Members of the Indiana chapter of the Chosen Few MC party
Tuesday, January 3, 2017
California Highway Patrol Arrest Biker
San Luis Obispo, CA (January 3, 2017) — One motorcyclist has been arrested and
officers are looking for a second one after a pursuit that led officials down
Highway 101 on Tuesday afternoon.
A California Highway Patrol officer stopped three
motorcyclists on the Cuesta Grade at about 2:30 p.m., according to CHP Officer
J.W. Townsend. One of the motorcyclists yielded, but the other two sped off. It
is not yet known why the officer conducted the original stop, Townsend said.
Officials arrested one of the motorcyclists as he was
coming out of a Shell gas station on Los Osos Valley Road and Madonna Road in
San Luis Obispo, Townsend said. The man was wearing a Hells Angels vest with a
Ventura patch.
Cops inspect suspects Motorcycle
They found the original motorcyclist, who had yielded,
south of Arroyo Grande. He was speaking with officers and has not been
arrested.
CHP officers are still looking for the third
motorcyclist, Townsend said. No one was hurt during the chase.
SOURCE: The Tribune
Tuesday, December 20, 2016
Tom Fugle: Founding member of El Forastero MC, dead at 75
SIOUX, IOWA (December 18, 2016) — To many in the
mainstream biker world, his name has no meaning but if you were in the Chopper scene
in the 60's and 70's he was already a legend. His influence is forever engraved on the custom
bike building world.
Tom bought a Harley dresser in 1961 for $800 bucks and
turned it into a chopper, the bike only had 3,000 miles on it at the time. Tom
built traditional old style choppers for his entire adult life.
Tom Fugle
Tom was very good friends with legendary biker artist Dave
Mann, a fellow El Forastero MC member. Tom even delivered a eulogy at Mann’s
funeral in 2004.
Tom kept building the style of bikes integral to the chopper
movement that he helped pioneer in the 60's and early 70's. In fact, Tom built the
style of choppers that many today cite as inspirational and ground breaking at
the time.
Tom rode an Evo later in life
Our condolences to his ole' lady, friend and companion Jennie DeCora, and his
brothers in the El Forastero MC. Rest In Peace Tom Jerome Fugle, you taught us
a lot.
A memorial service is planned at a later date, yet to be
determined, according to Waterbury Funeral Service.
Friday, December 16, 2016
An 'Alleged' Mongols MC member arrested for wearing rings
BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA (December 15, 2016) — An alleged Mongols MC club member has become the first to face a charge under the State Government's reworked anti-biker laws, for wearing gold and diamond "biker rings".
Police intercepted a four-wheel-drive at Hamilton on
Brisbane's north side early this afternoon, when they say they noticed a man
wearing rings inscribed with "1%" and "Mongols".
They conducted a search of the car and found a
Mongols-branded vest in his luggage.
The 44-year-old Brisbane man has been issued with a
notice to appear in court next month for wearing a prohibited item in a public
place.
Confiscated rings that the 'alleged' Mongol member was wearing
It is the first time a person has been charged under the new section of the Summary Offences Act 2005.
Police Minister Mark Ryan said the new laws would further
deter outlaw motorcycle gangs.
"My message to outlaw motorcycle gangs, or any crime
group, is: if you commit a crime, the police will catch you and you will suffer
the full force of the law," he said.
An unidentified Mongol MC member wearing illegal vest
Under the laws passed by the Newman government in 2013,
it was illegal to wear bikie colours in a licenced premises and criminal gang
members were not allowed to congregate in a public place.
SOURCE: ABC AUSTRALIA
Warlocks in Philadelphia 1972
Warlocks attend the 1972 Philadelphia Folk Festival
In the midst of Sunday’s festival activity, the
Philadelphia Warlocks—roared up to the
entrance gate to be surrounded at once by state police. Within a short time,
festival co-chairman Bob Siegel and other cool heads on the security force
negotiated the impasse to a compromise: Warlocks were allowed in free on the
condition of non-destructive behavior and a promise to leave the grounds by 5
PM.—Amie Hill, Rolling Stone
Thursday, December 15, 2016
New York Police waging war against Hells Angels
NEW YORK, NY (December 12, 2016) — There’s an all-out war
brewing between the Hells Angels and city cops — who swarmed the bikers’
clubhouse Tuesday as payback for refusing to help solve a shooting, police and
witnesses said.
More than 30 cops stormed the East Village headquarters and slapped bikers with summonses for any minor infractions they could find, according to police.
“It was done just to mess with them,” one police source
said. “They’re not cooperating with the investigation. If they’re gonna give us
a hard time, we’re gonna give them a hard time.”
New York Police removing ramp with saw at the Hells Angels Clubhouse
The bikers — who have refused to answer cops’ questions about a shooting over a parking space in front of the clubhouse early Sunday — were slapped with at least three summonses, cops said.
They were ticketed for blocking the sidewalk with
planters and failing to display license plates on motorcycles, which were
covered with a protective sheet.
Cops also used a saw to cut away a metal ramp in front of
the clubhouse and ripped out an outdoor bench.
Park bench in front of the Hells Angels Clubhouse
Police said they hassled the bikers to send them a message.
“We want them to feel our presence and to let them know
we are here,” the source said. “They don’t own that block and they have no
right to block parking spots for themselves. It’s a public street.”
The cop added, “They want to bring chaos and outrage into
the community, [so] we are going to enforce the law and ensure they are
following the rules.”
Meanwhile, the man shot in the gut, allegedly by one of
the bikers, is terrified to work with police — possibly for fear of retribution
from the motorcycle club, police said.
“All witnesses are afraid,” one police source said,
adding they would likely still testify.
SOURCE: New York Post
Monday, December 12, 2016
Prospect shoots man outside Hells Angels clubhouse
Man moved cones to park in front of clubhouse
NEW YORK, NY (December 12, 2016) — A man was shot in the
stomach Sunday morning after getting into an altercation with a group of Hells
Angels over a parking space in front of their chapter office, authorities said.
David Martinez, 25, moved an orange cone that was used to
save a parking space so he could move around a livery vehicle blocking the way,
according to the New York Post.
The fight started when a member, wearing a jacket with
the Hells Angels logo on it, told Martinez not to touch the cone.
Three other men who were in the Mercedes with Martinez
got out of the vehicle. Then other bikers rushed out of the clubhouse and
started to fight, police said.
A prospective member who was on the ground pulled out a
gun and shot Martinez in the stomach, police said. The man is considered a
prospective member because he was not wearing a Hells Angels patch on his
jacket, police said.
Hells Angels MC Clubhouse in New York
This is not the first time that the cones have caused
problems.
Neighbors complained about cones and saw horses blocking
parking spaces in 1999, according to The New York Times.
Martinez was taken by friends to the hospital. He is in
stable condition and his injuries are not considered life-threatening.
Police are looking for three white men, believed to be
riding motorcycles, in connection with the incident.
“No white man on a motorcycle has contacted me with
respect to this incident,” Ron Kuby, a lawyer who has represented members of
the club in the past.
Police on Sunday took the cones that they found,
according to neighbors.
SOURCE: New York Daily News
Thursday, December 8, 2016
Hells Angel member tricked police snitch
Drug transaction idea a ruse, Hells Angel MC member testifies
SASKATCHEWAN, CANADA ( December 7, 2016) — A Hells Angel
on trial in Saskatoon for one count of drug trafficking testified Wednesday he
led a police informant on about the idea of a cocaine deal so he could continue
receiving opioids to feed his addiction.
Rob Allen’s trial began Monday in Saskatoon’s Court of
Queen’s Bench after the 36-year-old was arrested as part of the January 2015
Project Forseti raids in Saskatchewan and Alberta. He was one of 14 people
arrested.
Noel Harder, who officially signed up to be a police
snitch in the case in December 2014, testified during day one of the trial. He
said in 2014 he and Allen were planning to move one kilogram of cocaine to
Saskatoon from the Hells Angels MC in Ontario.
Harder would sell the cocaine, and although Allen would never be in direct contact with the drugs, he would receive a $5,000 cut, according to Harder.
Harder would sell the cocaine, and although Allen would never be in direct contact with the drugs, he would receive a $5,000 cut, according to Harder.
Hells Angel member in Canada
When Allen took the stand Wednesday, he testified he had
no intention of moving any cocaine to Saskatoon. He said Harder approached him
about the deal. The ideas behind the price, suppliers and Allen’s cut came from
Harder.
“He was constantly asking me to bring drugs in,” Allen
said while under cross-examination.
He testified he went along with Harder’s plan because he
feared losing his connection to receiving opioids.
Allen was prescribed OxyContin for a back injury in 2012
and eventually became addicted, he testified. He spent between $1,000 and
$2,000 a month on OxyContin and Fentanyl, and bought it exclusively from Harder
and two of Harder’s associates.
He shook the addiction after his arrest last year and is
no longer dependent on opioids, he said. While Harder was under cross-examination, defense lawyer
Morris Bodnar asked why it took about nine months to discuss a drug deal that
didn’t happen.
Harder also said police instructed him to target about 30
people, including Allen and other Hells Angels members, in the Project Forseti
investigation. At the time he was the vice-president of the Fallen
Saints, a group police describe as a puppet club of the Hells Angels.
Harder said he was instructed numerous times by police to
meet with Allen to discuss the cocaine deal. When they met, their conversations
were being recorded, but other times Allen didn’t make himself available.
Text messages between Allen and Harder were also
intercepted and Harder testified the two often spoke in code when discussing
illegal activities. Allen said he was just humoring Harder, even going as far
as writing on a sticky note the cocaine would arrive at a certain time on a
certain day, which never happened.
Court also heard Harder was offered a $300,000 reward for
his work in Project Forseti as well as a living allowance, which he still
receives today.
News Channel Video
Defence lawyer Morris Bodnar said prosecutor Douglas
Curliss spoke with Harder during breaks in proceedings Tuesday, which he argued
is inappropriate.
Curliss asked Bodnar to apologize and withdraw the
complaint Wednesday, citing case law saying it’s appropriate for a prosecutor
to speak with a client outside of examination-in-chief.
While Bodnar did not apologize or withdraw the complaint,
Justice Grant Currie ruled in Curliss’s favour, saying the prosecutor didn’t
act inappropriately.
Cross-examination of Allen is expected to continue
Thursday.
SOURCE: CTV Saskatoon
Tuesday, December 6, 2016
Wanted Outlaw MC member turns himself in
Hillsborough County firefighter was a wanted man
TAMPA, FLORIDA (December 6, 2016) — A Hillsborough County
firefighter wanted in connection to a Key West bar fight involving Outlaw
Motorcycle Club members turned himself in Monday in Monroe County.
Clinton Neal Walker, 33, of Bradenton was booked on a
misdemeanor battery charge at a county jail site in Tavernier, a Monroe County
Sheriff's Office spokeswoman said. Walker posted $3,000 bail and was released
shortly after his arrest.
Walker was wanted by the Key West Police who say he and
other Outlaws members beat up the manager and an employee at a downtown Key
West bar called Rumor Lounge on Sept. 27.
A woman told officers the fight started after she got
into argument with one of several men wearing shirts and jackets with the
"Outlaws" logo, according to a police report.
Black vest with the Outlaws MC Colors
The arrest warrant, obtained by Key West police on Nov.
10, states Walker is a "confirmed active member" of the Outlaws,
considered by authorities to be the state's dominant motorcycle club. It is
strongest in South Florida but has chapters in Tampa and St. Petersburg.
According to the FBI, the Outlaws use their motorcycle
clubs as conduits for crime, including trafficking in weapons and drugs.
After the warrant was issued, Walker was placed on paid
administrative leave from Hillsborough County Fire Rescue pending the outcome
of an internal investigation.
His attorney, Jerry Theophilopoulos, did not immediately
return messages Tuesday.
SOURCE: Tampa Bay Times
Snitch testifies against Hells Angels Member
Police snitch testifies at Project Forseti trial
for Hells Angels member
SASKATCHEWAN, CANADA ( December 5, 2016) — A drug dealer
turned police snitch took the stand Monday for the first time in connection
with Project Forseti, a months-long drug investigation that targeted the Hells
Angels and Fallen Saints Motorcycle Clubs in Saskatoon.
Snitch Noel Harder told the court he arranged to get a
kilogram of cocaine from Robert Allen, a full-patch Hells Angels member who is
on trial, accused of trafficking cocaine between Sept. 1 and Dec. 15, 2014.
Some of the confiscated items during the bust
In his opening statement, federal prosecutor Doug Curliss
said with Harder’s help, police intercepted text messages and recorded
conversations between Harder and Allen. The information proves Allen offered to
get large amounts of cocaine from Hells Angels associates in Ontario and give
the product to Harder to distribute, Curliss said.
When speaking in person, the men often used hand signals
to describe the drug deal because Allen was paranoid about being recorded,
Harder testified. That’s why many of the audio recordings have gaps in the
conversation, he said.
A Fallen Saints MC vest along side a Hells Angels MC vest sits as evidence
Harder said they would write notes that would be ripped
up and flushed down the toilet, and code language was often used in text
messages.
Curliss asked Harder about a text message in which Allen
mentioned a “moving guy” he paid to “move” to Saskatoon who didn’t show up when
expected. Harder said what Allen actually meant was that the cocaine never came
because the transport person disappeared.
Although the drug transaction never happened, offering to
sell drugs is still a crime, Curliss noted in his opening remarks.
Court heard Allen offered to sell cocaine to Harder at a
cheaper price while taking a $5,000 cut from every kilogram that was sold.
Curliss said the discussions around this arrangement took
place “over a significant period of time.” On the stand, Harder decoded
messages that used construction lingo to describe the cocaine deal and sports
references to talk about Oxycodone pills that Harder sold Allen.
He also described moments in the audio recordings when he
or Allen would use hand signals. The motion of dealing cards referred to the
drug deal, and drawing a rectangle in the air indicated a block of cocaine, he
said.
Rob Allen beside his Harley - Davidson Motorcycle
Defence lawyer Morris Bodnar argued Harder’s notes —
which filled in the gestures — should not be admissible because there’s no way
to prove they took place. Justice Grant Currie ruled he would decide how much
weight to give the evidence after the trial is over.
Harder said Allen initially approached him to start a
“support group” for the Hells Angels after the Outlaws Motorcycle Club started
gaining traction in the drug trade. The Fallen Saints Motorcycle Club was
formed and Harder became vice-president.
SOURCE: Saskatchewan Star Phoenix
Saturday, December 3, 2016
Feds warn of increase of Outlaw Bikers in Florida
“We've seen them Outlaw Bikers riding colors with their jackets on.
MARATHON, FL ( December 3, 2016)The FBI warned local law enforcement last month that
Outlaw Motorcycle Clubs are increasing their presence in South Florida,
especially in the Keys.
And their presence has been particularly noticed at popular
Motorcycle events like the Peterson Poker Run, held annually throughout the
island chain in September.
“We’ve seen in the last couple of years, during events
like the Peterson Poker Run, an increase in Outlaw Bikers participating,” said
Monroe County Sheriff Rick Ramsay. “We've seen them Outlaw Bikers riding colors
with their jackets on. Historically, you haven’t seen that.”
“Colors” for motorcycle clubs generally are a three-part
arrangement of patches depicting the club name and its location.
The FBI in November sent a memo to Keys law enforcement
agencies stating that various Motorcycle Clubs are trying to gain territory in
South Florida. The Outlaws MC, regarded as the dominant Motorcycle Club in the
region, likely would respond by making efforts to increase its presence and
influence, according to the memo.
A member of the Black Pistons MC and Outlaws MC at an
event
Ramsay said the document warned of an increased incidence
of Outlaw Motorcycle Club activity in the Keys, and that there could be
“conflicts between club members.”
“The information put out was an FYI and to be aware and
mindful,” Ramsay said.
Nora Scheland, an FBI spokeswoman, declined to comment on
the warning.
City of Key West Police Department Chief Donald J. Lee
said that his department also received information about Outlaw Biker Clubs
would take part in the Poker Run, but he would not elaborate on which agency
shared the intelligence.
“We are constantly sharing intelligence information with
other law enforcement agencies, but, in the interest of public safety, do not
disclose active intelligence information,” Lee said.
“As far as shared information regarding Outlaw Biker
activity, we were made aware both before and during the Poker Run, that there
was a chance biker gangs would be in attendance,” Lee said. “This is not the
first year they’ve come to the Keys for Poker Run, by any means.”
Ramsay said life for Motorcycle Club members has changed
over the years. No longer are the organizations’ membership made up solely of
men whose only job is in the club.
“It used to be that groups like the Outlaws and the
Pagans were made up of guys whose sole job was being involved in criminal
enterprises,” Ramsay said. “They didn’t have day jobs.”
Now, he said members have “dual roles, dual lives.
They’re trying to blend into two different societies.”
Indeed, a member of the Outlaws MC involved in a barroom
brawl in Key West during the Poker Run in September also is a Hillsborough
County firefighter.
SOURCE: Florida Keys News
Sentence of former Pagans MC National Prez overturned
Court overturns conviction, sentence
of former leader of Pagans MC
WESTMORELAND, PA ( December 3, 2016) — Police can't use a single search
warrant to repeatedly send a wired informant into someone's home, a state
appeals court ruled Friday in overturning the conviction and sentence of the
former head of the Pagans Motorcycle Club.
The ruling effectively suppresses
all the evidence in the state's prosecution of Dennis “Rooster” Katona, 50,
said Katona's lawyer, Paul Boas. While the Superior Court order remands the
case back to Westmoreland County for a new trial, it's more likely the state
will appeal the decision, he said.
“If they choose not to appeal, the
case is over,” Boas said.
Katona could ask a judge to release
him on bail pending any appeal. He is serving 40 to 80 months in prison for his
2014 conviction on drug charges.
“I fully anticipate we will file an
appeal,” said deputy state Attorney General Michael M. Ahwesh, who prosecuted
the case.
The state has two appeal options —
requesting a new hearing before a nine-judge panel of the Superior Court or
requesting a hearing before the state Supreme Court.
Dennis “Rooster” Katona
In a 2-1 ruling, judges Kate Ford
Elliott and Jacqueline O. Shogan said a 1994 Supreme Court decision requires a
judge to approve a search warrant when a wire informant enters someone's home
as opposed to meeting them on the street, in a car or in a restaurant.
Based on that decision and
subsequent state law, “a separate finding of probable cause was required for
each in-home intercept.”
Judge Eugene B. Strassburger
disagreed. He said requiring police to seek a judge's approval each time they
sent the informant into the home would be a burden and the judge approving the
order should be able to set the warrant's timeframe.
Most constitutional protections,
including the right to be free from unreasonable search and seizures, are
supposed to be “burdensome,” Boas said. It is burdensome to get a warrant, read
a suspect the Miranda warnings, pick a jury and hold a trial, he said.
SOURCE: Trib Live
Friday, December 2, 2016
Wednesday, November 30, 2016
Hells Angel MC member arrested in Santa Rosa sex assault
Was past president of the Sonoma County, California Chapter
SANTA ROSA, CA ( November 29, 2016) — A Hells Angels MC
member will be arraigned in Sonoma County Superior Court Wednesday afternoon
for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman and threatening her husband.
Raymond Michael Foakes, 53, of Rohnert Park, called the
woman around 11 p.m. Saturday and told her to meet him at the Hells Angels
clubhouse off Frazier Avenue in Santa Rosa, Sonoma County sheriff’s Sgt.
Spencer Crum said.
The 49-year-old Santa Rosa woman learned her husband was
about to be stripped of his membership
The Hells Angels Clubhouse being raided by SWAT in Sonoma County
The woman agreed and Foakes ordered her to drive them in
her car to a secluded area off Bennett Valley Road, where he allegedly sexually
assaulted her against her will and threatened to harm her husband if she
refused, Crum said.
After the alleged assault, Foakes drove the woman’s car
back to the Hells Angels’ clubhouse, where he got out of the car and the victim
went home, Crum said.
Foakes knows the woman’s husband, who also is associated
with the Hells Angels, according to Crum.
The woman reported the assault to the Sonoma County
Sheriff’s Office, which obtained a search warrant for Foakes’ home in Rohnert Park. The sheriff’s SWAT unit went to the house
around 6:30 p.m. Monday but Foakes was not home, Crum said.
Foakes was later arrested at a meeting he was attending
off Airway Drive in Santa Rosa, Crum said.
Foakes was booked into Sonoma County Jail under $1
million bail on suspicion of sexual assault, victim intimidation, stalking and
gang participation, Crum said.
Raymond Michael Foakes, 53, a member of the Hells Angels
Motorcycle Club in Santa Rosa (pictured), was arrested Monday on
suspicion of sexual assault, victim intimidation, stalking and gang
participation.
Foakes was a past president of the Sonoma County Hells
Angels. He had formerly served prison sentences for a variety of offenses
ranging from a 2002 brawl with a rival motorcycle club at a casino in southern
Nevada in which three people died, to fraud and money laundering.
Federal agents had previously raided the Santa Rosa Hells
Angels headquarters in 2006 to search for him during a Bay Area-wide FBI
manhunt before he turned himself in to face methamphetamine possession and
distribution charges
SOURCE: Press Democrat
Monday, November 28, 2016
Robert the builder tells of life inside a Finks MC chapter
Ex member now fears for his life after snitching to cops
RINGWOOD, VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA ( November 27, 2016) —A MAN who made the mistake of hanging out with a Motorcycle
Club has given a terrifying account into life inside the Finks MC clubhouse.
Builder Robert Bolsdon claims he got mixed up with the
Finks after he agreed to do some work for at a warehouse that just happened to
be the club’s Ringwood chapter headquarters.
He appeared before the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court last
week via video link where four of his former buddies are accused of a
conspiracy to bash him, among other offences.
Mr Bolsdon claimed he built a nice stage, a bar and
installed a stripper pole but never got around to finishing the toilet and
shower.
Inside, club supporters would pay $100 a month for the
privilege of drinking with members — paying $5 a drink no matter what they
ordered.
The Finks Motorcycle Club was formed in 1969 in Adelaide, Australia
The “prospects” would run the bar, open the clubhouse
gates for fully patched members and generally behave as servants, Mr Bolsdon
said. It could take years before a prospect earned their full patch.
Full patched members would fork out $250 a month to wear
the patch, and fees were to be paid no matter what.
Mr Bolsdon said chapter president John Napolitano would
control the visitors “like a cult” and allegedly order club members to bash
members or prospects.
Violent outbursts and random beatings were common on
Friday nights, where up to 50 people would gather to get drunk, Mr Bolsdon
said.
The victims were usually blow-ins, who foolishly thought
it might be fun to drink with the Finks.
“They always waited until these people were drunk then
laid into them,” Mr Bolsdon said. “I don’t know why they did it.”
Former member Caleb Hardwick said one member would bash
people he simply did not like the look of. Friday was also the night where club
members would hold their “church” meetings.
Mr Hardwick alleged everything from member fees to
planning crimes would be discussed there. Like Mr Bolsdon, the Finks had plans
to bash him, too, after he quit the club without paying his $10,000 exit fee or
handing over his patch and motorcycle.
Mr Bolsdon, who went on club rides dressed as a fully
patched member, said things went bad for him after he made the mistake of
asking to be paid for the renovations he’d made to the clubhouse.
Police remove a Motorcycle from the Finks Clubhouse in Ringwood, Australia
He was assaulted and alleged members blew up his car.
Mr. Hardwick stopped attending church meetings. In
October last year, he said he wanted out, and then he left without paying.
Instead, he ratted on his former mates to police and now lives a life of fear.
Finks members will appear in court throughout next week
as a part of Victoria Police’s Operation Irrevocable.
SOURCE: Gold Coast Bulletin
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