Florida sheriff warns public about MC toy runs

Key West, Florida, USA (October 25, 2023) - Rick Ramsay, Monroe County Sheriff is urging the public to be aware of holiday toy drives that are being hosted by the Pagan's Motorcycle Club.

 

The sheriff seen an ad in the local paper for the "End of the Road Toy Run" by the PMC and LMC - The Pagan's Motorcycle Club and the Legend Motorcycle Club. Ramsey said that both clubs are criminal, outlaw motorcycle gangs that are involved in crime involving drugs, guns and violence in the community.

An important message from Sheriff Rick Ramsay: pic.twitter.com/VOAfHZUhyC

— Florida Keys Sheriff (@keyssheriff) October 24, 2023

In his social media message, Sheriff Ramsay says the Department of Justice has labeled the Pagan's as a criminal outlaw gang. Ramsay ended the video by saying “there are great organizations that people can team up with, but PMC is not one of them.”

Outlaws MC members charged with arson

North Providence, Rhode Island, USA (October 20, 2023) - Two members of the Outlaws Motorcycle Club were in court on charges related to two fires at the same location in Scituate. Prosecutors say the same detached garage off Tunk Hill Road caught fire around midnight on June 29th and 5:00 A.M. on July 6th. Investigators from the state fire marshal’s office said they found accelerant at the scene in both cases.

 

The defense attorney argued in court that his client was never there. “I haven’t heard that this young man’s anywhere near this place, other than he’s a friend of a guy,” the defense attorney said. “I know you too. Doesn’t mean we’re setting fires.”



Scituate police conceded that they weren’t able to place the accused at the scene, but they believe he’s the one who ordered the other member to set the two fires. Sgt. Matthew King said surveillance footage showed his car at the scene, and he recited text messages between the two men aloud in court.

While a specific motive for the alleged arson is unclear at this time, police allege that he and the victim had a disagreement with one another. Both are due back in court next week for a status hearing.

Mongols MC members charged with murder

Pinellas Park, Florida USA (October 18, 2023) - On Tuesday, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office announced two additional arrests in the April 2022 killing of a man that the Mongols Motorcycle Club members believed was a police snitch. Vincent Romanino was booked into a Hillsborough County jail Tuesday and is being held without bond and Joshualee Garcia was booked into a Pasco County jail, according to the Pinellas Sheriff’s Office.

Each faces a charge of accessory after the fact to first-degree felony murder in the fatal shooting of Dominick Paternoster, the Sheriff’s Office said. Both men were members of the Mongols MC when Paternoster was killed, according to the Sheriff's Office. Paternoster, 46, was shot multiple times in his home sometime between 10:20 P.M. on April 27, 2022, and 1:00 A.M. the following morning. His body was found around 4:30 p.m. on April 28.

RELATED | Mongols MC Member Arrested Over Killing

RELATED | Mongols MC member faces murder charge

 
Around four months later, Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri called a news conference on Aug. 29, 2022, to announce the indictment of Paul Mogilevsky on a first-degree murder charge in Paternoster’s death. He said Paternoster, now 49, had been a member of a puppet club for the Mongols MC called the Raiders MC.

Detectives Make Additional Arrests In 2022 Homicide Investigation: https://t.co/Z4KLbYYZLK pic.twitter.com/R6HGZa8jhT

— Pinellas County Sheriff's Office (@SheriffPinellas) October 17, 2023

Detectives said members of the Mongols MC believed Paternoster was a “snitch,” but authorities would not confirm whether Paternoster was an informant or not.

Hells Angels MC Clubhouses Seized by Court

Ottawa, Ontario, Canada (October 13, 2023) - The Supreme Court of Canada says it will not hear an appeal from the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club over properties the province of British Columbia seized from the club in Kelowna, Nanaimo and Vancouver.

On Thursday, the country's highest court dismissed a leave to appeal from Angel Acres Recreation and Festival Property Ltd. that sought to challenge a decision by a lower court in British Columbia, that said the clubhouses would likely be used for criminal activity in the future.

 

The Supreme Court gave the go-ahead for the province to sell the three properties, which were seized outright and the locks changed in April. Thursday's ruling ends a 16-year legal saga regarding the clubhouses.

Lawyers representing the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club went to court to stop the province from selling the properties, which it is allowed to do under the Civil Forfeiture Act. The act came into place in British Columbia in 2006 and is meant to "ensure that people cannot profit from unlawful activity or use property in a way that may harm other persons."

The British Columbia's forfeiture office first made a move to seize the Nanaimo clubhouse in 2007, and then  attempted the same with the Kelowna and Vancouver clubhouses in 2012. The properties are located at 805 Victoria Road in Nanaimo, 837 Ellis Street in Kelowna and 3598 East Georgia Street in Vancouver.



In its attempt to stop the seizures, the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club initially won a decision in British Columbia Supreme Court in 2020. But, that was overturned in February by the British Columbia Appeal Court, which found there was little evidence the club would have suffered "irreparable harm" if the properties were sold.

At the time, the civil forfeiture office said it would return the contents and belongings in the three clubhouses, as those were not subject to forfeiture. It would then sell the properties.

Bandidos MC member shot during run

Ballarat, Victoria, Australia (October 1, 2023) - A member of the Bandidos Motorcycle Club was reportedly shot near a clubhouse during the MC's annual run to regional Victoria. The 29-year-old man was admitted to Ballarat hospital shortly after 1:00 A.M. on Sunday with non-life-threatening injuries from a gunshot wound.

 

Police believe the Bandidos MC member was in the area of the Bandidos clubhouse when the shooting took place. This comes as members of the Bandidos Motorcycle Club descended on Ballarat and nearby Buninyong for their national run. Victoria Police’s Echo and VIPER Taskforce, supported by local police monitored the event to ensure public safety.

RELATED | Bandidos MC gather for national run

Detectives attached to Echo Taskforce took over the investigation into the shooting in Ballarat.

Hells Angel MC member pleads guilty

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (September 29, 2023) - A Hells Angels Motorcycle Club member and four men have plead guilty to multiple drug trafficking and conspiracy charges for offences said to have taken place in Vancouver, Maple Ridge and Vernon between September 2020 and July 2021.

 

“This was a complex, multi-jurisdictional investigation affecting several communities,” Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit (CFSEU-BC) spokesperson Sgt. Brenda Winpenny said. “Illegal drugs, including fentanyl, is an extremely dangerous drug that is proving to have widespread consequences in our province.”

Winpenny added: “This investigation is a testament to the dedication and tenacity of our investigators to hold those, who deal in drugs and are involved in criminal activity, to account and brought to justice.” The charges came in December after CFSEU-BC executed 12 search warrants at locations throughout Metro Vancouver and the Okanagan.



Police seized about $650,000 in Canadian currency and about two kilograms of cocaine, one kilogram of MDMA, one kilogram of fentanyl, 200 grams of ketamine, 10 kilograms marijuana and 16 kilograms of a drug-cutting agent.

Also seized were three rifles, a shotgun, three prohibited magazines, ammunition, body armour, two vehicles and a cocaine press. Inside one residence, police seized a Hells Angels Motorcycle Club vest and various items of Hells Angels support clothing.

Bandidos MC gather for national run

Ballarat, Victoria, Australia (September 29, 2023) - Hundreds of members of the Bandidos Motorcycle Club from around Australia gathered on Friday in Ballarat for the their national run event. The Bandidos MC members are expected to travel to nearby Buninyong before returning over the weekend.

 

In a statement, Victoria Police said on Thursday that officers were “aware” of the national run. “Echo and VIPER taskforces, with local police and specialist units, will be closely monitoring to ensure the safety of all road users,” they said. 

“There will be an increased police presence in the Ballarat area over the weekend before members are expected to depart on Sunday. “Police will be ready to take swift action in the event any Bandidos MC members involved commit criminal, road safety or public order offences.”

Western Region Superintendent Frank Sells said that police would not be intimidated and their presence would be increased. Ballarat has hosted the Bandidos several times before, with the annual general meeting held last year at popular local restaurant Lazy Moe’s.

Matilda's Bar on Route 66

Originating as the McCook Outlaws MC, the club was founded by Electro-Motive Company employees at Matilda's Bar on Route 66 in the southwestern Chicago suburb of McCook, Illinois in 1935​.

Photo: M. S. 

John Davis was reportedly the founder of the club. Although inactive during World War II, the Outlaws reformed afterwards and attended the first major post-war motorcycle rally, held at Soldier Field in Chicago in May 1946.

Mongols MC members shot at while riding

Tippecanoe County, Indiana, USA (September 21, 2023) - A man riding a motorcycle, later identified as Keylin Holly pulled out a handgun and allegedly shot at two other motorcyclist at an intersection. The victims reportedly told the man to stop following them when they stopped at the intersection the shooting took place, according to a probable cause affidavit filed Wednesday.

 

When police were on their way, they received more calls of shots fired in the area. According to an officer in the area at the time, Holly was wearing a denim vest with “Abolafia” in red and white lettering. Holly was riding his motorcycle behind two older men on motorcycles. The officer said he heard the two men tell Holly to stop following them.

When the bikers approached the intersection of 18th Street and Everett Street, the officer saw what looked like Holly shooting at the two motorcycles in front of him. According to Tippecanoe County Prosecutor's Office, Holly is a known member of the Abolafia Motorcycle Club. The people he's accused of shooting at are members of the Mongols Motorcycle Club.



Holly is charged with four counts each of attempted murder, aggravated battery and attempted battery with a deadly weapon, as well as unlawful carrying of a handgun, criminal recklessness and criminal organization activity.

He is being held in the Tippecanoe County Jail with $210,000 in bonds as of Wednesday evening, according to jail logs.

Feds want the Grim Reapers MC clubhouse

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

 

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

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

RELATED | Former Grim Reapers MC Prez Sentenced

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

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

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

Hells Angels MC Banned from Ponde Compound

South Australia (September 14, 2023) - Hells Angels members will be barred from a regular meeting place after state parliament passed a law designating the property a prescribed place. The Ponde compound, about 100km east of Adelaide, was home to a rock music festival until 2002 but will now be off bounds to club members after the government's latest move to block its use by the bikie gang.

 

"We do not want to see outlaw motorcycle gangs getting a hold back in South Australia," Attorney-General Kyam Maher told reporters on Thursday. "We will do everything that is in our power to make South Australians safer and that includes changing the law very quickly when we need to."

The High Court in August invalidated an attempt by the previous Liberal government to ban the bikies from Ponde, but Mr Maher was adamant his law would face no such obstacles as it amended the legislation itself and was not just a regulation. "What we've done through the passage of this legislation in parliament, is to make it as bulletproof as possible," he said.



The declaration of the site as a prescribed place means any members of a listed criminal organisation cannot visit. But the Law Society of South Australia criticised the bill, arguing it was based on a flawed regime. In a submission to Mr Maher, the society's president James Marsh said the law increased the risk that individuals could have their property unjustly confiscated.

"The society queries the justification in abrogating any citizen's right to procedural fairness," he wrote. Mr Maher said the society's representations "fell on deaf ears." "We will do absolutely everything we can to make sure bikies have as little influence in this state as possible," he said.

In 2019, police found a burnt-out car on the property that had been linked to a bashing murder. At one stage the government tried to seize the land as a criminal asset but later dropped that bid.

Alleged Outcast MC member indicted

Atlanta, Georgia, USA (September 14, 2023) - Attorney General Chris Carr announced Wednesday that a Morrow, Georgia man has been indicted in Clayton County on charges of Trafficking of Persons for Servitude, Violation of the Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act, False Imprisonment, Aggravated Assault, Armed Robbery, and Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony.

 

“Across our state, gangs are actively engaged in human trafficking as a primary means to make money, and we are using all available resources to disrupt their operations and keep our people safe,” Carr said in a news release. “Whether a buyer or a seller, those who abuse and exploit another person will be met with the full force of the law. Our top priority is to protect our fellow Georgians, and that is exactly what we are doing.”

This case was investigated by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s Gang Task Force, the GBI’s Human Exploitation and Trafficking Unit, and the Attorney General’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit.

The Outcast Motorcycle Club is considered an Outlaw Motorcycle Club or a “One-Percenter” Motorcycle Club. The Outcast MC has around 67 chapters across the country, including four in Georgia. Founded in 1967 in Detroit, the second Outcast MC chapter was formed in Atlanta. Additional chapters are located in Augusta, Hawkinsville and Savannah.

In May, Carr’s Gang Prosecution Unit indicted 16 alleged members of the Southeast Georgia Chapter of the Outcast MC in Bryan County. This is considered the largest motorcycle club indictment in state history and its announcement followed the culmination of Operation Patronus, a multi-agency investigation targeting gangs and guns in southeast Georgia and beyond. This operation resulted in the recovery of approximately $180,000 in cash and the seizure of 71 guns, two motorcycles and two cars.


The Attorney General’s Human Trafficking and Gang Prosecution Units presented evidence to a Clayton County Grand Jury, resulting in the alleged member's indictment on August. 30. Specifically, he is facing the following charges:

— 5 counts of Trafficking of Persons for Servitude
— 10 counts of Violation of the Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act
— 1 count of False Imprisonment
— 1 count of Aggravated Assault
— 1 count of Armed Robbery
— 1 count of Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony.

Hells Angels MC prospect arrested after shooting

Newtonville, Ontario (September 12, 2023) - Two men, including a Hells Angels MC prospect, face numerous charges after a Clarington shooting led to the discovery of 13 guns. On September 9, a man drove to a home in Newtonville in a red Ford pick-up truck. 

The man fired a gun into the home striking a man inside. Durham Regional Police received reports of the shooting and responded to the scene. They found the victim who proved uncooperative with investigators.

 

The next day multiple police units including Guns and Gangs, Biker Enforcement and Tactical Support raided two homes and a car. They found 13 guns during the raids including a modified sub-machine gun, a pistol and silencer, several rifles and shotguns, two extended magazines and ammunition.



Police also arrested two men on multiple charges during the raid. Anthony Psilopoulos, 38 of Clarington, faces six charges including illicit possession and breaching release orders. Investigators say Psilopoulos is a Hells Angels MC prospect. Previous court records from 2019 indicate Psilopoulos ranked as a “hang-around” with the motorcycle club at the time. A prospect is a few ranks higher than a hang-around and one step below a fully patched member.

Additionally, Darryl Kerswell, 51 of Clarington faces five firearms-related offences including possession without a licence and careless storage. Police did not comment on whether the men were held for a bail hearing or released with conditions.

Bandidos MC hit with search warrants

Albuquerque, New Mexico (September 5, 2023) - FBI and New Mexico State Police SWAT teams launched early morning raids in towns across New Mexico, searching the homes of the 25 Bandidos MC members identified as having made “imminent threats” to kill or hurt rivals involved in the fatal shootings in May.

Evidence seized included more than 150 firearms, and three men were arrested on state charges as the investigation into possible racketeering and other crimes continues. New Mexico’s top law enforcement announced at a press conference they had a message for the estimated 75 or so Bandidos members in New Mexico whose properties weren’t searched.

“The motorcycle is a symbol of freedom, of individualism, and the open road,” said U.S. Attorney for New Mexico Alexander Uballez. “But today, a selfish few are trying to tell us who gets to enjoy our roads, what clothes they are required to wear, and with whom they can ride. The people of New Mexico have no more patience for violent bullies. Working together, the law enforcement agencies of New Mexico return the open road to the public who owns it.”

 

Raul Bujanda, FBI Special Agent in Charge for New Mexico, said the investigation will include tracing the firearms seized to determine if they have been involved in any unsolved homicides in the state. Looking out at an audience of state, federal, county sheriff and city law enforcement officers who helped conduct the searches, Bujanda said the violence that erupted at the annual motorcycle rally in Red River was “kind of a wake up call for everyone here.”

The events, which drew tens of thousands of motorcycle enthusiasts, turned violent May 27 when members of the Bandidos MC surrounded members of the much smaller New Mexico based motorcycle club, the Water Dogs MC. Gunfire broke out, and three people were fatally shot, one member of the Water Dogs, and two Bandidos MC members. A total of eight people were shot, all members of the motorcycle clubs.

Prosecutors in Taos County dismissed murder charges temporarily against a Water Dogs MC member, who had been arrested after the shootings. The Water Dogs MC member reportedly claimed self-defense. The violence at the rally was linked in part to photos taken at a wedding that showed the president of the Water Dogs MC standing with at least one member of the Mongols Motorcycle Club. The Mongols have been trying to increase the club’s presence in New Mexico. Historically, the Bandidos have considered the state their territory.

According to a 145-page search warrant affidavit, some of confidential informants have reported that Bandidos leadership is “concerned the Bandidos MC look weak for having failed to avenge the shooting deaths of  two members during the weekend rally in Red River, N.M.”

“Based on my investigation, I believe members of the Bandidos MC are preparing to attack members of the Mongols MC and Water Dogs MC,” wrote FBI Special Agent Bryan Acee in the affidavit. He stated that the 25 Bandidos MC members targeted in Thursday’s searches “have been the most aggressive proponents of violent conflict.”

“Coupled with the fact those same Target Subjects are believed to be actively conducting reconnaissance on their rivals; acquiring and trafficking in firearms, encouraging others to join them in assaulting and killing rivals; and in possession of firearms, ammunition, and ballistic vests; I believe the requested search warrants will mitigate the current threat and result in the seizure of valuable evidence,” wrote Acee.

Acee’s affidavit described that to prepare for an attack some Bandidos MC members have been following Mongols MC members from their homes or work to ascertain their habits and where they live. They have been practicing shooting. The searches occurred in Albuquerque, Alamogordo, Farmington, Hobbs, Gallup, Capitan, Ruidoso, Rio Rancho, Los Lunas and several smaller communities.

Bujanda said the law enforcement intervention on Thursday won’t likely extinguish the bad blood between the Bandidos and their rivals. “It’s a turf war and they think this is their turf. Obviously it’s not.”

Suspected leader of Pagan's MC chapter sentenced

Providence, Rhode Island, USA (October 29, 2022) - The suspected leader of the Pagans Motorcycle Club in Rhode Island has been sentenced to serve 10 years in prison on illegal gun and drug charges. Deric “Tuna” McGuire, 38, of Burrillville, entered a plea of "nolo contendere" to multiple felony charges stemming from an investigation by the Rhode Island State Police in 2017 and 2018 into outlaw motorcycle gangs, known as “Operation Patched Out.”

McGuire will also forfeit $80,229 and six cars in connection to the “criminal activity.”

 

According to Attorney General Peter Neronha, McGuire participated in a “criminal enterprise involving illegal possession and distribution of narcotics, illegal possession and sale of firearms, and illegal possession and theft of stolen property.” On May 23, 2018, investigators executed multiple search warrants at locations in Burrillville, Woonsocket, and North Smithfield.

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

From McGuire’s Burrillville home and a garage bay next to the Pagans clubhouse in Woonsocket, investigators seized roughly 327 grams of cocaine, about $29,800 in cash, and eight guns. McGuire was prohibited from purchasing the gun after being convicted of assault with a dangerous weapon in 2014.

State police said McGuire conspired to distribute significant amounts of cocaine and marijuana, sell firearms and to steal a Bobcat loader. He also conspired to provide a letter to the Rhode Island Parole Board stating that an incarcerated associate had secured employment in an effort to get him parole, state police said.



Additionally, he provided a false statement inflating his annual income in order to secure financing for the purchase of a motorcycle. In total, 61 people were arrested as a result of the investigation. Additionally, the defendant conspired to provide a letter to the Rhode Island Parole Board stating that an incarcerated associate had secured employment in an effort to convince the Parole Board to grant him parole.

Last co-defendant in Hells Angels Case Nabbed

Las Vegas, Nevada, USA (October 24, 2022) - The last of eight men recently indicted in a Hells Angels Motorcycle Club racketeering case was recently booked into the Clark County Detention Center in connection with a highway shooting that injured members of the Vagos Motorcycle Club. Rayann, is an associate of the motorcycle group, also called a “hangaround,” according to a September grand jury indictment. He was booked into the detention center on Monday and is held on a $250,000 bail, jail records show.

Officials now have all eight co-defendants in the racketeering case since the grand jury returned a superseding indictment on September 23rd. Three of the men, local Hells Angels president Richard Devries, Russell Smith, and Stephen Alo were initially arrested shortly after the May 29 shooting on U.S. Highway 95, west of Wagon Wheel Drive in Henderson.

RELATED | Hells Angels and Vagos Shoot it Out on Highway

The shooting happened after a large Memorial Day weekend motorcycle ride from Hoover Dam to the Southern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Boulder City, police have said. Six members of the Vagos Motorcycle Club were injured, and Mollasgo was hurt from “friendly fire” and was hospitalized, prosecutors have said. Prosecutors said Devries opened fire during the altercation but have not indicated if any of the other co-defendants shot at the Vagos club members.

Pagan’s Motorcycle Club member charged with murder

Carolina, West Virginia USA (October 24, 2022) - A man who cops say is a member of the Pagan’s Motorcycle Club has been charged with murder in connection to a shooting that happened last month in Marion County. It happened on Friday, September 9th, and deputies with the Marion County Sheriff’s Office said in a criminal complaint that they believe 33-year-old John Wolfe “did plan and initiate the shooting death of Henry Silver.”

 

During the investigation, deputies determined that the victim “was engaging in a hidden relationship with Wolfe’s significant other,” and that Wolfe had learned of the relationship, deputies said. Prior to the incident, Wolfe “had a meeting” -- “with at least five other individuals where a statement indicates that Henry Silver was discussed,” and that “five of the people present at the meeting were wearing Pagan’s Motorcycle Club cuts upon arriving,” according to the complaint.

Sometime after, Silver “arrives at the apartment of Wolfe’s significant other not knowing that Wolfe was present,” and during that time “a verbal confrontation occurs and Silver goes to the parking lot,” deputies said. During the altercation, Silver “returned to the apartment at least two other times to exchange words with Wolfe,” and Wolfe made “a phone call to another member of the Pagan’s Motorcycle Club,” according to the complaint.

Two men then came to the apartment and “Wolfe identified Silver to them,” at which point “one male wears a ski mask, leaves the apartment, shoots Silver and flees the scene with the men who arrived with him”; Wolfe is also seen leaving “prior to law enforcement arriving,” deputies said. Wolfe has been charged with first-degree murder. He is being held in North Central Regional Jail on $500,012 bond.

Hells Angels Motorcycle Club Hold Food Drive

Owensboro, Kentucky USA (October 16, 2022) - Members of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club, Nomads Kentucky held their fifth annual food drive at Owensboro’s American Legion Saturday. As folks ate and drank in the American Legion’s bar area, Hells Angels prospects sold club merchandise at tables in a separate room. 

Out front, full patched members stood by a trailer where people could drop off their food items which will all be donated to the Help Office of Owensboro, according to a Hells Angels MC spokesman.

 

Photo by Greg Eans, Messenger-Inquirer

Many people need the proceeds of the Hells Angels food drive now more than ever, he said. “A lot of people are having hard times right now. Everybody knows the prices of everything are going up,” the spokesman said. The club’s reputation as an outlaw gang isn’t representative of what it is today. 

“In the 1970's, I was one-year old. I could go back and look at how the military or any organization was in the 1970's compared to what it is today,” he said. “People are going to think what they think. People who know us and have been around, know how we are and who we are.”

American Legion manager Laura Morris said it’s always a pleasure to have the bikers hold the event there. “For them to help us and help out in the community, I just can’t say enough good things about them,” said Morris.

Source: Messenger-Inquirer  

Mongols MC Member Arrested Over Killing

Pinellas Park, Florida, USA (October 13, 2022) - The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office has made a second arrest in the fatal shooting of a Palm Harbor motorcycle club member. On Wednesday, the sheriff's office arrested Dylan Lee Pascale, 35, of Pinellas Park on first-degree murder charges for his involvement in the gangland-style slaying of Dominick Paternoster, 46, on April 27.

His arrest follows the August 26 indictment of Paul Mogilevsky, 48, of Pinellas Park by a grand jury on first-degree murder charges in the shooting death of Paternoster at his home, 104 Dunbridge Drive, Palm Harbor. Gualtieri said Paternoster was a member of the Raiders motorcycle club, a support or puppet club of the Mongols Motorcycle Club. He was shot multiple times by more than one gun after being identified as a "snitch" who was providing information to law enforcement, Gualtieri said.

RELATED | Mongols MC member faces murder charge

Although based in California, Gualtieri said the clubs numbers have a growing presence in Tampa Bay. “They're a criminal racketeering organization, and they are organized crime, really, in its truest sense," Gualtieri said. "They're very, very different from everyday people who simply enjoy riding motorcycles on weekends and belong to true social motorcycle clubs. These aren't the people you see out on a Sunday motorcycle ride. They're thugs who terrorize and commit crimes."



Mogilevsky and Pascale are both members of the Mongols, which share a clubhouse in Tampa with the Raiders, Gualtieri said.

Source: Tampa News

Hells Angels MC Member Gets 10 Years

Vancouver, B.C.(October 12, 2022) - Hells Angels Motorcycle Club remember Jason Arkinstall was sentenced on Wednesday to 10 years for smuggling large amounts of cocaine and methamphetamine worth millions into Canada two years ago. Surrey Provincial Court Judge Mark Jetté said that Arkinstall was entitled to extra credit for time in pretrial jail during the pandemic, meaning his remaining term is six years and three months.

Crown prosecutor Maggie Loda told a sentencing hearing last month that the 48-year-old only motivation was profit when he attempted to bring 90 kilograms of meth and 118 kilograms of cocaine into B.C. from Idaho on October 23, 2020. United States border agents spotted Arkinstall and a friend near the border with five duffel bags full of drugs. The two men fled but were later arrested on the Canadian side of the border.

Arkinstall, a member of the Hells Angels Mission City chapter, pleaded guilty in September 2021 to importing the illicit substances. Loda argued that Arkinstall should get a 12-year prison term based on the quantity of drugs and his criminal history. His defence lawyer Ken Westlake said a seven-year sentence would be more appropriate.

Jetté said Wednesday “that the sentence of seven years jail suggested by defence counsel would not be fit, given Mr. Arkinstall’s criminal record — in particular his prior conviction for drug trafficking, the quantity of drugs involved, and the fact that two schedule-one drugs were imported into Canada.”

“On the other side of the ledger, I find that Mr. Arkinstall’s early guilty plea justifies the sentence itself fall somewhere below the 12 years sought by Crown Counsel,” Jetté said. “I have concluded that a fit sentence in this case is 10 years jail.”

Source: Yahoo News