the resources of all Australian state and territory police agencies and key Commonwealth agencies, to detect, deter, and disrupt any illicit activity of motorccyle members and associates.

During the operation – which began in Queensland and travelled through Moree, Dubbo, Parkes and Albury – seven people were issued court attendance notices for a range of offences, including possess prohibited drug, possess drug equipment, drive while suspended, assault police, and custody of a knife in a public place.

Officers also issued 104 traffic infringement notices and 61 defect notices to several Rebels MC members, and searched 33 people; seizing cash, a knife and prohibited drugs.

Criminal Groups Squad Commander, Detective Superintendent Deborah Wallace, said motorcycle club members should expect more operations such as this as interstate law enforcement agencies continue to work together.

“We know outlaw motorcycle gangs are not confined to one particular state or criminal activity, and, by working together with our interstate colleagues, it allows us a united front to further disrupt their criminal enterprises,” she said.

As part of our proactive strategies, we had several  members turn back near Moree to return to Queensland. In fact, attendance for this event was significantly lower than previous years.

Detective Superintendent Deborah Wallace

“As part of our proactive strategies, we had several Rebels MC members turn back near Moree to return to Queensland. In fact, attendance for this event was significantly lower than previous years."

“We make no apology for conducting these operations. If you are an motorcycle club member and commit any illegal activities in NSW, you should expect to deal with our Strike Force Raptor officers.”

Strike Force Raptor was established in 2009 and conducts proactive investigations and intelligence-based, high-impact policing operations to prevent and disrupt conflicts, and dismantle any network engaged in serious organised criminal activity.

SOURCE: The Northern Daily Leader

Night Wolves MC opens headquarters in abandoned farm

Trnava, Slovakia (October 7, 2018) BTN — A small village in Slovakia has received unusual attention in recent months since a very large motorcycle club alleged to be linked to the Russian president.

The club, known as the Night Wolves motorcycle club, opened their European headquarters on a nearby abandoned pig farm not far from the regional capital of Trnava.

New European headquarters of the Night Wolves MC

 The farm was abandoned, one of many relics left behind from the era of Communist Czechoslovakia.

"The centre was planned as a patriotic museum, where the WWII items would be on show so that the people — children and adults alike — could see and touch them," Andrei Bobrovsky, co-creator of the Night Wolves Europe centre, tells Euronews. "We also planned to have a space for children and family activities, and, of course, the Night Wolves Europe clubhouse — a place for our club members to live and meet guests."

"It's not that we wanted to create a centre in Slovakia," he continues, "we just saw active, honest and decent people who could do something together with us despite all this European politics."

A 'patriotic museum'

As residents of Dolna Krupa village mingle with family on a hot Sunday, many of them agree that, thanks to the bikers, the pig farm now looks a lot better.

The farm gives off eerie vibes as you drive past it, then upon entering the village, local eyes follow closely.

A young, tattooed man approaches in a sleeveless shirt, staring with suspicion.

“I don’t see what the problem with the Night Wolves is," he says. "I have been riding with them every time they come around here to show their respect to fallen comrades from the [Slovak] National Uprising against fascism. They have been coming and going for many years, and nobody cared.”

The sprawling compound of the Night Wolves MC

The conversation seems mild, but there is something in the air — distrust.

Another housekeeper down the main road adds: “I can tell you, people here were more peaceful when the bikers were not around. I mean, there are other bikers here, but these Russians, they're certainly something different."

"I have always supported Russia, until I saw what happened in Crimea. And these bikers, I read in the papers the other day that they were involved in the fighting in eastern Ukraine. I'm not sure how to feel about that when they're now camping out in our backyard.”

The compound looks like a military base with buildings painted in camouflage, high fences lined with barbed wire, and warning signs calling for no photography of private property.

"We estimate that our active members total thirty to forty thousand people," says Bobrovsky. "There are several thousand people in every country we go to. We're becoming a serious force that can move mountains and share our idea to the very end. It's become a mass movement."

Jozef Hambalek owns the compound and serves as the chief of the Night Wolves faction in Slovakia.

He previously conducted military training for another local patriotic group, a group whose earlier members were found on the front lines in eastern Ukraine fighting on the side of the Russian-backed separatists — the same place where members of the Night Wolves gang had been seen.

Hambalek also boasts ties to Slovakia's former Minister of Interior, Robert Kalinak, who shares his love of motorbikes and gangs. Kalinak was forced to resign earlier this year amid a swirl of controversy surrounding the murder of an investigative reporter and his girlfriend in February. Jan Kuciak and Martina Kusnirova were killed, execution-style, at their home in Veľka Maca. They were both 27-years-old.

Back patch of the Night Wolves MC

Kuciak was looking into alleged corruption and ties to the Italian mafia among politicians and their staff in Slovakia's ruling party. Seven months later, four suspects were arrested.

They were identified by authorities examining data from Google street view, which was used in a successful police raid.

Slovakia, a member of the European Union since 2004, has seen its fair share from the rise of nationalism recently, creating a bottom-up divide from beer talks in bars to the highest tiers of politics in Parliament.

Since the war in Ukraine started four years ago, many citizens by then began to fragment into two groups: One against the European Union, favouring Russian politics and supporting separatists in Eastern Ukraine. The second looks up to the EU and supports democracy in Ukraine.

By 2015, the political dispute had deepened when European countries started to see thousands fleeing the Middle East and arriving on the continent. It became a political weapon. Almost no refugees left Ukraine for Slovakia. People in the pro-Russian group began to believe nothing bad was really happening in Ukraine.

'I don’t understand why people are freaking out'

The political divide is apparent in Dolna Krupa as well, a village of just over 2,000 people which stands both for and against the presence of the Night Wolves. Put simply, the locals there reflect the national stance on these issues.

“It is the liberals”, a young mother proclaims as her child plays nearby. “Young liberals from around here have been fighting them. It was them who started the petition against the bikers, [but] I don’t understand why people are freaking out.”

A local activist claims the bikers don't venture into their village, they just drive through it, but the issue is broader and that's why they started a petition against them.

But Hamalek, Night Wolves chief and owner of the compound, received a €33,000 fine in the summer for having military equipment and vehicles stationed in there. Slovak law dictates that such exhibits must be reported to officials.

SOURCE:  EuroNews

Dead Eyes MC: Police raid nets several arrests

Brockville, Ontario (October 5, 2018) BTN — Police have arrested two people, and are looking for four others, in connection with drug and weapons offences with motorcycle club links following a raid at a midtown home last week.

Officers of the Brockville Police Service, with help from Kingston police and the Ontario Provincial Police’s Biker Enforcement Unit, executed a warrant at 21 Sevenoaks Avenue in Brockville last Thursday (Sept. 27).

Brockville police reported the matter on Friday.

Brockville police released this image of items seized. Submitted Photo

Items found in the residence included firearms, weapons, controlled substances and vests belonging to “Dead Eyes MC” which police described as “a support club to the Outlaws Motorcycle Club.” Police also seized a vest belonging to the Outlaws Motorcycle Club.

Kyle Justin Thomas Gard, 23, and Adam James Sayeau, 27, both of Brockville, were held for a bail hearing scheduled for Friday, while four other people remained at large as of Friday afternoon.

Police said arrest warrants have been issued for Joshua Leonardo Dominguez, 36, of Ottawa; Allan Michael Eldon Neal, 24, of Brockville; Brooklyn Ann Lachappelle, 18, of Brockville; and Sarah Melissa Buttle, 25, also of Brockville.

All are jointly charged with two counts of possession of a controlled substance; possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, unauthorized possession of a firearm; unauthorized possession of a prohibited device; knowledge of unauthorized possession of a firearm; possession of a firearm obtained by crime; careless storage of a firearm; and possession of property obtained by crime.

Gard is also charged with failing to abide by conditions of an undertaking, while Dominguez faces a charge of failing to abide by conditions of a weapons prohibitions order.

The raid comes amid widespread fears in Brockville of youth criminal gang activity in the city.

On the eve of the Sevenoaks raid, Police Chief Scott Fraser, speaking at a neighbourhood watch meeting, drew a distinction between the alleged youth gang and motorcycle clubs.

The chief said that, while there is no evidence of an actual youth gang operating in Brockville, biker clubs such as the Outlaws have been operating here.

SOURCE:  The Recorder and Times

Hell's Lovers MC: Attempted patch pull results in murder

Tulsa, Oklahoma (October 4, 2018) BTN — A Tulsa slaying that police say occurred during a brawl between rival motorcycle clubs this summer now has led to five alleged members facing murder charges. Prosecutors say the five men are members of the Hell's Lovers motorcycle club

Dwayne Anthony Arceneaux, 44, also known as D-Train, and Leon Anthony Harris, 47, were charged Sept. 19 in Tulsa County District Court with second-degree murder or, in the alternative, first-degree manslaughter in the heat of passion. They also face charges of aggravated assault and battery or, in the alternative, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and committing a gang-related offense.

Hell's Lovers MC Colors

Three others — Kenneth Ray Walters, 40, also known as Dallas; Kevin Lee Fields, 45, also known as Black Superman; and Mark E. Alexander, 48, also known as Dirty — were charged with the same crimes in August.

Prosecutors say the five men are members of the Hell's Lovers motorcycle club and were involved in an assault at Torchy's Briar Patch, 1111 S. 124th East Ave. on June 3. The assault resulted in the shooting death of 49-year-old James Mitchell, while a second man was hospitalized with a severe head injury.

On June 4, Fields told police he was at a Tulsa hotel the night before the assault when he got in a physical altercation with Mitchell and the other man, both of whom he said were members of the Thunderguards motorcycle club.

Fields, who identified himself as a Hell's Lovers prospect, said the fight stemmed from the two other men trying to take his club vest off of him, according to an affidavit.

Fields then reportedly called Walters, the president of the Oklahoma chapter of Hell's Lovers, and asked for help. Walters soon arrived with 10 to 15 men, and the group confronted Mitchell and the other Thunderguards member at Briar Patch, the affidavit states.

Mitchell was shot and killed during the ensuing fight, and the other victim was beaten unconscious with at least one unknown weapon. Fields told police he fled on his motorcycle and didn't see the shooter.

Thunderguards MC colors

The surviving victim later said Walters was supposed to arrive at the bar and fistfight Mitchell.

But according to prosecutors, video surveillance of the incident showed that what the victims believed was to be a "fair one-on-one fight ended up being a retaliatory group attack."

During the investigation, police also identified Alexander, Arceneaux and Harris as being present during the assault.

Fields was arrested Aug. 6 and booked into the Tulsa County jail on $506,000 bond. Alexander also was arrested but was later released after posting the same bond on Sept. 25, court records show.

Arceneaux was booked into the Tulsa County jail Wednesday afternoon on $515,000 bond and remained there Thursday night. The other two appeared to remain at large.

News Article written by:  Kyle Hinchey

SOURCE: Tulsa World

Pagans MC: We were ambushed by the Hells Angels MC

Staunton, Virginia (October 4, 2018) BTN — During the early morning hours of Sept. 10 at the Hometown Inn near Greenville, five men — four of them reportedly members of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club and the other a prospect — were lying in wait after two members of the rival Pagan's Motorcycle Club were spotted across the street at the Pilot Travel Center.

Confiscated Pagan's MC Colors

Roughly 90 minutes later, as the two Pagan's pulled into the motel parking lot on their motorcycles, an ambush was unleashed, based on video evidence shown Thursday in Augusta County Circuit Court.

Related | Hells Angels MC members charged with violence

One of the Pagan's was shot, the other knocked off his motorcycle and beaten with a hammer.

Top left to top right: Andy Thongthawath, Richard West, Nathaniel Villaman, Joseph Paturzo ; Bottom left to bottom right: Buster Domingo, Anthony Milan, Dominick Eadicicco

Prior to the shooting, which took place shortly before 3 a.m., after the two Pagan's were seen at the travel center, one of the motorcycle gang members rousted four others from their rooms at the motel.

After the men took off their Hells Angels gear and changed into different clothing, one of the Hells Angels kept close tabs on the Pagan's across the street with binoculars. Another was seen holding an iPad in their direction as he presumably filmed them, motel surveillance video showed. Three other Hells Angels were nearby.

An hour and a half later, the Pagan's went to the Hometown Inn. The clerk, unaware there were now rival club members at the motel, gave them a room next to one of three rooms rented by the Hells Angels, according to evidence.

As the Pagan's pulled up to their room, one following the other, the second rider was knocked off his motorcycle as it was still moving. The rider in front wiped out as he attempted to escape the ambush, skidding his bike to the ground. As he ran, two Hells Angels opened fire on him, video showed. An investigator said four to five gunshots were fired.

The victim was struck once in the lower left side of his back. He survived the shooting and was released from the University of Virginia Medical Center in Charlottesville after a week-long stay, according to testimony.

The beating victim was not seriously injured. Both victims were members of the Pagan's Motorcycle Club out of southern Virginia, the sheriff's office said. Seven suspects were arrested at the scene. Two guns and a shell casing were recovered at the motel by investigators.

Following the shooting, Augusta County Sheriff Donald Smith said both groups were passing through the area following an unidentified convention.

Anthony Milan

One of two men accused of opening fire is Anthony Milan, 28, of East Elmhurst, New York. Milan is a prospective member of the Hells Angels in New York City, according to evidence. He appeared in Augusta County Circuit Court on Thursday in an attempt to get a bond set.

Dominick J. Eadicicco, 48, of Staten Island, New York, is also suspected of opening fire, evidence showed.

Milan, Eadiciccio and three others are charged with two counts of malicious wounding by a mob, along with single counts of conspiracy to maliciously wound, gang participation in a criminal act and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony.

In court Thursday, Milan, who has no prior felonies, was denied bond.

Two other Hells Angels were not charged in the attack but face drug and gun charges.

All seven suspects remain behind bars.

SOURCE: News Leader

Hells Angels MC: Three plead guilty to drug trafficking

Montreal, Quebec, Canada (October 3, 2018) BTN — Three full-patch members of the Hells Angels, including one of the clubs founding members in Canada, and a member of the Repentigny police pleaded guilty to various drug trafficking charges at the Montreal courthouse on Wednesday.

Twenty people in all appeared before Quebec Court Judge Daniel Bédard inside a fifth floor courtroom that was humming with activity throughout the day as almost every remaining case in Project Objection, a major investigation into three drug trafficking networks run by the Hells Angels, came to end only six months after arrests were made in April.

“I’m very impressed,” Bédard remarked at one point as several drug dealers pleaded guilty to charges that will result in them serving time inside federal penitentiaries.

The person who ended up with the longest sentence, a six-year prison term, was Stéphane Maheu, 47, a member of the gang’s South chapter. He had been sought by members of the Escouade nationale de répression contre le crime organisé (ENRCO) since April, but suddenly emerged at the Montreal courthouse on Wednesday.

Despite having been a wanted man for months, Maheu was able to walk around the courthouse freely before he appeared before Bédard and admitted he led a network that sold cocaine and methamphetamine in different parts of Quebec.

He pleaded guilty to three counts of drug trafficking, two counts of conspiracy, and a gangsterism charge. According to a joint statement of facts read into the court record, a group run by Maheu also sold nearly 300,000 methamphetamine pills in the Outaouais region while under investigation. The Hells Angel also assigned two men to run a drug trafficking ring in Cowansville and Granby, but one of the men turned out to be a civilian undercover agent who was working for ENRCO. Maheu received “a tax” on the 42,000 meth pills and 177 ounces of cocaine that were sold in the Eastern Townships.

Maheu was taken into custody as soon as Bédard accepted the guilty plea.

“Everything is perfectly clear,” Maheu said when Bédard asked him if he understood what he was admitting to.

Michel (Sky) Langlois, 72, one of the first men to ever wear the Hells Angels logo in Canada when he became a founding member of the Montreal chapter in 1977, was also done in by the same undercover agent. On Aug. 9, 2017, Langlois and Maheu met with the agent at La Medusa, a restaurant on Drummond St., to discuss the distribution of drugs in the Outaouais region. The agent learned that Langlois claimed to have title over drug trafficking in Petite Nation, a regional county municipality in the Outaouais region and was partners in the nearly 300,000 meth pills Maheu sold as well as six kilograms of hashish.

Langlois was sentenced to an overall prison term of 58 months.

Hells Angel MC member Stéphane Maheu leaves the courtroom during a break in proceedings on Wednesday. Maheu received a six-year sentence after pleading guilty to drug-trafficking charges.

When Bédard asked him if he understood what he was admitting to the septuagenarian biker said “yes” in a long and drawn-out way that left Bédard unimpressed.

“Yeah, yeah,” Langlois said when the judge asked him a second time.

The same undercover agent met with Louis Matte, 52, the other Hells Angel who pleaded guilty on Wednesday, on Oct. 17, 2017 to discuss drug trafficking in Ontario near the Quebec border. Matte gave the agent a sketch of the territory he controlled in Ontario and the agent agreed to pay him a tax on all the meth pills he sold on Matte’s turf. The agent ended up paying Matte $22,000 over the course of four meetings.

Prosecutor Marjorie Delagrave and defence lawyer Gilles Doré made a common suggestion that Matte should be sentenced to a 22-month prison term. Doré asked Bédard to delay sentencing the biker until January because a close relative of Matte’s is very ill.

The last person to plead guilty on Wednesday was Carl Ranger, a member of the Repentigny police who was suspended following his arrest this year. Ranger met with the undercover agent in August 2017 and asked if he could borrow $6,000. The agent said the loan came with a cost and asked Ranger to look up a licence plate number for him in a police database. While on duty, on Oct. 3, 2017, Ranger handed the agent the information he was looking for in exchange for $1,100. Later on, in February, Ranger offered to transport 10,000 meth pills from Lachenaie to Boucherville and returned with $10,000 from a drug dealer. He was paid $1,000 for his work.

Prosecutor Françis Pilotte asked that Ranger be sentenced to an 18-month prison term. His defence lawyer asked that Bédard delay his decision on the sentence until January as well.

Included among the people who pleaded guilty on Wednesday was Carmelo Sacco, a 36-year-old resident of Ste-Adèle who admitted to being the leader of a methamphetamine trafficking ring that operated in eastern Montreal and the southern part of the Lanaudière region.

Prosecutor Juliana Côté described how accounting records seized in Project Objection revealed the group led by Sacco sold more than 2.5 million meth pills and seven kilos of cocaine between Oct. 7, 2017 and Feb. 18 of this year. The group is estimated to have made $1.7 million in sales during the same period. Sacco was sentenced to an overall prison term of 53 months.

SOURCE: Montreal Gazette

Bandidos MC: Snitch gets 15 years without parole

San Antonio, TX. (October 3, 2018) BTN — A former high-ranking member of the Bandidos Motorcycle Club who helped federal authorities convict the top two leaders of the club received 15 years without parole Wednesday, making a tearful apology and promising to continue to cooperate.

“I’m remorseful for what I’ve done. I apologize to the family of Anthony Benesh,” “Downtown” Johnny Romo, 48, told the judge, crying.  "I took a man’s life. It’s been a heavy burden on me for many years. Now I have to live with it.”

Romo rose to become a sergeant-at-arms in the Bandidos’ national chapter before he turned informant and became a key prosecution witness in the three-month trial of former national president Jeffrey Fay Pike and then-vice president John Xavier Portillo. The pair was sentenced last week to life in prison without parole for leading the Bandidos’ racketeering conspiracy.

Romo faced up to life in prison without parole in the 2006 murder of a member of the Hell’s Angels, but because he provided substantial assistance, prosecutors filed a motion seeking a reduction in sentence.

His cooperation came with a price.

Prosecutor Eric Fuchs told Senior U.S. District Judge David Alan Ezra that Romo was the top-ranking cooperator in their racketeering case and now has a “green light” over his head. The feds recovered a letter signed from ex-vice president John Portillo authorizing the hit on Romo, Fuchs said.

Despite that threat, Romo said he would testify again if necessary.

“I will continue to cooperate with the government if they ever need an expert witness on an outlaw motorcycle gang, ” Romo told the judge.

Over two days on the stand in March, Romo testified that Portillo, a national Bandidos sergeant-at-arms at the time, passed down a directive from president Pike that Romo was to put a squad together to kill Anthony Benesh, who had planned to start a Hells Angels chapter in Austin. The beef was over territory. Texas is considered the Bandidos’ homeland and turf.

Romo said he picked full-patch members of the Bandidos and his own brother, Robert Romo, who was trying to join the club. They took the information Portillo had provided about Benesh, watched for their quarry for two days at his house and followed him as he went to eat at a pizza restaurant in Northwest Austin.

On a Saturday evening in March 2006, Benesh was killed by a rifle bullet in front of his girlfriend and two sons. According to testimony from the Romos, Robert Romo delivered the fatal shot from a scope-fitted hunting rifle as Johnny Romo, in a separate car, gave him instructions over a two-way radio.

Johnny Romo testified that the hit made him Pike’s go-to person for carrying out “beat-downs” and other similar enforcement tasks. His jobs included revoking the patches of Bandidos members in Central American chapters during a period of infighting within the biker club, which had chapters worldwide.

Romo began cooperating with federal authorities in spring 2014 after a drug arrest. He wore a wire to record Portillo and other members of the organization make incriminating statements. But Romo also withheld information that he’d been involved in Benesh’s killing. He didn’t mention it until agents confronted him after he’d already been sentenced to 24 months in prison on drug charges — far less than the 60 months he originally faced.

The Romos pleaded guilty in September 2017 to murder and firearm charges in aid of racketeering in connection with Benesh’s killing. Two members of the Bandidos’ San Antonio Centro Chapter, Norberto “Hammer” Serna Jr., 37, and Jesse James “Kronic” Benavidez, 41, pleaded guilty in September 2017 to discharging a firearm during murder in aid of racketeering because they were part of the Benesh hit crew.

During the sentencing Wednesday, Johnny Romo shed tears and paused several times when his voice broke as he apologized for killing Benesh.

“He was a father to his children that I took away,” Romo said. “He was somebody’s son, a brother, an uncle, a cousin, and a friend to someone. Everyone is suffering for what I’ve done."

“I apologize to the court and society. I apologize to my family here for letting (them) down.”

SOURCE: My San Antonio

Outlaws MC: Former leader pleads guilty to racketeering

Schererville, IN. (October 3, 2018) BTN — Orville Cochran, a former leader of the Outlaws Motorcycle Club has pleaded guilty to one count in a four-count federal indictment — racketeering conspiracy. He and others are alleged to have conspired to assault and murder members of rival biker groups in Indiana in the 1990s. In 2001, a warrant was issued for Cochran’s arrest, out of Milwaukee, by the U.S. Marshals.

According to the federal indictment, Cochran and others employed by or associated with the Outlaws Motorcycle Club, between January of 1988 through at least May of 2001 committed “murder, attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder, arson, attempted arson, conspiracy to commit arson, extortion, attempted extortion and conspiracy to commit extortion and narcotics trafficking in Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, New York and Wisconsin — with the defendants agreeing that a conspirator would commit at least two acts of racketeering.

During this time period, the indictment says Cochran was a member or president of the Chicago Southside Chapter of the Outlaws Motorcycle Club — part of the “Midwestern White Region” of the international organization.

The indictment says the Outlaws had a longstanding rivalry with the Hell’s Angels biker club and their affiliates, and until around 1993, the Outlaws controlled the Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana territory — with the closest Hell’s Angels chapter located in Minneapolis. In late 1993 or early 1994, leaders of the Outlaws believed the Hell’s Angels might be trying to gain a presence in the Outlaw’s “White Region” territory by “patching over” one of their affiliates that was present in Chicago, Rockford, Calumet City, Ill. and South Bend, Ind.

Outlaws members agreed “they would engage in a series of assaults” against the “Hell’s Henchmen” and other affiliates to discourage them from becoming Hell’s Angels chapters, and to prevent the Hell’s Angels from infiltrating their territory. They also agreed they would support other Outlaws chapters dealing with similar rivalries — considering themselves to be “at war” with rival biker clubs.

According to federal prosecutors “in furtherance of this war, various members of the White Region committed racketeering offenses.”

In June of 1994, Cochran and other Outlaws traveled to the Illiana Motor Speedway in Schererville, Ind. “to assault rival bikers” at an event known as “Summer Madness.” The then-Outlaws VP told investigators the “assaults” could include beating the rival bikers, running them over with a car or motorcycle or shooting them “to discourage Hell’s Angels affiliate club members from continuing to associate with the Hell’s Angels — and send a message to the Hell’s Angels that their presence would not be tolerated in Outlaws territory.

The indictment notes Outlaws members from Milwaukee and Wisconsin planned to attend this event — with CCW permit holders “directed to arm themselves” and two vans, one armored from Milwaukee, containing firearms and other weapons, were brought to Indiana as part of the “Outlaws caravan” to the speedway.

The night before the event, the indictment says Outlaws members learned their regional boss had been shot and seriously injured while riding on the Dan Ryan expressway in Chicago after leaving an event at the Gary clubhouse in Indiana. Outlaws members believed the Hell’s Henchmen were responsible — with the Hell’s Angels courting them. The Outlaws’ animosity for the Hell’s Angels grew after this incident.

On June 26, 1994, the boss of the Gary Outlaws assembled the group in Gary for the ride to the speedway. There, they set up their two armored vans, and duties were assigned to the members in attendance. An Outlaws member said the Indianapolis chapter boss said if rival bikers were present, Outlaws “were to shoot to kill.”

According to the indictment, during the event, Outlaws approached an ATF agent and some sheriff’s deputies and asked why the ATF wasn’t in Chicago “arresting Hell’s Henchmen,” stating that if rival bikers showed up “there would be dead bodies all around.”

As it turned out, no rival bikers showed up, and the Outlaws packed up and left. The procession was followed, and the second armored van ended up stopped by police. A driver and five passengers from the Milwaukee Outlaws chapter were inside, along with numerous weapons and rounds of ammunition.

In June of 1996, the indictment says Cochran and other Outlaws traveled to the US 41 International Dragway in Morocco, Ind., “to assault and kill members of rival biker groups.” This, after the Outlaws learned the Hell’s Angels had a big presence at this event in 1995, and they reserved several hundred tickets for 1996. Two old surplus-type police vehicles were used for security by the Outlaws at the event — with firearms concealed inside.

Ultimately, rain resulted in the cancellation of the event — and most people left, but the Outlaws remained for three days. No rival bikers showed up.

Cochran faces up to 20 years in prison, and $250,000 in fines, along with a $100 special assessment and three years of supervised release.

SOURCE: Fox6 Now

Hells Angels MC: Jury indicts 5 due to violence

Greenville, VA. (October 1, 2018) BTN — Five men are now charged with participation and malicious wounding by a mob following a fight and shooting in Augusta County last month. They are all accused of attacking two members of Pagan's Motorcycle Club.

Related | Hells Angels MC members charged with violence

One man was beaten and another shot outside the Hometown Inn in Greenville on Monday, September 10.

A grand jury returned indictments on the new charges for five members of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club:

Dominick J. Eadicicco

Anthony Vincent Milan

Joseph Anthony Paturzo

Nathaniel A. Villaman

Richard E. West

The victim who was beaten was treated and released, while the gunshot victims was last reported to be in stable condition. Both men are from Virginia.

The Augusta County Sheriff’s Office believes the rival groups were in the area for their own “convention-type” gathering.

"It looks like that the Hells Angels were there first, and then the Pagans just showed up to rent a room, and it looks like the two just clashed," said Sheriff Donald Smith during a previous press conference. "The one just attacked the other one."

Two other Hells Angels members - Andy Thongthawath and Buster Domingo - face drug-related charges.

SOURCE: NBC29

Policewoman intimidated by Hells Angel MC member

Toronto, Ontario,Canada  (September 28, 2018) BTN — An Hells Angel member who allegedly threatened a Montreal policewoman with a camera in the back last summer will have to explain herself to justice.

Earl Noseworthy, a member in good standing of the East Toronto chapter of the "Angels of Hell", was charged with "intimidating a justice system associate or journalist" on September 17.

Hells Angels MC traffic stop

Absent at the Saint-Hyacinthe courthouse for his appearance, 52-year-old Noseworthy was represented in court by his lawyer, François Taddeo.

Party in Montérégie

The alleged events date back to August 10 as 500 members and supporters of the country's Hells Angels converged on Saint-Charles-sur-Richelieu, in Montérégie, for their biggest annual gathering, the "Canada Run".

The police had erected some roadblocks to check the identity of the bikers and inspect their Harley Davidson, including one on Highway 20, at Beloeil.

They also took the opportunity to photograph the intercepted Hells in order to update the police information banks, which is a common practice.

As the bikers drove in groups, these checks could take a while before everyone could leave. Almost all of them have been cooperative.

Playing tough

But the taking of photos did not happen quickly enough to the taste of the accused. According to our sources, Noseworthy would have wanted to play tough with the police SPVM responsible for photographing the Hells.

Police officers witnessed the scene. Other Hells Angels MC members too, and all did not find it funny. One of the leaders of the Ontario bikers' delegation allegedly blamed Noseworthy, who was arrested by the Sûreté du Québec and released.

The Accused: Earl Noseworthy

Biker war

The charge against Earl Noseworthy, who lives in Keswick, near Toronto, is punishable by up to 14 years in prison. Judge Gilles Charpentier postponed further judicial proceedings in November.

This offense was added to the Criminal Code in 2002 by the federal government as a result of the murders of two prison guards and the attempted murder of former Montreal Journal reporter Michel Auger during the biker war that killed more than 160 people in Quebec.

Noseworthy is a former member of Hamilton's Satan's Choice, a motorcycle club adsorbed by the Hells Angels in 2000, according to court documents.

SOURCE: TVA Nouvelles

Ex motorcycle club leader turned snitch arrested

Saskatoon, Canada (September 27, 2018) BTN — A former informant who helped Saskatoon police bring down several motorcycle clubs in the Project Forseti case is now facing 26 weapons-related charges.

Noel Harder, 39, was arrested Tuesday evening after police received reports of a man driving an SUV with a gun.

Police said in a release Wednesday morning they found the SUV parked near the intersection of Powe Street and Rayner Avenue around 5:45 p.m. and conducted a high-risk traffic stop.

The driver was found to be in possession of a loaded handgun, ammunition, a knife, an imitation firearm, bear spray, an ax and an undisclosed amount of fentanyl.

Harder was vice president of the Fallen Saints motorcycle club and was working with the Hells Angels motorcycle club when he began working with police in Project Forseti.

The former cocaine dealer recorded conversations with other club members, leading to raids in January 15 and charges against 14 men.

Harder later sued the federal government and RCMP for breaking promises when he was placed into witness protection, claiming officials endangered his life.

When reached by phone Thursday, Harder’s lawyer Tony Merchant said he wasn’t aware of the charges against his client.

“As I understand it, (Harder) had indicated that for his own defence he needed to have a weapon and the prosecutor knew that,” he said.

Harder is expected to make his third court appearance Thursday afternoon in Saskatoon Provincial Court.

SOURCE: CKOM