New York City, NY, USA (October 7, 2020) - The assassination of a Bronx motorcycle club leader was retaliation for someone opening fire on the Hells Angels new Bronx headquarters, prosecutors revealed Wednesday.
Hells Angels members Frank “Loose Cannon” Tatulli, 58, and Sayanon Thongthawath, 29, were arrested July 22 for for allegedly shooting Francisco Rosado, the head of the Pagan’s Motorcycle Club’s Bronx chapter.
Rosado, 51, was shot dead in a parking lot at Holland Ave. and Boston Road in Allerton about 3:20 p.m. on May 2, near the Bronx building where he worked as a super. He was shot in the head, neck and back. Another Pagan, identified as Javier Cruz, 42, was shot in the arm, officials said.
Two masked suspects were caught on disturbing video jumping out of their Jeep Cherokee and opening fire on the two men.
The Pagan's have been deemed an outlaw motorcycle club by federal authorities, and several of its members have been linked to drug dealing, violence and death, officials said.
Tatulli and Thongthawath were arrested on July 22 on charges of murder, manslaughter, attempted murder and assault charges A third suspect, Anthony Destefano, 27, a member of Satan’s Soldiers, was also arrested and charged with manslaughter and conspiracy.
Francisco Rosado
The motive at the time was unknown.
A Bronx grand jury recently indicted Tatulli and Thongthawath on murder charges. Both are being held without bail on Rikers Island awaiting their next court date.
“The defendants allegedly shot the two victims, in retaliation for a January 2020 shooting outside the Hells Angels headquarters on Longstreet Ave. in the Bronx,” Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark said in a statement Wednesday.
“The defendants allegedly conspired and carried out this horrific violence in a residential area, near a busy intersection in broad daylight. These retaliatory shootings hurt our communities and must stop.”
Lubbock, Texas, USA (October 7, 2020) - Justices with the Seventh Court of Appeals of Texas ruled that a 54-year-old man’s membership in a motorcycle club was not enough to convict him on a misdemeanor weapons charge that prohibits club members from possessing guns.
The September 28 ruling overturns 54-year-old Terry Martin’s February 2019 conviction of a class A misdemeanor count of unlawful carrying of a weapon.
A jury in the Lubbock County Court of Law 2 found Martin guilty and levied a $400 fine with no jail time.
Justices stated in their opinion that while there was evidence he was a member of a group that met the designation of a criminal street gang, the state failed to show that he was engaged in criminal activity as a gang member. “Both gang membership and connection to criminal conduct are required,” the opinion states.
Martin’s conviction stemmed from an April 17, 2018, traffic stop by a corporal with the Lubbock County Sheriff’s Office for traffic violations including speeding, making an unsafe lane change and having a partially obscured license plate.
During the stop Martin told the corporal he had a weapon in his vest, which bore the Cossacks name and colors. Martin admitted to being a member of the Cossacks motorcycle club, which is recognized by Texas law enforcement as a criminal street gang, defined by statute as “three or more persons have a common identifying sign or symbol or an identifiable leadership who continuously or regularly associate in the commission of criminal activities.”
A gang member is one of three or more persons who continuously or regularly associate in the commission of criminal activities, according to statute.
The unlawful carrying of a weapon charge includes a provision that prohibits members of a criminal street gang from possessing a firearm.
The corporal arrested Martin, who was booked into the Lubbock County Detention Center on the Class A misdemeanor. Under the statute, it is illegal for members of a criminal street gang to possess weapons. Martin appealed his conviction citing 15 grounds, the last one citing insufficient evidence to show he met the criteria of a criminal street gang member prohibited from possessing a firearm.
However, justices ruled only on the insufficiency argument, saying his trial counsel failed to preserve the other grounds, which challenged the constitutionality of the statute, for his appeal by not raising them at his trial.
During Martin’s trial, prosecutors called on the arresting deputy, who told jurors he determined Martin was a member of the Cossacks based on Martin’s admission during the stop and his attire, which was the vest bearing the gang’s black and yellow colors.
He told jurors he was aware the Cossacks Motorcycle Club is a criminal street gang actively engaging in criminal activity in Lubbock. However, he said he did not know of any criminal charges filed against a Cossack members in the area. “The only thing I do have is just intelligence,” the deputy said.
A member of the Lubbock Anti-Gang Center, who served as the state’s gang expert at trial, told jurors that the Cossacks is an outlaw motorcycle gang that operates nationwide engaging in assaults, threats of violence, intimidation and illegal firearms possession.
Among the criteria used by Texas law enforcement to determine gang membership include a judicial finding and self-identification by a person during a judicial proceeding. Martin was also entered in the Texas Gang Database by the McLennan County Sehriff’s Office and DPS in Waco.
Martin told jurors during the trial that he didn’t believe the Cossacks was a criminal street gang. He also told jurors he has never been convicted of a felony or a misdemeanor crime, other than traffic violations. Among the evidence presented to the jury of Martin’s criminal record was a May 2015 arrest in connection with the fatal shooting in Waco involving the Cossacks, Bandidos and law enforcement.
The shooting resulted in nine deaths and the arrest of more than 170 people, including Martin who was charged with organized crime. However, the charge was dismissed and justices ruled that it was insufficient to prove that Martin was a gang member that “continuously or regularly associated in the commission of criminal activities.”
“Both gang membership and a connection to criminal conduct are required,” the justice wrote in the unpublished opinion. “This single arrest, on charges which were later dismissed, does not establish that appellant continuously or regularly associated in the commission of criminal activities.”
Brisbane, Australia, (October 6, 2020) - Investigators from the Organised Crime Gangs Group have charged an alleged prospect of the Mongols MC with drug and weapon offences following the execution of a search warrant at a Browns Plains residence on Friday.
During the search of the residence on October 2, police located and seized 1.3 kilograms of methylamphetamine, 551 grams of cocaine, two handguns, a silencer, ammunition and approximately $50,000 cash.
A cash counting machine and Mongols MC clothing were also located and seized.
A 24-year-old Browns Plains man, allegedly a prospect of the Mongols MC, was arrested and charged with two counts of possession of a dangerous drug exceeding schedule, possession of category H firearms, possession of ammunition and possession of proceeds of crime.
Detective Inspector Larissa Miller from the Organised Crime Gangs Group said this was a notable seizure with the arrest reflecting the Queensland Police Service’s commitment to pursuing motorcycle club-driven crime.
“OMCGs are motivated only by greed and profit, their activities are interwoven with the illegal possession of firearms, drugs and money causing significant harm to our community,” Inspector Miller said.
“To those thinking of joining a gang, know that we are resolute in our commitment to disrupting and prosecuting members and associates of OMCGS and protecting the community from their criminal activities.”
The man appeared in Brisbane Magistrates Court on October 3 and was remanded in custody.
Oxley, New South Wales, Australia (September 29, 2020)- Knuckle dusters, a zombie knife and steroids have been seized from the homes of suspected Motorcycle Club members as part of Operation Jerichos, a covert police operation across the North West.
Officers attached to Oxley Police District established Operation Jerichos to target the disruption of motorcycle club related crime within the Oxley Police District.
As part of ongoing inquiries, detectives, with the assistance of Strike Force Raptor investigators, served three Firearm Prohibition Orders (FPO) at homes in Tamworth, South Tamworth and Kootingal from 7.45 am on Friday, 25 September 2020.
Subsequently, police conducted FPO searches at three homes in Tamworth, one in Kootingal and a further two in Gunnedah.
Oxley Police District Commander, Superintendent Kylie Endemi, said police will continue to target the disruption of criminal networks, and the unlawful possession of firearms.
“With the assistance of Strike Force Raptor, Oxley Police District will continue to run these high-impact operations not only to target members and associates of outlaw motorcycle gangs, but also to disrupt their activities,” Supt Endemi said.
“We will not tolerate public acts of violence – or any activity – that creates fear and puts the safety of our community at risk.
“I would like to stress to the community that any information you might be able to provide about criminal activity in the area is extremely valuable.
“We rely on the community to be our eyes and ears on the street, and if you have any information that could help with our investigation – we want to speak to you.”
Investigations under Operation Jerichos are continuing.
