Redbubble Ordered to Pay Hells Angels Motorcycle Club

Melbourne, Australia (July 29, 2022) - Online merchandise store Redbubble has been ordered to pay the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club more than $78,000 for selling items depicting the MC's logo without permission, in the second ruling against the company in three years.

Redbubble is an online marketplace that allows users to upload images to be printed on merchandise such as stickers, mugs, T-shirts, masks and other items, which are then offered for sale.

 

After winning $5,000 from Redbubble for trademark infringement in 2019, the club launched legal action again last year after discovering more items for sale bearing the Hells Angels MC logo. The company uses keyword filtering to pick up on uploads that may violate the copyright or trademarks of organisations that have sought to protect it, such as the Hells Angels MC.

Redbubble proactively moderates uploads for 477 organisations, and told the court that 2 million artworks uploaded to the site had been moderated in the past five years – including 114 related to the Hells Angels MC since the 2019 court decision.

However, the Hells Angels MC trademark officer in Australia was able to buy a number of items bearing the Hells Angels logo despite the previous court ruling. Over the course of the case, 11 different listings were discovered.

While the only people who had bought items bearing the logos were members of the Hells Angel Motorcycle Club who were seeking to determine whether the items were still for sale, Greenwood did not award damages on the basis of sales but instead for the injury suffered for the use of the trade marks without authorization.

Reputed Hit Man has Convictions Overturned

Nova Scotia, Canada (July 27, 2022) - Almost 22 years after Kirk Mersereau and Nancy Christensen were murdered in their Nova Scotia home, the man accused of killing them is facing the prospect of a third trial on two charges of first degree murder. In a decision released Tuesday, the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal overturned the latest conviction of Leslie Douglas Greenwood, an alleged hit man for the Hells Angels motorcycle club.

 

Leslie Greenwood is escorted through the courthouse​ in 2018

Mersereau and Christensen were found dead in their home in Centre Burlington, N.S., on September 9, 2000. They had been shot. Their infant son was lying unscathed in another room. Greenwood was initially tried and convicted in a jury trial in 2012. But that conviction was overturned on appeal.

"Based on the charge to the jury, they may have been left with the impression they could convict Greenwood of first degree murder because he drove Lawrence to the Mersereau home and assisted him in getting access to the house where Lawrence committed the murders without it being proven beyond a reasonable doubt that Greenwood knew that Lawrence had planned and deliberated on the murders," Justice David Farrar wrote for the three-member appeal panel.

A decision on whether to proceed with a third trial is up to the Crown, which is still studying the Court of Appeal decision. Greenwood remains in a federal prison serving a sentence for two murders in Quebec. Kirk Murray and Antonio Anesi were killed in 2010.

Hells Angels MC on the move in Toronto

On The Road (July 20, 2022) - A large procession of up to 1,000 Hells Angels members has left Newmarket, Ontario and is now headed for Toronto's east end. The ride is in honor of long-time Toronto Hells Angels member, Donny Peterson, who died at 74 of natural causes.

Hells Angels MC Clubhouses Raided

Westport, Massachusetts, USA (July 21, 2022) - A large law enforcement presence at a Hells Angels MC clubhouse in Westport on Thursday. Numerous armed law enforcement officers were spotted at the club located on American Legion Highway.

The FBI says the agency is conducting court-authorized activity in connection with an ongoing federal investigation.

BREAKING: Multiple Hells Angels clubhouses in Massachusetts - including two in Westport - were raided by the FBI and other agencies Thursday. https://t.co/F6EGbUvHKH

— Tim White (@TimWhiteRI) July 21, 2022

Hells Angels MC support club throttled

Keremeos, British Columbia, Canada (July 20, 2022) - A multi-year investigation into a motorcycle club that answers to the Hells Angels has prevented the group from laying down roots in Kamloops and resulted in charges against three members.

Kamloops RCMP say they first became aware the Throttle Lockers Motorcycle Club was working to build a clubhouse in the city in 2017. The Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit of B.C. was quickly called in, and together the two police agencies worked to investigate the threat.

In 2019, RCMP and the special enforcement unit secured search warrants related to the Throttle Lockers, and turned up $330,000 in cash, fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine, firearms and brass knuckles, and Hells Angels support gear. Two men were arrested then and a third was arrested in 2020.

It wasn’t until June 28, though, that the Public Prosecution Service of Canada approved charges against the three men.

Shawn, a 49-year-old from Falkland, faces three counts of trafficking cocaine and one count of selling cannabis contrary to the Cannabis Act.

Zale, a 53-year-old from Kamloops, is charged with two counts of trafficking cocaine, one count of trafficking fentanyl, and one count each of possession for the purposes of trafficking of fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine. He also faces one count of conspiracy to traffic fentanyl.

Jacob, a 29-year-old from Kamloops, has been handed one count of possession for the purpose of trafficking of fentanyl, and one count for conspiracy to traffic it.

The three remain out of custody while they await the court process.

Speaking during a media briefing Wednesday (July 20), Superintendent Duncan Pound of the special enforcement unit said targeting lower level clubs is important in stopping organized crime in B.C. He described preventing the Kamloops clubhouse as taking “the wind out of the sails” of the Hells Angels.

Police issue warnings about Hells Angels event

Durham, Ontario, Canada (July 19, 2022) - A very large police presence will be in Brooklin this coming weekend with as many as 1,000 Hells Angels MC members and their associates descending on the community.

The Brooklin charter of the Hells Angels motorcycle club will be hosting the Canada Run from Friday, July 22 to Sunday, July 24 and Hells Angels MC charters from across the country are expected to attend.

 

During a news conference on Monday, July 18, Durham Regional Police Deputy Chief Dean Bertrim said, “Rest assured, our primary focus on managing this event is to ensure we get through this event safely and uneventful for all. We anticipate that events like this are highly visible and that our visitors will be on their best behaviour."

He noted on social media, supporters of the Hells Angels MC say the club is being unfairly characterized. “Let me be clear today. They are an organized crime group who have consistently been proven to be responsible for all manner of crimes, be it drug trafficking, illegal gambling, human trafficking, firearms and acts of violence perpetrated through their members or by support clubs.”

TRAFFIC INTERRUPTIONS: Due to a large-scale event involving the Hells Angels MC this weekend, Highway 12/Baldwin Street north of Columbus will be closed from Friday, July 22 @ 4am to Sunday, July 24 @ 9pm. Detour signs will be posted. See map below. pic.twitter.com/BPHD8EasYt

— Durham Regional Police (@DRPS) July 18, 2022

He said the Hells Angels have probably been planning the event for the past year. “The Canada Run is an event for all Hell Angels chapters to get together once a year to discuss, to socialize and to get a photography of the chapters. Beyond that, the majority will go for a ride, so a ride will take place. At some point during the weekend, there will be a large amount of motorcyclists travelling our roadway,” Bertrim said.

OPP Det.-Insp. Scott Wade said, “The Hells Angels, they are one percenters. One per cent of motorcycle riders who believe they live outside the law.”


“Traditionally, events like the Canada Run aren’t a significant safety risk. Our goal in having a police presence during the Canada Run is to focus on the safety of anyone impacted by this event,” he noted. “We will take a zero tolerance approach to any unlawful activity and we encourage the public to immediately contact us if they have any concerns,” he added.

HA Request Sonny Barger Service at Coliseum

Oakland, California, USA (July 17, 2022) - Members of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club have requested to have a memorial service for Sonny Barger at the Oakland Coliseum complex, that is just a couple of miles away from the Foothill Boulevard clubhouse where he founded it. Sonny Barger died June 29 at his home surrounded by loved ones.

 

A funeral at the coliseum may or may not happen, but it is up for discussion. Henry Gardner, the executive director of the Coliseum Authority, plans to discuss the club’s proposal with his board.

RELATED | Sonny Barger Dead at 83

In a memo to the board, Gardner said the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club have asked to use the stadium’s parking lot for a service in August, but he’s waiting to hear back from authorities.

“We have consulted with the city’s leadership, including the Oakland Police Department, to seek guidance on whether or not this event can be safely and securely managed,” Gardner wrote. “The group estimates there will be approximately 2,000 of their members in attendance".

"The Oakland Police Department is taking the lead in determining a safety plan and will be providing us with their recommendations on whether and how we should proceed.” it continued

Events at the Coliseum, which is publicly-owned, do not necessarily need the approval of the Coliseum board, which is made up of members of the Oakland City Council, county Board of Supervisors, and members appointed by both government bodies.

Read the memo here: Oakland Coliseum Authority 

Dutch Court Rules Hells Angels MC Illegal

Amsterdam, Netherlands (July 17, 2022) - The Dutch Supreme Court on Friday upheld a ruling that means the Hells Angels motorcycle club is illegal and an illegal association. The ruling means, among other things, that it is not allowed to wear clothes that are associated with the motorcycle club.

 

This is the third time that a court has now ruled that the Hells Angels motorcycle chub should be dissolved. The first time was in 2019 at a court in Utrecht. That judgment was appealed to the Court of Appeal in Arnhem-Leeuwarden, which, however, came to the same conclusion. Since then, the case went all the way to the Supreme Court, which on Friday set the final sentence in the case.

In the past, the Satudarah motorcycle club has also been declared illegal in the Netherlands by the Supreme Court.

RELATED | Dutch Court Upholds Ban on Hells Angels MC

In Denmark, the Loyal To Familia (LTF) has been all the way past the Supreme Court. In 2021, the court affirmed that the club was an illegal association and therefore should be dissolved. The Hells Angels motorcycle club are also represented in Denmark and has been in the country for many years.

In November 2020, the long-standing unofficial spokesperson Jørn Jønke Nielsen was reportedly thrown out of the Hells Angels, he co-founded the club in Denmark and had been a member for almost 40 years. He has previously been convicted of violence and murder, as have a number of other members of Hells Angels in Denmark.

Police Raid on Hells Angels MC net Cash and Drugs

Auckland, New Zealand, (July, 16, 2022) - More than $2.4 million in cash, a firearm, methamphetamine and cannabis have been seized by NZ Police as part of an investigation into the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club.

 

Police executed a series of search warrants at several residential and commercial addresses across Auckland last week as part of the National Organised Crime Group investigation, code named Operation Samson.

Operation Samson is investigating people and entities connected to the New Zealand chapter of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club. A 30-year-old patched member of the Hells Angels has been charged with money laundering and has appeared in the Auckland District Court.

Police have seized more than $2.4 million in cash, as an investigation continues to shed light on the activities of a transnational organised crime group operating in New Zealand.

More here ➡️ https://t.co/LRTO1S7Z7l pic.twitter.com/DgWmcmQlCp

— New Zealand Police (@nzpolice) July 15, 2022

Detective Inspector Albie Alexander, of the National Organised Crime Group, said this type of offending undermines the wellbeing of our communities.

“We will continue to target those who accumulate assets and wealth through illegal means,” Alexander said. “In conjunction with Operation Cobalt, we will also continue to target and suppress illegal gang activity in order to enhance the safety of our community and staff – and hold those responsible for this type of offending, to account.”

The investigation is ongoing, and police cannot rule out further arrests and charges being laid. “We are all committed to disrupting and dismantling these illegal trans-national networks operating in New Zealand,” Alexander said.

Maurice Boucher dead at 69

Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines, Quebec, Canada (July 11, 2022) - The former leader of the Quebec section of the Hells Angels motorcycle club, Maurice Boucher, better known by the nickname "Mom," has died, he was 69.

Maurice had been imprisoned in the Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines penitentiary for 22 years, where he was serving a life sentence, without the possibility of parole for at least 25 years. Maurice died Sunday afternoon of throat cancer.

He had been found guilty of having orchestrated the murders of Pierre Rondeau and Diane Lavigne, two prison guards murdered in the late 1990's, as well as for the attempted murder of a third prison guard, Robert Corriveau.

 

The Hells Angels motorcycle club battled with the Rock Machine for many years, claiming several innocent victims. In 1995, the death of an 11-year-old Daniel Desrochers, provoked public outrage. The Carcajou Squad had been created afterwards, leading to several arrests in various motorcycle clubs.

Maurice was arrested in 1997, when he was the leader of the Nomads section of the Hells Angels motorcycle club. He was acquitted in 1998 after a first trial, then arrested again in 2000. He then underwent a second trial, at the end of which he was charged on May 5, 2002.

In 2015, while still in prison, Maurice was again arrested and charged. This time, with conspiring to assassinate Raynald Desjardins, an alleged close associate of the Montreal Mafia. Police said Maurice had conducted a plot to kill Desjardins with his daughter, Alexandra Mongeau. She was acquitted, but Maurice was sentenced to an additional 10 years in prison.

The coroner will look into the death of Maurice Boucher. "As is always the case when an inmate dies, the Correctional Service of Canada will review the circumstances of the incident," CSC said in a statement.

Sonny Barger Dead at 83

Oakland, California, U.S.A. (June 30, 2022) - Sonny Barger, founding member of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club has died at 83.

 

The announcement of Sonny’s death came on his official Facebook page with a post containing a farewell message written by Sonny.

“If you are reading this message, you’ll know that I’m gone. I’ve asked that this note be posted immediately after my passing,” the post says. “I’ve lived a long and good life filled with adventure. And I’ve had the privilege to be part of an amazing club.”

 

Sonny died of cancer, according to the Facebook post, which says he was surrounded by his wife, Zorana, and other loved ones.

Born Ralph Hubert Barger, the Modesto native moved to Oakland as a kid, enlisted in the U.S. Army as a teen, and gravitated toward motorcycles at a young age. In his autobiography, Sonny wrote that the Hells Angels were a small San Francisco club that almost gone before he joined. He and other bikers picked up the name and started the Oakland Hells Angels, which is now known as the club’s most significant charter.

“As a street tough, I looked the part. I wore my Levi’s jeans with one-inch-wide cuffs at the bottom, smoked Camels, had the attitude, and rode a motorcycle,” Sonny wrote in his autobiography, describing his formative years in Oakland before joining the Hells Angels. 

Barger was often a target of law enforcement throughout his life, he spent lengthy period in prison. In the early 1980's, Sonny was diagnosed with throat cancer and required the removal of his vocal chords. After surviving that health scare, Sonny began to publicly advocate against smoking, tailoring his message with the Hells Angels’ textbook anti-establishment attitude: “Want to be a rebel? Don’t smoke as the rest of the world.”

 

Sonny moved to Arizona in the late 90's for health reasons, but reportedly returned to Alameda County in 2016. In his final years, he largely kept a low profile, though his 81st birthday in 2019 was a major event that was hosted at the Hells Angels Oakland clubhouse.



His farewell message says he died peacefully and, despite his public persona, valued time with his family and friends the most.

“Keep your head up high, stay loyal, remain free, and always value honor,” Sonny wrote.

Our deepest condolences the Hells Angles Motorcycle Club, loved ones and family of your loss, 

MLH&R  from The Biker Trash Network   

Hells Angels and Vagos Shoot it Out on Highway

Las Vegas, Nevada, USA (May 31, 2022) - A group of Hells Angels motorcycle club members followed members of the Vagos motorcycle club before opening fire on the Vagos on U.S. Highway 95 in Henderson, Nevada.

In total, seven people were shot that shut down the highway for several hours on Sunday. Arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and other charges are Russell Smith, age 26, Stephen Alo, age 46, and Richard Devries, age 66. Henderson police identified Richard Devries as president of the Las Vegas chapter of the Hells Angels. Stephen Alo and Russell Smith are described as prospects for the Las Vegas chapter of the Hells Angels MC.

L-R: Russell Smith, Stephen Alo and Richard Devries 

Photo: Henderson Police Department

The conflict leading to the shooting started early Sunday as members of the Vagos were on a run for the “Flags over Dam” ride in Boulder City near Hoover Dam. “While setting up to start the ride, five Hell’s Angels prospect members were seen riding around,” police wrote.

The Vagos members then went to the Southern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Boulder City, where the same Hells Angels prospects “drove through the cemetery and began to cause problems,” according to police.

Police said the Vagos members were then driving north on U.S. 95 near Wagon Wheel Drive when multiple Hells Angels members approached. Some of the Hells Angels members pulled up next to the Vagos members and tried to kick the Vagos members over.



One of the Hells Angels members then “stood up on their motorcycle and started shooting” on one of the Vagos members, identified by police as Alejandro Castillo. Five other Vagos members were also wounded. They were identified in the police report as Ricardo Velasquez, Carie Chapin, Michael Stasiewicz, Michael Lempart and Chad Merrill.

Police previously said a seventh person wounded in the shooting showed up at a local hospital later with survivable injuries, although it is not clear what club that person was affiliated with. That shooting victim was not named or mentioned in the Henderson police report.

There is no reference by the police that any Vagos members firing a weapon during the shooting. Police said they found multiple expended casings at the shooting scene stretching from the College Drive exit ramp to the Horizon Drive exit ramp. Henderson police also said some of the events on the highway leading to the shooting were captured on video.

Police received a phone call from an anonymous witness who said they were driving north on the highway from Boulder City to Henderson that morning when they saw multiple Hells Angels members “parked on the side of the freeway and it appeared that they were waiting.”

Police said they obtained a video from the anonymous witness showing a “patched Hells Angel” and three prospects riding around the Vagos members. One of the Hells Angels members is depicted on the video holding something in his hand, according to police.

Feds Targeting Hells Angels MC Charter

Vallejo, California, U.S.A (May 19, 2022) BTN  - The FBI is investigating potential “criminal enterprise activities” of the Vallejo chapter of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club, including a beating at their clubhouse and the possession of guns, silencers, and more than 1,000 rounds of ammo seized in a series of December raids.

 

A man identified by authorities as a Hells Angels “enforcer” delivers a punch during a bar fight in Vacaville. 

Photo: Eastern District of California Court Records

In a criminal complaint filed in the Eastern District of California, federal authorities revealed they’ve sought arrest warrants for three Hells Angels members and one “enforcer,” as part of an ongoing investigation into the Vallejo charter of the Hells Angels MC. The FBI appears to be weighing the possibility of seeking an indictment under the RICO Act; Task Force Officer Shane Raftery described the charter as a “criminal enterprise” that lords over other motorcycle clubs and is involved in a territory dispute with rival clubs in Yolo County.

“To perpetuate the enterprise and to maintain and extend its power, Vallejo Hells Angels Motorcycle Club members and associates engage in a pattern of racketeering predicates, including committing and conspiring to commit murder, attempted murder, intimidation, and assault resulting in great bodily injury against individuals who pose a threat to the enterprise or who jeopardize its operations,” Raftery wrote in the criminal complaint.

On Monday, a former Hells Angels prospect named Steve testified he infiltrated the group as an FBI informant, becoming one of three former prospects or members around the Bay Area to cooperate with authorities.

The complaint describes an October 2021 hours-long assault at the Vallejo clubhouse, where roughly a dozen Hells Angels allegedly beat two members of the Union Iron Workers Motorcycle Club, beating one for one hour and 50 minutes that victim said he used a clock on the wall to time the beating.

Alleged Hells Angels MC Member Facing Charges

Glocester, R.I, USA (September 2, 2021) - An alleged member of the Rhode Island chapter of the Hells Angels motorcycle club is facing weapons and drug charges after he was arrested in Glocester.

Nicholas Lourenco, was taken into custody last Friday after officers executed a search warrant Friday at his home. While searching the residence, police said officers found an “illegal sophisticated marijuana growing operation.”

 

In total, officers confiscated 87 marijuana plants, 9.5 pounds of marijuana, several ounces of high-grade THC butter and cash, according to police. Police said officers also seized three firearms, including a loaded AK-47.

Lourenco has been charged with possession with intent to deliver marijuana and THC, as well as possession of firearms while in possession of narcotics. He was ordered held without bail during his arraignment pending the results of a status hearing scheduled for September 9, 2021.

Court Challenge Win by Hells Angel Member

British Columbia, Canada (January 26, 2021) - A Supreme Court Justice has ruled that Gaston Methot should get a second hearing in provincial court to make his case about why he deserves to have his licence renewed. Earlier, a provincial court judge upheld a decision made by the province’s chief firearms officer to deny the renewal based on Methot’s membership in the West Point Chapter of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club.

But Marzari said the original judge did not apply the right standard in reviewing that decision. She said the provincial court should have taken an independent look at all the evidence in the case instead of determining whether the firearms officer’s decision was “reasonable.”

“The reference judge’s reliance on the reasonableness standard permeates the decision to uphold the firearms officer’s decision, both with respect to the factual matrix and the evidence found to be relevant, and with respect to the result. The decision must therefore be set aside,” she said in written reasons released Monday.

Marzari did not accept Methot’s suggestion that she simply renew the licence because she said she didn’t have all the evidence before her that was before the lower court. Methot had a firearms licence from June 2012 to April 2018 “without incident,” the ruling noted. 

He applied to renew it in March 2018. An Royal Canadion Mounted Police firearms officer sent a ‘notice of refusal’ to Methot that June, saying he was being denied “because it was not desirable in the interest of public safety that he have the licence.” 

“As you are a full patch member of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club, West Point Chapter, I find you represent the Hells Angels and are bound by rules that allow for violence and criminal acts and that the police are your adversary,” the letter said.

“You made a decision to be involved with an organization that has a reputation for violence and criminal acts. … I find that it would not be desirable in the interest of public safety that you be issued a firearm licence at this time. Accordingly, I refuse to issue you a licence.”

Methot then filed a review application to provincial court, which was heard in 2019.

Cpl. Sergio Da Silva, a biker expert with the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit, testified at the provincial court hearing that Hells Angels rules forbid members from co-operating with police. So if a firearm is ever stolen, an Hells Angel member would not report the theft to the police.

Marzari noted that some of Da Silva’s evidence was “admittedly based on indirect hearsay evidence” because Hells Angels don’t talk to police. She said that “it was incumbent upon the reference judge to consider the weight that the evidence of Cpl. Da Silva was entitled to after a fresh analysis of the relevance and reliability of that evidence.”

Meanwhile, in Quebec, provincial police announced last month that they had revoked 11 firearms licences from people connected to the Hells Angels. In the news release, the Sûreté du Québec said the revocation was the second phase of a project begun two years earlier with the revocation of 75 gun licences linked to Hells Angels support clubs.

SOURCE: Vancouver Sun

HA Member Arrested For Weapons and Cash

Bayonne, New Jersey, USA (January 21, 2021) - A Hells Angels motorcycle club member was arrested for having a knife, handgun, and $7,000 cash that cops believed to be from gambling proceeds while he was riding as a car passenger in Bayonne, police said.

Bernard W. Krynicki III, 31, of North Arlington, was charged with possession of a firearm for an unlawful purpose, unlawful possession of a firearm, certain persons not to possess a weapon, gang criminality, possession of gambling records, and promoting gambling, according to Police Capt. Eric Amato. 

Krynicki was taken into custody at approximately 10:15 p.m. yesterday. Officers conducted a stop of a vehicle in which Krynicki was a passenger. During the stop, while seated in the rear passenger compartment, Krynicki proceeded to make movements while gripping items concealed in his pants pocket.

After officers requested that he show his hands, an officer was able to observe a knife protruding from his pocket. Krynicki was then removed from the vehicle, leading to the recovery of a knife and a 9mm handgun from his pockets.

During the incident, Krynicki was wearing clothing indicating that he was affiliated with the Hells Angels motorcycle club and it was later confirmed that he was an active member of the Newark chapter of the club.

Krynicki was additionally found to be in possession of gambling records and over $7,000 in gambling proceeds. He was also later determined to be classified as a certain person not to possess a weapon, authorities said.

SOURCE: NJ.com

Hells Angels Lend a Hand at Christmas Giveaway

Patchogue, New York, USA (December 21, 2020) - It was angels helping angels. And they were all helping families in need Sunday in East Patchogue for the massive “Christmas Miracles 2020” gift giveaway.

Once again, the Suffolk County Hells Angels joined with the Angels of Long Island nonprofit group for the annual event. It was held in the parking lot outside the Angels of Long Island thrift shop and outreach center off East Main Street.

There, moms and dads currently facing hardships were able to shop for brand-new items for their kids.

All for free. “We wanted children across Long Island to have an amazing Christmas this year,” said Angels of Long Island co-founder Debbie Loesch. “With this coronavirus pandemic our children’s worlds have changed overnight. “But still, Christmas morning needs to be magical.”

Parents from over 200 families got to shop.

Nine families every half-hour (for social distancing purposes) perused the tents. They picked presents from among new toys, bikes, scooters, skateboards, electronics and more. They also got a bundle of stocking stuffers. 

All the families left with hats and gloves, and a complete Christmas meal of turkey, ham, hot and sweet Italian sausage, and other groceries. “We couldn’t have done it without the amazing support of the Suffolk chapter of the Hells Angels and a long list of local businesses and Long Island residents,’ Loesch said.

The Hells Angels motorcycle club first heard about the Long Island Angels’ giveaway last fall, when the nonprofit was struggling to meet demand. Then they swooped in with toys like a bunch of Santa's with their sacks. Then they did it again Sunday for this year’s event.

Normally secretive, the local Hells Angels charter has been quietly involved with helping nonprofits across Long Island. “We got word that the Angels of Long Island needed toys and we wanted to help them out,” Billy, a sergeant of arms for the group who couldn’t give his full name, said last year.

“We start collecting early on in the year with different events, including our Christmas party, where everyone brings an unwrapped gift to donate,” he said.

SOURCE: Greater Patchogue

Retired Undercover Cop Decides to Write a Book

Sudbury, Ontario, Canada (December 17, 2020) - A retired Ontario Provincial cop from Sudbury has released a book of his career. He titled it '1% Hatred' and it details Dan Rocheleau's experiences, starting as a rookie cop in Chapleau, to serving in Sudbury and being involved in major undercover drug investigations in Ontario and Quebec.

"There is a lot of humor in it and there is a lot of the undercover work that I did in two provinces," said Rocheleau. "And dealing with everything from serial killers to outlaw bikers to traditional organized crime." He states that he wrote the book when COVID forced people to stay home. He said that he hopes it helps readers see the different aspects of policing.

"When you are working in organized crime like that, it changes hourly almost it feels," he said. "It's not like working in uniform where you have a schedule and pattern to go through. When you work in organized crime it's completely different." 

 

The tiny book details the his experiences negotiating drug deals with so called outlaw bikers, chasing drug smugglers by boat on the St. Lawrence River and of course, being shot at. "It's bizarre cause now it sort of flashes back up where for 30 years I never thought of it," Rocheleau said. "I just walked away from very bad scenes and just forgot about them."

The officer said he now suffers from PTSD and wants to share a message. "There is help out there, you don't have to be Superman, you can ask for help," said Rocheleau. He also hopes to give back to the community. A small percentage of the proceeds from the book will be donated to NEO Kids and The Hospital for Sick Children.

SOURCE: CTV

Ex-Hells Angels Charter President Denied Jail Release

San Francisco, California, USA (December 16, 2020) - In a court hearing that included a tense back-and-forth between the prosecution and defense attorneys, a federal judge denied a former Hells Angels charter president’s latest bid for release.

Raymond “Ray Ray” Foakes, 57, argued through his attorney that his due process rights were being violated as he’s spent 27 months in jail while still legally presumed innocent with — his attorney argued — as many as three more years to go before his cases even goes to trial. Federal prosecutors countered that courts, including the Ninth Circuit, have routinely found two years to be an acceptable amount of pretrial detention when the defendant is facing serious charges. 

U.S. District Judge Edward Chen said at a Wednesday court hearing that Foakes demonstrated a “continuing pattern” of law violations throughout his life, so he wasn’t confident Foakes would comply with pretrial release conditions if he was freed from jail.

“Mr. Foakes has not conformed, on numerous occasions, time after time, with orders from the courts. That simply cannot be ignored,” Chen said. He added, though, it was “not inconceivable” a similar motion could succeed at a future date if Foakes ends up spending a lengthier time in jail.

Foakes’ attorney, George Boisseau, said that Foakes’ jail stay has been so long that it has “become punitive” and amounted to a due process violation. He said Foakes has a job offer in Oakley and is willing to stay on house arrest with “stringent conditions.”

RELATED | Former Hells Angels Prez Wants House Arrest

Boisseau also argued that witnesses in the case haven’t been threatened or intimidated by Foakes nor his co-defendants, even though their names and locations are commonly known. When it was his turn to speak, assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Barry called that remark “a form of intimidation.”  “Mr. Boisseau’s argument that, ‘we know who the witnesses are and we know where they live’ is a form of a threat,” Barry said.

Later in the hearing, Boisseau shot back at Barry and sharply denied he’d threatened anyone.

“I take offense to that,” Boisseau said. “I’ve been an attorney for a long time with an unblemished record, probably longer than Mr. Barry has been an attorney.”  “I didn’t read Barry’s comment as saying you were a risk,” Chen said to Boisseau.

Foakes, who was once president of the Hells Angels Sonoma Charter, is accused of an “hours-long” beating of a victim that occurred in November 2016, and that prosecutors say culminated with someone forcibly tattooing the victim’s face, and Foakes declaring he would shoot the victim until fellow members of the motorcycle club dissuaded him. The charge is part of a racketeering case aimed at 11 alleged Hells Angels members.

Both pretrial services and the U.S. Probation department opposed Foakes being released. Chen said the “yardstick mark” for Foakes’ motion is how much time he’s actually spent in jail, not how much time he could potentially spend awaiting trial, and agreed that 27 months was acceptable.

The basis for Boisseau’s motion was that Foakes is set to go on trial after a number of his co-defendants — who, unlike Foakes, are accused of participating in a murder and illegal cremation of a fellow Hells Angels member in Fresno — are tried in October 2021. But Barry said that federal prosecutors are working to get Foakes into the earlier trial. “We want him in the first trial group,” Barry said. 

SOURCE: The Mercury

Dutch Court Upholds Ban on Hells Angels MC

Arnhem, Netherlands (December 15, 2020) BTN - The Arnhem-Leeuwarden Court of Appeal issued an appeal in the case in which the Public Prosecution Service claimed that Hells Angels Motorcycle Club, Hells Angels Motorcycle Club Holland and Hells Angels Motorcycle Corporation The Netherlands will be banned.

Activities contrary to public order in the Netherlands

The court finds that the global organization of Hells Angels should be seen as a foreign corporation and the organization of the Dutch charters as an informal association. The court finds that the Public Prosecution Service has sufficiently demonstrated that the activities of these two organizations are contrary to public order in the Netherlands and considers a prohibition of these organizations necessary.

Violent culture

There have been frequent violent incidents and possession of weapons involving members of Hells Angels, both worldwide and in the Netherlands. This is a structural situation that cannot be seen in isolation from the culture of violence that exists at Hells Angels. An important factor is the violent image, in which that violence is encouraged and glorified in various ways. 

Another factor in their decision is the rivalry with other motorcycle clubs, which regularly leads to power struggles and accompanying violent confrontations. These conflicts between different motorcycle clubs are fought more than once amidst the public on the street. Intimidation of members and former members, victims and witnesses furthermore makes action by the police and the judicial authorities much more difficult.

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The prohibition of Hells Angels and Hells Angels Holland that has been pronounced by the court therefore remains in force.

The charters

The court also finds that the charters are sub divisions of Hells Angels Holland, but also meet the characteristics of an informal association. They have the freedom to regulate the course of events at the local level, bottom-up structure. The charters are therefore legal entities themselves and therefore do not fall under the prohibition and dissolution of Hells Angels Holland. 

Nevertheless, the court finds that once the prohibition of Hells Angels and Hells Angels Holland is irrevocable, the activities of the charters and the members, as Hells Angels in the Netherlands, are prohibited. This means, for example, that Hells Angels are no longer allowed to wear their colors in public and the charters are no longer allowed to use this name.

Hells Angels Motorcycle Corporation 

The organization in the US that holds the trademark rights of Hells Angels is not banned because it does not appear that those activities are also contrary to public policy.

SOURCE: Dutch News