Conspiracy charge dropped before trial

Williston, North Dakota, USA (February 12, 2020) BTN — A felony conspiracy charge was dismissed Tuesday, Feb. 11, the day before the case was set for trial.

Prosecutors asked to have the class C felony conspiracy to commit aggravated assault charge filed against Earl Benjamin Brewer dismissed with prejudice, meaning it cannot be refiled. In the motion to have the charge dropped, Nathan Madden, assistant state’s attorney for Williams County, cited problems with witnesses.

Brewer and a co-defendant, Michael McCreary, were accused in April 2019 of conspiracy after a man was assaulted outside his home in Williston. Police and prosecutors claimed that McCreary assaulted the man at the request of Brewer. McCreary was charged with conspiracy and aggravated assault, both class C felonies.

The request to drop the charges comes days after Madden filed a motion asking for the trials of Brewer and McCreary delayed. In the motion, Madden claimed that multiple witnesses had expressed fear about testifying against Brewer or McCreary.

“The State has been meeting with witnesses in the Brewer and McCreary cases during the week of February 3, 2020,” Madden wrote. “During this week, the State has noticed a change in the attitudes of witnesses expressing safety concerns about testifying in these matters due to threats made against them.”

The request to delay the trial is related to a new criminal charge filed Friday against McCreary. He is accused of trying to convince a witness to change her testimony in the case.

Related | Sons of Silence MC members facing charges

In one instance, McCreary told a witness that damaging information about her, including information about an incident involving the FBI, would become public, Madden wrote. He said he had been unable to track down the exact nature of the incident McCreary was referencing, but said the witness was not a suspect in the matter. Instead, he said, he believed it was an attempt to reveal information the witness had given to the FBI during an investigation into someone else.

Madden said the man who Brewer and McCreary are accused of conspiring to assault had also been threatened. He wrote that the man had gotten a message from a friend who said a third party had told him to relay the message that Brewer should leave the state by Feb. 9.

“Earl Brewer and Michael McCreary are known to have had connections with the Sons of Silence, which is a nationwide motorcycle ‘club,’” Madden wrote. "Given their nationwide presences, they would have sufficient assets to conduct surveillance on (the man) and determine whether he had, in fact, left the state of North Dakota.”

In a response, however, Jeff Nehring, Brewer’s defense attorney, argued Madden offered no evidence to back up his claims.

“Although Mr. Madden has set forth numerous factual allegations in his Motion for Continuance, he has not presented any evidence by way of affidavit or otherwise to support his factual allegations,” Nehring wrote. “Therefore all the allegations made by Mr. Madden should be excluded by the North Dakota Rules of Evidence.”

Nehring also questioned other claims Madden made in his request to delay the trial.

“In regards to (Brewer), Mr. Madden makes a really broad allegation that (Brewer) has nationwide assets to conduct surveillance on (the accuser),” Nehring wrote. “Where is this information coming from? Mr. Madden cites no specifics on where he based his statement upon. Once again. Mr. Madden appears to be loosely throwing around allegations without any evidence to support his assertions.”

In an interview Tuesday, Nehring told the Williston Herald that he and his client had been ready for the trial.

“Mr. Brewer was innocent of these charges,” he said.

McCreary’s trial on the conspiracy and aggravated assault charges is scheduled for March 9.

SOURCE: Williston Herald

Police Raids Across the Gold Coast

Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia (February 11, 2020) BTN — The Gold Coast president of a major motorcycle club has been arrested after a series of raids targeting Motorcycle Groups across the Glitter Strip.

Houses at Ashmore, Helensvale, Coomera and Mermaid Beach were raided by officers who arrested eight people, including the president of the Gold Coast chapter of the Mongols MC.

Police allegedly found weapons including knuckledusters, mobile phones dangerous drugs and cash and seized three Harley Davidson motorcycles suspected of being stolen.

All those arrested have been released under strict bail conditions to appear in the Southport Magistrates Court at a later date.

The raids were part of a national crackdown targeting the Mongols MC after police received intelligence regarding the club’s alleged unlawful activities.

Since 2014 the National Taskforce Operation Morpheus delivered a co-ordinated approach to the tackling the criminality linked with Outlaw Motorcycle Groups.

As part of the ongoing operations to disrupt serious crime linked to the organised crime networks, Taskforce Maxima teams additionally served 20 consorting warning notices.


Det Superintendent Lowe says they will allege several from several different clubs are allegedly involved in the syndicate.

“Whilst this operation is targeting the organised crime syndicate, our investigation suggests that this syndicate crosses over a number of outlaw motorcycle gangs including the Lone Wolfs, The Hells Angels, The Mongols and some links to the Rebels.”

“It’s not uncommon for OMCGs to cross over and do business with each other in the unlawful activities. They’re really governed by greed and their involvement in illicit drugs and weapons.”

A 28-year-old member of the Mongols was also arrested on drugs and weapons charges and will front Beenleigh Magistrates Court tomorrow.

More charges are expected to be laid in coming days.

Hells Angels set up shop in Michigan

Mount Pleasant, Michigan, USA (February 9, 2020) BTN — The Hells Angels, the world’s most infamous motorcycle club, have opened their first chapter in Michigan, establishing the Hells Angels Michigan Nomads near Mount Pleasant in the center of the state. Based on the West Coast, the iconic Hells Angels began expanding into the Midwest in the late 1960's, but until now, had never planted a flag in Michigan due to it being prime territory for the rival Outlaws MC, the nation’s preeminent rust belt biker crew. A message announcing the new Hells Angels Michigan chapter on its website.

The Outlaws and Hells Angels have been at war since 1974 when Outlaws in Florida killed a group of Hells Angels from Boston. Headquartered out of Detroit and Chicago, the Outlaws have maintained a strangle hold on the Midwest biker scene for decades. When the Hells Angels moved into Illinois in the 1990's, violence between the clubs ramped up.

Ralph (Sonny) Barger, 81, founded the Hells Angels’ Oakland chapter in 1957, became the club’s overall boss and grew it to mythic proportions around the globe. Today, Barger lives in Phoenix and remains active in club affairs. Barger commissioned the opening of the club’s first Midwest outpost in Cleveland in 1967, sending Clarence (Butch) Crouch to Ohio to be his personal eyes and ears in the region. Crouch eventually turned state’s evidence and committed suicide in the Witness Protection Program.

In 1988, Barger was convicted in federal court for ordering the bombing of an Outlaws clubhouse in Louisville, Kentucky and did five years in prison. He played a recurring character on the hit FX television show Sons of Anarchy, about a fictional California biker gang.

Barger’s counterpart in The Outlaws, Harry (Taco) Bowman, died behind bars last year. The legendary Bowman headed the club from his home in Detroit for most of the 1980's and 1990's, finally convicted of murder and racketeering in 2001. Per testimony at his trial, Bowman put a murder contract on Barger’s head and had his lieutenants hunting the Hells Angels shot caller near his home in California. Bowman and Barger’s then second-in-command, George Christy, then engaged in a series of peace talks that fell through at the last minute.

STORY: Scott Burnstein
SOURCE: Gangster Report

Jury returns mixed verdict in Pagan's trial

Charleroi, Pennsylvania, USA (February 8, 2020) BTN - A Washington County jury delivered a mixed verdict Friday, finding two members of the Pagan's Motorcycle Club not guilty of attempting and conspiring to commit homicide but convicting them of lesser charges in the April 18 beating that nearly killed a former officer of the motorcycle club.

Matthew Vasquez, 31, of Monessen, and Joseph Olinsky III, 46, of McKeesport, were charged by Charleroi Regional police in July. The victim was Troy Harris, 54, of Fallowfield Township, who was attacked at roughly 10:20 p.m. at the Charleroi Slovak Club. Surveillance footage from the bar was shown repeatedly to jurors throughout the trial.

Testimony began Tuesday and closed Thursday. Jurors deliberated for about three hours following closing arguments Friday.

“We respect the verdict of the jury,” said Deputy District Attorney Jason Walsh.

The jurors found each defendant guilty of aggravated assault, conspiracy to commit aggravated assault and simple assault.

Related | Another suspect arrested in Pagan's MC assault
Related | Pagan's MC members charged

Common Pleas Judge John DiSalle said sentencing will occur in 90 days. He said they’d be denied bail, as they were before the trial. Vasquez and Olinsky looked intently ahead and showed little expression as DiSalle explained what would happen next in the case.

Both of their lawyers said they’ll appeal. “I’ll be filing post-trial motions,” said Renee Colbert, Olinsky’s court-appointed attorney.

Harris was once president of the Fayette City chapter of the Pagan's but was now a leader in the Sutars Soldiers, another motorcycle club started by former Pagan's. Testimony showed the pair and others who were involved in the attack had been at the Junction Tavern in Perryopolis beforehand.

Prosecutors contended that the two defendants and five other Pagan's – including Paul Cochran, 55, who testified against his former comrades – went from Perryopolis to the members-only bar at 700 McKean Ave. to beat up Harris on orders from higher-ups in their organization.

During their closing arguments, the defense contended that claim wasn’t supported by the evidence.

Stephen Colafella, who represents Vasquez, said the prosecution didn’t “connect those dots” and show there was some conspiracy at play.

Walsh told jurors that it was no coincidence seven Pagan's who live in different areas and belong to multiple chapters showed up at the same place, where Troy Harris happened to be.

“Use your common sense, ladies and gentlemen,” he said.

Vasquez said his friend, Zachary Yagnich – who is charged in the case and helping prosecutors – was going to the Slovak Club, where Yagnich, 27, was vice president. Vasquez said Yagnich, a supporter of the Pagan's, would have been afraid to go alone because Harris bullied him.

Vasquez said the group stopped by there on their way to a bar in Monongahela, and it was his idea to go to the watering hole in Charleroi. He said no one told them to do so, and they didn’t intend to do anything to Harris.

His testimony differed in some respects from the account given by Yagnich, who said he’d spoken by phone to Vasquez and Brian Keruskin, president of the Fayette City chapter, about Harris’ whereabouts before he met the group of bikers in the parking lot and let them into the club. He maintained he didn’t know what the group was going to do in advance, but that Keruskin did tell him that some guys were on their way and he should leave.

Vasquez maintained the group happened to walk by Harris on their way to their seats. He said he saw Jason Huff slap Harris, who’d sneered and extended his hand toward Huff in a gesture of disrespect. Vasquez said he knew Harris to be dangerous and saw the older man had a gun holstered on his hip, so Vasquez punched him.

He said he then struggled to disarm Harris when he pulled a gun, and for a time Vasquez was on the floor with him. Video showed others kicking and stomping in the area of the floor where Harris was lying.

“What Matthew Vasquez did, ladies and gentleman, amounts to a simple assault,” Colafella said. “He punched (Harris) one time, without justification.”

Harris’ wife, Michele Mackey Harris, testified she saw no one else on the ground while she tried to protect her husband, who has lasting physical and cognitive injuries.

Following the verdict, Colafella said the outcome was “unfortunate” but that he respected it. He said preconceptions about clubs like the Pagans made it a tough case.

“There’s video evidence, and it makes it very challenging to try to distinguish your client from others, when it’s a scrum like that, when they’re all wearing the same shirts,” Colafella said. “I thought the case was well tried on both sides. Matt had the opportunity to go up and present his side.”


Keruskin and Michael Barringer, sergeant-at-arms of the national Pagan's organization, each previously pleaded guilty or no contest to a conspiracy charge. Other than Cochran, Olinsky and Vasquez, those accused of pummeling Harris have entered pleas and received prison terms.

Using her client’s nickname, Colbert asked jurors to “let Teddy go home to his wife.” She said that none of the witnesses had specifically identified her client as having punched or kicked Harris. Additionally, she said there was no testimony implicating him in a plan ahead of time.

“Not one of those commonwealth star witnesses said that he had a weapon,” she said. “None of them said they made a phone call to Teddy. None of them said they received a phone call from Teddy.”

SOURCE: Observer-Reporter