Hells Angels growth in Ottawa and Gatineau concerns cops

The Red Devils MC has three branches in the Ottawa-Gatineau Region, according to police

Recruitment up for biker clubs affiliated with the Hells Angels in the national capital region

OTTAWA, CANADA (March 7, 2016) — The Hells Angels MC is expanding its presence in the National capital region with the help of the Red Devils MC.

According to police, the Red Devils now have three branches here — one in Ottawa and two in Gatineau — and members are actively recruiting throughout the region, drafting newcomers from local biker club Dark Souls Outaouais.

 Sgt. Len Isnor of the Biker Enforcement Unit

The Red Devils MC wear a jacket with the name Ottawa, but there are three sections," said Ontario Provincial Police Detective Sergeant Len Isnor, who works in the control unit against biker clubs.

The Ottawa North and Ottawa East sections of the Red Devils are based in Gatineau, and the third section is based in Ottawa itself, according to Isnor. Most of the clubs's Ontario members live in the Cornwall area.

Police say that in its role as a sort of "farm team" for Hells Angels, the Red Devils do the dirty work in the region — dealing drugs, prostitution, and extortion — funneling money up to the Angels.

"It's the motive of every Red Devils member to become a member of the Hells Angels," said Isnor.

In Quebec, the Hells Angels were effectively pushed out of the province in 2009, when police enacted a stunning sweep of the organization, arresting 156 people, including 111 full patch members.

Ever since those raids disrupted operations, the Angels' leaders and members have become far more cautious, according to Sylvain Tremblay, a former investigator with Sûreté du Québec and expert on organized crime.

Former Outlaws MC Clubhouse Sold

Former Outlaws clubhouse to become yoga studio

Crews remove the Outlaws sign off the building

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (March 7, 2016) — The owners of a former motorcycle clubhouse in Fort Wayne are working to transform the two-story building into a yoga studio.

Outlaws Motorcycle Club’s former local clubhouse was purchased last month for $36,000. The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette reports that the property was listed for $49,900 late last year after the federal government seized it in September following an FBI raid in May 2013.

Previous Story:  Outlaws Motorcycle Clubhouse Raided

The former Outlaws Clubhouse at 1202 West Main Street with a 'For Sale' sign

Luke Messmann, who will manage the business, was preparing the building last week for an extensive remodel. He plans to spend about $25,000 on new windows, doors, floors and paint.

The 4,000-square-foot,  115 year old two-story building sits on a lot zoned for restaurant, cafeteria or bar use. Messmann hopes to create a two-bedroom apartment on the second floor where visiting yoga instructors can stay overnight for a few weeks.

The still-unnamed yoga studio is set to open in June or July.

Grim Reapers MC

A lone member of the Grim Reapers MC sits on his Motorcycle

Outlaws MC might take fight to Supreme Court

Illinois 3/3/2016
Members of the Outlaws Motorcycle Club might appeal to the Illinois Supreme Court in their lengthy quest to get back their cuts confiscated after a bar fight.

The fight was in 2012, when a group of Outlaws wearing their colors got in a brawl with other customers at the Lizard Lounge near Wonder Lake. Three members who were arrested and charged with aggravated battery.

"It basically boils down to whether it's an effort worth making," Joel Rabb, an attorney for the Outlaws, tells me. "The patches are exceptionally important to my client. Just because they've been seized doesn't mean the organization ceases to exist."

Court says they are a “Street Gang”

The 2nd District Appellate Court in Elgin sided last week with a McHenry County judge who ruled the vests were used "to facilitate street gang activity" in the bar fight.

The appellate panel cited testimony from a McHenry County sheriff's detective who said while their vests didn't directly cause the violence, they contributed to it and enabled the Outlaws members to show dominance by "violent means, if necessary."

Rabb calls that a "stretch." The Outlaws' primary concern, Rabb says, is "the setting of precedent that allows for seizure and confiscation of club paraphernalia."

Source: Daily Herald