Jury selection begins in Vagos MC case

Las Vegas, Nevada, USA (July 30, 2019) BTN — Jury selection began Monday in U.S. District Court for a trial scheduled to begin with openings August 12 and stretch until about Thanksgiving.

The eight men, all from California and ranging in age from 36 to 70, represent the first of three groups totaling 21 defendants in a sweeping case that prosecutors allege involves Vagos and crimes in California, Arizona, Hawaii, Oregon, Utah and Nevada.

The centerpiece of the case is the shooting death of Jeffrey Pettigrew, president of the Hells Angels chapter in San Jose, California, during a brawl at a crowded Reno-area casino that sent gamblers diving under blackjack tables and left bullet fragments in slot machines.

September 23, 2011: Police officers keep an eye on handcuffed men at the east entrance to John Ascuaga's Nugget hotel-casino after a shooting in Sparks, Nevada - The Reno Gazette-Journal

Two Vagos members received non-fatal gunshots in the exchange of gunfire and one was wounded while riding his motorcycle several hours later in what authorities called a retaliatory drive-by shooting.

“The Vagos are always trying to be the big dog. In some areas they are,” said Terry Katz, a retired Maryland State Police lieutenant and gang expert with the International Outlaw Motorcycle Gang Investigators Association.

“Everybody’s heard of the Hells Angels, the Pagan’s, the Bandidos, the Outlaws. But the Vagos are right up there,” Katz said. “To kill Pettigrew in a setting like a casino shows that they just don’t care. It’s not like there are no cameras around.”

Now, nearly eight years later, prosecutors plan to tell a jury the case goes well beyond allegations that the eight defendants plotted to carry out a “green light order” to kill Pettigrew.

“That’s the enterprise. They’re the Vagos,” Daniel Schiess, the assistant U.S. attorney heading the prosecution, told Chief U.S. District Judge Gloria Navarro during a recent pretrial hearing. “The entire conspiracy for the enterprise is admissible against everyone.”


A 12-count indictment filed in 2017 accuses the 21 defendants of being a transnational gang with a hierarchical chain-of-command in which members reach leadership posts by adhering to club rules and committing acts of murder, kidnap, assault, extortion, robbery and witness intimidation as well as drug and weapons trafficking.

Charges date from a January 2005 bar brawl in Los Angeles; include allegations of cocaine and methamphetamine smuggling into the U.S. from Mexico; and point to a September 2011 kidnapping at gunpoint of a Vagos member suspected of violating gang rules. Prosecutors say he was beaten and robbed of his jewelry, guns and motorcycle.

The case relies on hundreds of recorded telephone conversations, reports by confidential informants and accounts by an undercover law enforcement officer who posed as a Vagos member in 2011 and 2012.

One allegation is that club members in Utah were ordered in August 2012 to pay a $100 tax to support lawyers for Ernesto Manuel Gonzalez, who was convicted in state court in Reno of Pettigrew’s death and sentenced to life in prison.

The Nevada Supreme Court overturned Gonzalez’s conviction in December 2015 due to faulty jury instructions at trial. He was awaiting a retrial when the federal racketeering indictment was filed.

He and his co-defendants — Pastor Palafox, Albert Lopez, Albert Perez, James Gillespie, Bradley Campos, Cesar Morales and Diego Garcia — have each pleaded not guilty. Each faces up to life in prison if he’s convicted.

SOURCE: My Northwest

Hells Angels MC members gathering today

Clemson, South Carolina, USA (July 29, 2019) BTN — The Hells Angels Motorcycle Club are gathering  today in Clemson for their annual summer rally. Clemson police Chief Jimmy Dixon said he expects more than 500 bikers from the motorcycle club.

"They're not coming here to cause problems," Chief Dixon said. "I know everybody thinks that the world is getting ready to come to an end. But I can assure you that that it is not."

Dixon said the Hells Angels will come from all across the country to meet for their annual rally starting on July 29 through Friday, August 2. Dixon compares the visit to a family reunion and while some know about their old reputation, but are rolling out the welcomes.

"I think that's in the past, I think they have evolved from that," Connie McKee said. McKee works in downtown Clemson and said the visit will help revenue, especially during a time when this college is lacking thousands of students.

Pierce Womack and Denise Kwiatek say Pickens County Emergency Management will be heavily involved. People in the area will see a command post set up in case an emergency were to arise.


Local law enforcement said they've checked in with other states who have hosted Hells Angels before. The Department of Justice has cited the Hells Angels as "an outlaw motorcycle gang". But that's hasn't impacted their stay in other states like Missouri and Virgina; all of whom say it was a pleasant experience.

"To quote Sheriff Holcombe, he would tell you he 'would have them back tomorrow.' He said it was one of the best weeks they've ever had," Dixon said.

Dixon added expect to see more traffic on the roads and more of his officers along with state and federal agencies. He wants to make sure everyone to remain safe during this time.

SOURCE: 7News

Alleged leader of local Deadly Sins MC arrested

Carson City, Nevada, USA (July 27, 2019) BTN — A 49-year-old Carson City man was arrested by the Tri-County Gang Unit on five felony charges, one gross misdemeanor charge, and three misdemeanor charges after he allegedly committed felony domestic battery.

According to the report, David Sanchez is the president of the Deadly Sins Motorcycle Club Carson City Nevada chapter and he is associated with the Vagos Motorcycle Club and was arrested early Friday morning.

Late Thursday evening, upon arrival, deputies made contact with Sanchez and his child. Deputies took Sanchez into custody for felony domestic battery.

Just before 2 a.m. on Friday, deputies were granted a search warrant of the property and found the following evidence, which was confiscated and booked:

— A Glock 17 9mm pistol was located in a clothing hamper of the master bedroom that Sanchez resides in along with magazines.

The gun was verified through dispatch as stolen out of Carson City. Sanchez is a registered ex-felon and he has prior history of domestic batteries.

— 14.56 grams of Cocaine in a small plastic bag was located in the master bedroom in a desk drawer on the west wall. The Cocaine was Nartec tested and yielded positive results.

— Additionally $521 U.S. currency was located next to the Cocaine in the drawer, and $251 U.S. currency was located in a pair of jean pants approximately three feet from the desk drawer containing the Cocaine.

— A digital scale and numerous small plastic bags were located next to the Cocaine as well

— A vile of Testosterone without a prescription was located in the same desk as the Cocaine

— A small plastic bottle with no prescription was located on the east night stand. The contents of the bottle were 17.5 counts of Cyclobenzaprine 10mg and one count Cyclobenzaprine 10mg with a separate imprint

— Three separate plastic bags of marijuana weighing approximately 10.2 ounces were located in the master bedroom. Each package had a hand written name on it, indicating it did not come from a legal dispensary.

— Samples of blood located in the residence along with clothing containing blood drops were collected in respect to the domestic battery that occurred

The door to Sanchez’s room is approximately ten feet from his child’s bedroom, which was unlocked. He was additionally charged with child endangerment.

Full list of charges:

Trafficking controlled substance (Cocaine)
Possession with intent to sell
Possession of a stolen firearm
Ex-felon possessing a firearm
Possession of a controlled substance (Testosterone)
Possession of dangerous drug without a prescription
Possession of drug paraphernalia
Possession of less than one ounce of marijuana
Child Endangerment

SOURCE: Carson Now

DA: End of the road for local motorcycle club

Columbus, Georgia , USA (July 24, 2019) BTN — Lloyd Jefferson Harris, a member of the Iron Cross Motorcycle Club, was sentenced to 20 years to serve three after pleading guilty to aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and violation of the Georgia Street Gang and Terrorism Prevention Act.

According to Investigator Ryan Foles with the Coweta County DA’s office, the Iron Cross had been on the radar of law enforcement prior to an incident in 2016, which saw the group thrust into the spotlight.

Foles also stated "The sentencing of four local men associated with an outlaw motorcycle group has signaled the end of that group in Coweta County – and a victory for local law enforcement in their battle against gangs."

In November 2016, two teenage girls were chased along U.S. Hwy. 29 into Newnan by members of the Iron Cross and Knights of Solomon motorcycle clubs after a biker lost control of his bike and crashed.

Confiscated patches belonging to the Iron Cross Motorcycle Club

Club members blamed the driver of the car and began pursuing her. At one point during the chase, Harris pointed a firearm at the occupants and shot at least one round in their direction.

The chase ended after the bikers were intercepted by deputies near the intersection of Bullsboro Drive and Ga. Hwy. 154. A handgun was recovered at the scene.

After the chase, Harris was arrested and charged with discharging a weapon near a public highway, pointing a gun at another, and reckless conduct.

Three other members of the club were ultimately sentenced to probation.

Stephen Maxwell Kemp was given 12 months probation for aggressive driving, while Thomas Joseph Lewandowski and Ricky James Hartfree were both sentenced to six months’ probation. All four men were ordered to have no contact with the Iron Cross Motorcycle Club or any other motorcycle clubs.

District Attorney Herb Cranford Jr. said his office could not prove the other bikers involved in the incident knew Harris pulled a gun on the girls while chasing them, so the office only pursued felonies against the most culpable defendant.

“This case was about a group of bikers, all wearing their club patches, chasing down two teenage girls because the girls had disrespected the bikers on the road,” Cranford said. “The girls did not get in a wreck with any bikers, and there was no lawful reason to chase them.

“Nevertheless, we are satisfied that the defendant who pulled a gun and fired one round into the air was sentenced to prison following his non-negotiated guilty plea,” Cranford added.

Following the shooting, the investigation into the group escalated, resulting in the search of its clubhouse on East Jones Street in March 2017.

The house was allegedly being run and managed under the name of a deceased Iron Cross member and was serving as an illegal alcohol establishment for those in the biker culture.

Defunct Iron Cross MC Clubhouse in Columbus, Georgia 

Inside, investigators reportedly recovered two truckloads of evidence connecting the bike group to gang culture, hate groups and other “1-percenters” across the state and nationwide – including membership documents and oaths.

Foles said the search of the clubhouse was successful for many reasons, one of which included the discovery of over 50 Christmas cards sent from other 1-percenter clubs across the country – each card containing the names, pictures and addresses of its members.

Foles shared this – and other information collected from the clubhouse – during the summer conference of the Georgia Gang Investigators Association.

The Iron Cross case was significant, Foles said, because local law enforcement agencies are rarely successful at shutting down motorcycle clubs. It is a task typically handled by federal agencies.

Foles said the success was in part to the Security Threat Group Unit (STGU), which operates in the Coweta County Jail, where detention officers help identify gang members and collect evidence for prosecution.

“From the help of the 911 operator to the officer who made original arrests all the way to the detention officers collecting evidence for gang charges – the case was a success because of everyone working together,” Foles said. “They’re pioneers in what they’re doing and are continuing to make the program even better.”

Cranford said biker clubs who associate with the Outlaws, a widely known motorcycle club like the Hells Angels, should be scrutinized by law enforcement and should not be allowed to intimidate and threaten the citizens of Georgia.

“Those Outlaw affiliated biker clubs, like the Iron Cross, give a bad name to law-abiding motorcycle clubs and others who simply enjoy riding motorcycles,” Cranford said. “The sheriff's department should be commended for this investigation which appears to have had the result of removing this Outlaw-affiliated biker gang from our community."

SOURCE: The Newnan Times-Herald