Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. (December 11, 2020) - Federal authorities were looking for a man who is wanted as part of an ongoing investigation into the Pagan's Motorcycle Club.
Dominic Quarture was taken into custody Thursday evening, according to the FBI. Richard Lee White III was in custody earlier in the day.
Thirty other members and associates of the Pagan's Motorcycle Club are in federal custody after they were charged with drug trafficking and firearms charges, U.S. attorney Scott Brady announced Wednesday.
“The Pagan's have used violence to control cocaine, heroin and meth trafficking in Allegheny, Westmoreland, Erie, Fayette and Washington counties,” Brady said in a video that was released on Youtube.
Following a yearlong investigation, law enforcement executed search warrants on 11 locations, finding several firearms including an Uzi; “significant amounts” of heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine and fentanyl; and $28,000 in cash and jewelry.
“This is the most significant motorcycle club prosecution in this office since the 1980's,” Brady said. “It is a good day for the good guys.”
R. Joseph Rothrock, assistant special agent in charge of the FBI’s Pittsburgh division, said the members engaged in a “wide array of organized criminal activity, which included significant narcotics and firearms trafficking and violence.”
The investigation, which was widespread, also resulted in identifying large-scale suppliers of narcotics not only to members and associates of the Pagan's, but to drug traffickers and suppliers within the greater Pittsburgh region.
Sonoma, California, USA (December 11, 2020) - In an attempt to keep a former Hells Angels charter president incarcerated while he awaits trial in a racketeering case, federal prosecutors have revealed new allegations about the November 2016 beating he’s charged with committing, alleging that the victim was assaulted for hours, pistol-whipped, forcibly tattooed, and nearly murdered.
Raymond Foakes, AKA "Ray Ray" a prominent Hells Angels member and past Sonoma charter president known for setting off the River Run Riot, has made a new bid for freedom, arguing through his attorneys that he’s willing to be placed on house arrest in Oakley in lieu of imprisonment at the Santa Rita Jail. His attorneys have also argued it’s unfair to keep Foakes locked up when he’s not scheduled to go to trial for at least a year.
“In sum, there has been little or no progress made in getting Foakes’ case to trial and the earliest feasible trial date for him will be sometime in 2022,” his attorney wrote in a Dec. 2 court filing. “By that time Foakes will have been detained for almost 60 months.”
In their response, federal prosecutors argued Foakes “poses both a flight risk and a danger to the community” and that his motion is essentially a rehashing of prior failed attempts to get out of jail. They also detailed the main crimes Foakes is accused of committing: the 2016 beating and a subsequent sexual assault of a woman connected to the beating victim.
In court records, both alleged victims are referred to by pseudonyms to protect their identities. The alleged victim of the beating is referred to as “Victim 5.”
“During that assault, another Hells Angel pistol-whipped Victim 5; he was beaten with a baseball bat; and he was repeatedly punched and kicked. Victim 5’s tattoos were forcibly covered over with a tattoo gun, and (Foakes) took that tattoo gun and crudely etched lines in Victim 5’s face,” prosecutors wrote. “During the beating, (Foakes) indicated that he was going to take the firearm that was used to pistol whip Victim 5 and was going to shoot the victim with it. Other Hells Angels stopped him from doing so, however.”
During the beating, Foakes allegedly called a woman — referred to in court records as “Victim 6” and said that he “needed to explain to her what was happening to Victim 5,” prosecutors wrote.
“Victim 6 drove to meet (Foakes), and when she picked him up, defendant took her to a secluded location and sexually assaulted her,” the prosecution memo added.
A federal judge is scheduled to rule on Foakes’ motion for release next week. The motion may yet succeed, as some of Foakes’ co-defendants, including other Hells Angels members have already been granted release in this case. Last September, the president of the Sonoma Hells Angels Charter, Jonathan “Jon Jon” Nelson, was granted release from Santa Rita with pending murder charges after his attorneys argued he had strong ties to the community and would not associate with other members of the club while out of custody.
Foakes was one of 11 alleged Hells Angels members charged in 2017 as part of a large-scale federal investigation. The defendants have since been divided into two groups: Those facing charges of luring a fellow Hells Angels member to a clubhouse in Fresno, murdering him, and illegally cremating the body, and those, like Foakes, who aren’t facing any murder charges.
The former group is expected to go to trial in October 2021, and the latter group will likely get their day in court sometime the following year, according to court records.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA (December 10, 2020) - As part of a long-term investigation into the Pagan's Motorcycle Club in Western Pennsylvania, FBI agents got permission to tap 10 phones.
Over a period of several weeks, they said they heard members of the Pagan's, their suppliers and sources talk about the kind of heroin they were selling; where they store their drugs for sale; people cooperating against them; their drug debts and where to get better prices for their cocaine supply.
On Wednesday, U.S. Attorney Scott Brady announced that 30 people from Western Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio have been charged with drug trafficking and weapons possession as part of that investigation.
“For decades, the Pagan's have used violence to control cocaine, heroin and meth trafficking throughout Western Pennsylvania: That stops now,” Brady said. “For decades, they avoided prosecution, until today.”
Three separate indictments were returned on December 1st and unsealed Tuesday. All 30 defendants have been arrested, Brady said, following arrest and search warrants that were served on 11 locations Tuesday — including the group’s clubhouse in McKees Rocks.
In all, the prosecutor said, some 300 law enforcement officers and seven SWAT teams participated in the arrests and searches, which yielded large quantities of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and fentanyl. Also recovered were 10 Rolex watches, jewelry and $28,000 in cash, Brady said.
According to Brady, these are the most significant indictments of a motorcycle club in this district since the mid-1980's.
Brady called the Pagan's one of the big four outlaw motorcycle clubs in the country and also one of the most violent. They have about 1,500 members in 41 chapters, he said.
Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the FBI office in Pittsburgh, R. Joseph Rothrock said the Pagan's are a highly structured criminal organization.
“They had a complete disregard for law enforcement and the communities where they operate,” he said. “They don’t care what kind of violence or damage or pain they inflict on the community.”
The grand jury returned three separate, but related indictments for narcotics trafficking — including cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin, as well as firearms possession.
Brady said the indictments have disrupted the Pagans’ criminal organization.
The investigation began in August 2018, and included the use of confidential sources; a series of controlled buys; physical and electronic surveillance.
According to an application for a search warrant authored by FBI Special Agent John Ypsilantis, wiretaps were conducted on 10 phones belonging to six people, including members of the Pittsburgh Pagans’ chapter, from August through November.
Those charged include:
Bill Rana, 40, of Cheswick
Eric Armes, 42, of Cheswick
Jason Evans, 44, of Pittsburgh
Hasani James, 49, of Detroit
Cody Bonanno, 25, of Uhrichsville, Ohio
Phillip Bonanno, 54, of New Philadelphia, Ohio
Dominic Quarture, 52, of Washington
Mark Stockhausen, 39, of Erie
Patrick Rizzo, 45, of McKees Rocks
Anthony Peluso, 38, of Hampton
Marissa Botta, 28, of Hampton
David Pietropaolo, 23, of Glenshaw
Thomas Snelsire, 45, of Baldwin
Wayne Webber, 42, of Duquesne
Ronald Simak, 37, of Verona
Anthony Scatena, 22, of Pittsburgh
James Stewart, 41, of Pittsburgh
Dorin Duncan, 42, of Glenshaw
Jeffrey Kushik, 29, of Pittsburgh
Gary Hairston, 40, of Pittsburgh
Darian Wofford, 27, of Pittsburgh
Stephanie Zilka, 27, of Baldwin
Misty Walker, 39, of Pittsburgh
Richard White, 18, of Pittsburgh
Randy Camacho, 34, of Pittsburgh
Damian Cherepko, 26, of Elizabeth
Brandon Hulboy, 29, of Pittsburgh
James Crivella, 27, of Glenshaw
Seaira Collins, 32, of Pittsburgh
Jessica Taranto, 37, of Pittsburgh
According to the filing, the agent learned that the Pagan's had parties at the McKees Rocks clubhouse involving “party favors,” of meth, ecstasy and other club drugs. There was also prostitution there.
According to the prosecution, the Pagan's held weekly meetings on Thursdays, which they called “church,” and also large gatherings at their clubhouse. Investigators set up a pole camera outside the clubhouse to record the comings and goings, the affidavit said.
Victoria, Australia (December 4, 2020) - Police have arrested six people and seized 14 firearms as part of a National Day of Action targeting the Mongols Motorcycle Club.
Officers searched a club house and address in Echuca, along with several properties in Greater Melbourne.
The six people have been charged with a range of drug, firearms, weapons, and explosives offences.
A number of items were also seized from the properties, including firearms, cash, explosives, and a range of drugs like cocaine, cannabis, hallucinogens, steroids, and prescription medication.
Police also served firearm prohibition orders on 12 Mongols MC members and conducted compliance checks on a number of existing firearm prohibition order subjects.
Earlier this week, police seized 12 firearms from two patched Mongols MC members.
Police also searched a South Morang address and seized a suspected stolen Harley Davidson, drugs, ammunition, and a conducted energy device.
Two men, who are patched members of the Mongols Motorcycle Club, were also served with firearm prohibition orders and were expected to be charged in relation to the seizures.
Members of the Echo Taskforce, public order response team, licensing records division, dog squad, bomb response unit, and local police – as well as the Australian Federal Police national anti gangs squad – were involved in the day of action on Thursday.
Across Australia, a number of people were arrested and a range of items including firearms, drugs, and cash.
Crime Command Acting Assistant Commissioner Mick Frewen said it was imperative that law enforcement agencies across Australia continued to work to together to target motorcycle clubs.
“This is a group we know have traditionally been involved in violent crimes such as shootings, assaults, arson, drug trafficking, extortion and intimidation,” Mr Frewen said.
“These activities bring immense harm to communities across Australia and often significantly impacts innocent people who have no links to the outlaw motorcycle gangs.”
“In Victoria alone, the Mongols have been linked to a number of firearms incidents including multiple homicides and non-fatal shootings over the past 15 months.”
“Organised criminal groups such as the Mongols aren’t a state-based problem.”
“They remain a significant issue for law enforcement right across Australia and days of action such as this one provides the ideal opportunity for us to work together to target their offending and also gather intelligence.”
