Rodney Wayne Irons wearing a jacket with the emblem of the "Hell's Angels" motorcycle club was tasered while resisting arrest

Rodney Wayne Irons wearing a jacket with the emblem of the "Hell's Angels" motorcycle club was tasered while resisting arrest at a Prince Frederick restaurant on Jan. 26.Dfc. Christopher Childress responded to Houligan's Bar and Grill at 135 West Dares Beach Road at about 1:20 a.m. for a call reporting a suspicious vehicle in the parking lot. Upon arrival, Childress saw sheriff's office Sgt. Roscoe Jones had a man at gunpoint, according to a Calvert County Sheriff's Office press release. The man, later identified as Rodney Wayne Irons, 48, of Lusby was wearing a black leather vest displaying a "Hell's Angels" motorcycle club patch. Irons allegedly told Jones, "You're going to have to shoot me, just shoot me." Irons pulled away as officers attempted to handcuff him.Childress used his taser on Irons, and after a brief struggle, officers were able to get Irons handcuffed. He was charged with possession of a controlled dangerous substance, Diazepam, and carrying a dangerous and concealed weapon, a folding buck knife and a Winchester knife. He was released on $15,000 bond on Jan. 26 at 3:55 p.m.

Cynthia Pelletier said she has no idea why Andrew Cilliers, 26, was gunned down in his driveway early Tuesday morning

Cynthia Pelletier said she has no idea why Andrew (Drew) Cilliers, 26, was gunned down in his driveway early Tuesday morning, but is traumatized by the loss."He was an excellent, excellent guy, okay," she said. "We loved Drew like our own family and we are just devastated."Pelletier's husband, Leonard, who police say is an associate of several full-patch Hells Angels, was shot in September 2007, as he was about to drop off his 14-year-old son at a Langley high school. The boy was uninjured.Leonard Pelletier co-signed for Cilliers' Harley-Davidson motorcycle loan, according to personal property records. Cilliers, who was convicted of drug trafficking in 2004, also got financing for the purchase of a 2006 Lincoln Navigator.Cynthia said her husband did not want to talk about the murder."It is too sad. It is too f---ing sad . . . . all I can say is he [Cilliers] was a great kid . . . the young people today don't realize once you're gone, it's gone."Surrey RCMP were called to the tidy rental home at 6267 131A St. about 12:30 a.m. and found Cilliers critically wounded in his driveway.Several police cars arrived and officers put up yellow crime tape as snow began to fall.
A few hours later, Integrated Homicide Investigation Team spokesman Cpl. Dale Carr confirmed that Cilliers had died of his injuries about 3:30 a.m."Cilliers was known to police. This incident has all the indicators of being a targeted attack," Carr said.Despite Cilliers' criminal associations, Carr said investigators don't have a motive for the shooting."We haven't linked it to any other murder yet," Carr said. "It is currently a mystery to us."For his January 2004 conviction, Cilliers got a six-month conditional sentence and nine months' probation, as well as a 10-year ban on owning a firearm.He and his brother had rented the two-storey home for almost a year, owner Shafqat Ali Bajwa said.
"Oh no, oh no, oh God," Bajwa said. "It is very bad, very shocking."
He said Cilliers was a good tenant who said he worked in the auction business and had provided references."I did not have any problems with him," Bajwa said. "He paid his rent on time. He left the house clean.Bajwa said that at one point there was a bad domestic situation, but it had been resolved"He had [a] problem with his girlfriend in the summer, but now they are separated. He was living there with his brother," Bajwa said.He said he knew nothing about the young man's drug trafficking conviction and had spoken to Cilliers' father and employer when he moved in.
"They said he was all right," he said.Cilliers' distraught father Gerald had a colleague answering his Langley office phone Tuesday after learning of his son's death.

Brian Jeffrey, the sergeant-at-arms of the Simcoe Chapter of the Hells Angels, pleaded guilty to trafficking four kilograms of cocaine

Last fall,Brian Jeffrey, the sergeant-at-arms of the Simcoe Chapter of the Hells Angels, pleaded guilty to trafficking four kilograms of cocaine, with a purity of 88 to 91 per cent, but adamantly denied that his biker club is a criminal organization.
At a hearing attended by family, friends and Hells Angels members, Ontario Superior Court Justice John McMahon sentenced the ailing tow truck supervisor to nine years in prison, less six months for pre-trial custody and his stringent bail conditions. Jeffrey's wife cried out in anger at the result."Do you think I can see him before you take him away for 10 years?" she angrily asked the court officers as they led away her handcuffed husband, who walks with a cane.Despite his credentials as a good family man with a dated criminal record, a lifetime of steady employment and contributions as a father figure to an abused 11-year-old girl, the fact that Jeffrey sold cocaine was certain to "cause havoc" in other families, the judge said. The judge found otherwise, and on that basis yesterday tacked 3 1/2 years onto what would have otherwise been a 5 1/2-year sentence. "It was a good day for the Crown and police," prosecutor Tom Andreopoulos said outside court.Jeffrey portrayed himself as a benign family man, but he is not, just as the Hells Angels are not "good ol' boy motorcycle enthusiasts," Andreopoulos said. Jeffrey will likely have to serve two-thirds of his sentence before he is paroled, Andreopoulos said.

Hells Angels member Edward Proudfoot "They came here full of aggression," . "They came here ready for a war."

Hells Angels member Edward Proudfoot opened the door of his East Oakland home and saw that they had him surrounded.Helicopters whirred overhead, officers from the Alameda County Sheriff's Office and the Oakland Police Department were stationed outside and on nearby rooftops with guns aimed at the house, and TV news cameras were ready to roll video. Proudfoot's wife, Shelley Milliorn, who had been running errands nearby, was being detained.The police were there to search Proudfoot's house for two murder suspects connected to a family friend who had visited Proudfoot's home in the last few days. The suspects, who Proudfoot says he does not know, were wanted in connection with the murder of a San Leandro man.
By the end of that night, September 23, images of a handcuffed Proudfoot were all over the local evening news, his house had been searched with nothing found, and his dog Jade had been shot at close range by a member of the Oakland police. Now, months after the incident, Proudfoot and Milliorn say they are still wondering: What exactly happened?According to Proudfoot, an officer informed him that they'd seen two murder suspects jump the fence of his home and that the pair could be inside his home at that very minute. Would he please allow officers to do an immediate search of his house?Before Proudfoot signed a document allowing the officers to search the premises, he said he made one request. "One of the first things I asked them, 'Let me take care of my dogs,'" Proudfoot recalled. Both of his dogs, Jade and Bear, were inside the home. "I'll put them away in the bathroom or somewhere so they're out of the way. I told them at least half a dozen times."
But later that night, Jade was shot. According to lead detective Pat Smyth of the Alameda County Sheriff's Office, a member of the Oakland police shot the dog. Although he was not present at the scene, Smyth said, "It was the Oakland Police. They were doing a protective sweep of the house of the resident. An aggressive pit bull was shot. There were two pit bulls, one they were able to lasso. The other one they were not, retreated into the house. When they did a protective sweep of the house, the dog charged them aggressively and subsequently it was shot."Civil rights attorney David Beauvais says the couple is making preparations to file a federal civil case within the next month. Although Beauvais declined to state the grounds for the lawsuit, he mentioned that he was looking into the reasons for the search.Proudfoot and Milliorn, who say they do not know the murder victim or the two men publicly identified by Smyth and other officers as suspects, Aaron Hammond and Ben Eddleman, have not been charged in connection with the homicide.

And as for the story that either murder suspect had been sighted jumping the fence of Proudfoot's property? Dickson said, "No, we never said anything like that. I've never heard anything like that as a part of this investigation. I would have no idea where that information came from." He added that his officers did not see Hammond or Eddleman in front of the house. In a separate interview, detective Symth agreed that neither suspect had been spotted in front of the home.

Yet Milliorn, like her husband, claims that she was told by police that Hammond and Eddleman had jumped their fence and might be in their house. "They said, 'We told you ... that the two suspects jumped the fence.' I said, 'Well if you want to, give my husband a call and let him know that that he's in there with two homicidal maniacs.'"
Proudfoot's legal advisor, criminal attorney Portia Glassman, who was called to the scene on the night of the search, sees the search as a case of bungled, misplaced showmanship. "They came here full of aggression," she said. "They came here ready for a war." Glassman also represents another Hells Angels member in a criminal case against the Alameda Sherriff's Office in a search of his home that took place a month before the search of Proudfoot's home.
Milliorn added, "They exploited his name and our address and everything on every newspaper and every news channel for two days. It was nothing related to the murder."As for Jade the pit bull, she was taken to the Pet Emergency Treatment Service in Berkeley. The veterinarian, Dr. Shea Cox, pronounced the dog brain-dead and Milliorn allowed the dog to be put down. She had been beanbagged several times before being shot in the head.Weeks after the search, Proudfoot's anger is still palpable. "They explained it to me: the suspects that they were looking for were here, and just in case there was a gun, they didn't want to endanger me to come in here while I was getting my dogs," he said on a weekday afternoon at his home, where blood stains of his dog remain in the carpet. "That's just bullshit, you know. I mean, they're just lying."

Paul Fontaine is charged with first degree murder for the 1997 killing of prison guard Pierre Rondeau

Paul Fontaine is charged with first degree murder for the 1997 killing of prison guard Pierre Rondeau. The guard was killed during an ambush of a prison bus in the east end of Montreal. The principal witness in the case, Stephane "Godasse" Gagne, was also involved in the crime, making it a difficult deliberation for the jury. Gagne pleaded guilty to charge of murder related to the death of Diane Lavigne, a prison security guard who was killed a few weeks earlier than Rondeau. He was able to plea bargin out of the charges for the murder of Rondeau. Initially it was believed the killing of the guards was intended to destabilize the justice system. However, it was revealed in court that the killings were also ordered to test the loyalty of Fontaine, Gagne and others.
The jury has been sequestered since Tuesday evening.

Outlaw biker Jeffrey Albert Lynds has “moved on to the Nomads in Ontario

clubhouse may be gone and their membership decimated by an undercover investigation that nailed the Halifax club, but police now say a former member of the only chapter east of Quebec is now part of a very elite group within the international gang.
Outlaw biker Jeffrey Albert Lynds has “moved on to the Nomads in Ontario,” RCMP Const. Stephen MacQueen said.A member of the RCMP-Halifax Regional Police combined forces intelligence unit, Const. MacQueen wouldn’t say where specifically Mr. Lynds was living, but said: “We still have one full-patch Hells Angel member here in the province and he’s a member of the Ontario Nomads.”On Jan. 29, 2003, the courts brought the hammer down on Mr. Lynds and fellow gang members, Arthur (Art) Daine Harrie and Clay Gordon McCrea. Mr. Harrie and Mr. McCrea got six years each all on drug charges, while Mr. Lynds was sentenced to three years and slapped with a lifetime firearms ban. The very same day, the bikers lost their Dutch Village Road clubhouse to the Crown under new anti-gang legislation.
The charges and the seizure stemmed from Operation Hammer, an undercover case that ended with a series of raids and arrests in December 2001.With three of its members awaiting trial on drug charges and a fourth, Neil William Smith, awaiting trial for murder, the Halifax chapter had slipped below the organization’s six-member minimum. Only Michael (Mike) Shawn McCrea, Michael (Speedy) Christiansen and Daniel Fitzsimmons remained and this time, they couldn’t rely on the support of Quebec Nomad, David (Wolf) Carroll. The godfather of the Halifax chapter is still wanted on 13 counts of murder stemming from the Quebec biker war. Instead, the Hells Angels pulled its trademark winged Deaths Head patch and rode off into the sunset.

Clay McCrea told the National Parole Board in June 2005 that he’d retired in good standing, along with his older brother, Mike, but was surprised at the club’s collapse. Mr. Harrie told the board in November 2005 that the Hells Angels had offered him a transfer to another chapter, but he decided to retire.

When released on parole, Clay McCrea and Mr. Harrie were banned from contact with any past or present member of the Hells Angels, including Mike McCrea.Const. MacQueen confirmed that all three did retire, but wouldn’t say whether they left on good terms.Mike, whose last name is often misspelled as McCrae or MacRae, was the reputed president of the Halifax chapter president, world secretary and international webmaster. The married father of one, who has always maintained that he was simply a member, is recovering from a battle with cancer and running a computer consulting business from his Porters Lake home.Mr. Smith recently lost an appeal of his murder conviction and remains in jail, while Mr. Fitzsimmons was booted out of the club, police previously said. In 2004, police said that Mr. Christiansen had transferred to the East End Hells Angels chapter in B.C. where his former 13th Tribe brother, David Giles, was a member. But the Kelowna Daily Courier reported in June 2007 that Mr. Christiansen was one of the founding members of a new chapter in Kelowna.Thursday is the first full day that Clay McCrea and Mr. Harrie can have contact with any past or present members of the Hells Angels because their sentences have expired. But Const. MacQueen won’t say that biker investigators are going to keep a sharp eye on these long-time criminals.“I guess we have an interest in anybody committing criminal offences, so if they commit criminal offences, they’ll be looked upon like anybody else. Right now, they’re not Hells Angels members so we don’t treat them any different than anybody else,” the officer said. While there’s no official Hells Angels chapter, the gang has “two support clubs in Nova Scotia,” which Const. MacQueen identified as the East Coast Riders and the Highlanders. And, he said, police “often see Ontario and Quebec, and Hells Angels members from across the country come here.”The Hells Angels “definitely have an influence and an impact on criminal activity in Nova Scotia. However, having a chapter here is like having a stake in the ground. It’s more of a visible thing that ‘This is our territory,’” Const. MacQueen said.
Having the Hells Angels patch with the words Halifax or Nova Scotia underneath “gives the perception to the public and to criminals that ‘This is our territory.’ Without that, they are missing that. However, that doesn’t mean that they still don’t have the influence and the fear of them is still very real among the criminal element.”
The public may not see Hells Angels in the headlines anymore, but police say the battle continues.“They’ve been declared a criminal organization. We don’t want them back. We do everything in our power to try to prevent them coming back,” Const. MacQueen said.

Chad Wilson, 33, of San Diego and John Midmore, 35,trial for conspiracy would amount to double-jeopardy.

Chad Wilson, 33, of San Diego and John Midmore, 35, of Valparaiso, Ind. were acquitted by a Minnehaha County jury Nov. 20 on charges that they tried to kill five people associated with the Outlaws Motorcycle Club. The parties decided before the trial that charges of conspiracy to commit murder would be handled later.But after the verdict, defense lawyers argued a trial for conspiracy would amount to double-jeopardy. Beadle County State’s Attorney Mike Moore, who helped prosecute the case, now says he is close to a plea agreement with both defendants.“We’re close to an agreement to resolve it,” he said Tuesday.Moore would not disclose the particulars of the deal, but said the plan is for Wilson and Midmore to return to state court in Sioux Falls to enter pleas on Feb. 4.

Three members of the Gypsy Jokers motorcycle gang who allegedly assualted another man

Three members of the Gypsy Jokers motorcycle gang who allegedly assualted another man outside a Gosnells nightclub in 2007 began their trial in the WA District Court today.The men - Dean Alan Adams, Peter Floyd Robinson and Gordon Edwin Rodgers - have been accused of intending to cause harm to as well as endangering the life of Petera Heta Haimona outside the Cactus Nightclub in the early hours of May 12, 2007.
State prosecutor James MacTaggart told the court that each of the accused inflicted several injuries on Mr Haimona by a "combination of kicking and punching" along with various objects such as a wheel brace, club and a piece of wood or metal approximately one metre in length."It was a brutal attack which occurred in a short amount of time," he said during his opening address."They punched, kicked or otherwise hit him with the objects I described with the intention to cause harm.
"His life, health and safety were likely to have been endangered during the attack."The prosecution also put forward an alternative charge of grievous bodily harm because of Mr Haimona's injuries.The court was told the attack occurred outside the nightclub in the car park a little before 4am when Mr Haimona - who was known as "Kiwi Pete" to nightclub staff - went to help out a friend who was involved in a scuffle.He was later chased by the three accused as he moved up a flight of stairs leading to the club.Mr MacTaggart said Robinson attempted to strike the victim with a club, but Mr Haimona kicked out at him, causing Robinson to fall down the stairs.
The court heard Rodgers and Adams then struck the victim with various objects.
Adams struck Mr Haimona "several times with a wheel brace to the head and upper body" and was also kicked in the head during the attack."It forced Mr Haimona to curl up on the ground to try to protect himself," Mr MacTaggart said."Mr Haimona was bleeding profusely from the wounds on his head and suffered bruising to his head and upper body."He also suffered abrasions and swelling to his left ear, a swollen nose and skin abrasions to the back of his torso."The injuries were likely to cause permanent damage," Mr MacTaggart told the court before describing Robinson as the "main participant" in the suspected attack."(Also) the appearances of the men were consistent with those on the security footage."This was an undoubted attack for which there was no lawful excuse."Rodgers' lawyer, Gary Massey, told the jury that although there was no denying the injuries suffered by the complainant, "what is in dispute however is whether or not Rodgers did it"."You must try the case on the evidence and not let any feelings of prejudice and sympathy sway your decision," he said.Jeremy Scudds - who is representing Adams - reminded the jury the "burden of proof" fell on the prosecution."Even reliable witnesses can be wrong," he said."The consistency in terms of appearance on the footage is not beyond reasonable doubt.
"It is a bogan's pub."There are a lot of goatees, beards and long hair at the Cactus Club - which would suggest many people who go there have very similar appearances."
Defence counsel for Robinson, Helen Prince, also raised doubts about the use of identification as evidence in the trial."The problem with identification is that honest people can be mistaken," she said.He said her client had been at that pub the previous lunchtime.The court was told he would call on witnesses during the trial to confirm that he was asleep at the time of the suspected attack "after a long day of drinking"."Robinson's DNA was not found on any weapons the State is referring to," Ms Prince told the court."Ten days after the attack, police went to his house and he looked the same."Surely he would have been expected to change his appearance had he done it."The trial, which is set down for a week before Judge Roger Macknay, continues.

Matthew Toerner told detectives that he shot John Marmo Jr. four or five times from the back seat of a rental car

Matthew Toerner told detectives that he shot John Marmo Jr. four or five times from the back seat of a rental car that was parked next to Marmo’s vehicle, according to a tape-recorded interview played to jurors Monday.Toerner is a co-defendant in the death of Marmo, who was shot once in the back in Camarillo as he was on his way to work early on the morning of Dec. 1, 2006.Marmo’s former wife, Rebecca Braswell, is also on trial for murder.The killing was a result of a bitter child custody dispute between Braswell and Marmo, prosecutors say.Another co-defendant, Shannon Butler, will be tried later this year. Braswell, 28, Toerner, 22, and Butler, 25, are former Navy Seabees.A fourth Seabee, Seth Hardy, 22, has been charged with trying to kill Marmo by putting two propane canisters under his vehicle on Oct. 14, 2006, and Oct. 28, 2006. He will be tried separately.The tape-recorded interview, lasting about 2 1/2 hours, was played to jurors. Detectives interviewed Toerner in Okinawa on Dec. 11, 2006.Toerner’s lawyer, Robert “Bobby” Schwartz, said his client shot Marmo to protect Butler, who had convinced him that Marmo was beating her and that Braswell had connections with outlaw motorcycle gangs and an Oxnard criminal street gang.Earlier, Toerner gave a detailed account of how he, Hardy and Butler talked about killing Marmo by putting the propane canisters under his vehicle. Toerner said he didn’t know Marmo and spoke to Braswell once briefly.Initially, Toerner told detectives Butler shot Marmo. Toerner said it was very early in the morning when Butler woke him up.“I heard the gate open. She had a gun in her hand,” Toerner told detectives, adding that she fired four or five shots.Toerner told detectives: “I told her no, don’t. I ended up curling up. I ducked down. I went into the fetal position. I was scared.”Toerner said they parked in the driveway next to Marmo’s car and drove off after the shooting.During the interview with Toerner, Ventura County Sheriff’s Department Detective Joe Evans asked that he walk them through the shooting.“We have Shannon. We have the gun. We have statements from everybody. We’ve got the whole deal,” Evans told Toerner.Evans abruptly stopped and said Butler told him Toerner shot Marmo.“I am not convinced that you are not the shooter,” Evans told Toerner.Evans then told Toerner he believed Toerner and Hardy were both manipulated by Butler, who was close friends with and briefly lived with Braswell at Naval Base Ventura County at Port Hueneme.Toerner later admits that he shot Marmo and fired four or five shots.“She said she was going to die if he wasn’t killed,” Toerner told Evans.“Young man, it’s my opinion that she orchestrated your work in this shooting from the beginning, from the get-go. She pegged you,” Evans said.Toerner said he wanted to throw up and began crying, saying that he was sorry.“We know that you’re sorry. We know. We can tell by looking at you,” Evans told Toerner.Under cross-examination, Schwartz first acknowledged Evans’ calm and fatherly approach in interviewing Braswell and Toerner.“Sir, I believe that you are the best in the business. I am ready to confess and I haven’t done anything,” Schwartz told Evans, eliciting laughter from some in the courtroom.Evans said it was his opinion that Butler manipulated Toerner and Hardy.

It's a sad day when Melbourne is now known as the holiday destination of choice for Australia's outlaw motorcycle gangs

Hells Angels, will ride into Melbourne on Saturday.Gang members are expected to party in the city's night precincts near where former member Christopher Hudson went on a shooting rampage in July 2007. Sources have told the Herald Sun up to 200 of the gang's members will be on the streets in its first show of force since Hudson shot three people, killing father of three Brendan Keilar. Bikies from NSW began arriving at a Preston hotel yesterday, ready for the event. Police Det-Supt Paul Hollowood said Angels East County branch sergeant-at-arms Peter Hewat had promised there would be no violence. Det-Supt Hollowood said it was not the main national run and a smaller convoy of riders was expected in the city. "If you're talking of numbers of upwards of 200, our understanding is it will be a run but not a large one," he said. "We are aware of what they are doing and where they are going.
"We have been given assurances it will be peaceful. It's during these runs that bikie groups behave at their best." He confirmed police would not be giving gang members an escort into the city, as the force did in October when the Bandidos rode in convoy from Geelong to the CBD. It's expected bikies will ride from the East County chapter in Craigieburn, around the peninsula and into the city. Dutch backpacker Paul de Waard, who was one of three people shot during Hudson's shooting rampage at the corner of William St and Flinders Lane in 2007, said he was not opposed to bikies descending on the city. "I know a lot of Australians must hate bikies because of what they do," he said. "But I know it was Chris Hudson who was the one who did it." Jim Douglas, the father of shooting victim Kaera Douglas, also said he did not care where the bikies rode. It is expected the gang will hit bars and strip clubs in the CBD but it is not known if they have booked a hotel in the city. It is also not known if any surveillance will be in place. Police Association secretary Greg Davies, who is opposed to police escorts for bikies, said large numbers of bikies were an intimidating sight. "It's a sad day when Melbourne is now known as the holiday destination of choice for Australia's outlaw motorcycle gangs," he said. "When the Hells Angels are given the keys to the city, just like their adversaries the Bandidos, you don't know what to expect. "An increased police presence is absolutely necessary. Whether numbers are available is another question. "We can only hope the police force has used all their intelligence resources to be ready for any eventuality that may arise." Bikie violence has escalated in the past three years. In the latest turf war break-out, Bandidos enforcer Ross Brand was shot dead outside their Geelong clubhouse last October 22. Three men have been charged with murder. The Angels are probably the most commercial outlaw bikie outfit in the world. They are widely credited with bringing amphetamines to Australia after Angel Peter John Hill brought back the recipe from club counterparts in Oakland, California, in the 1980s.

Greg ``Haystacks'' McDonald, a former sergeant-at-arms with the Gypsy Jokers biker gang, was shot dead while horseriding in Wetherill Park

TWO local murders remain unsolved rewards of up to $200,000 for information relating to numerous related cases.Greg ``Haystacks'' McDonald, a former sergeant-at-arms with the Gypsy Jokers biker gang, was shot dead while horseriding in Wetherill Park in 1991.On August 3, 2001, Ian Draper was seen leaving Mount Pritchard Community Centre. His white Ford sedan, registration ACD 45Q, was later found abandoned on Bringelly Road, Leppington on September 17, 2001. Mr Draper has been missing since.
Police believe these two cases are linked to the murder of Albert Perish, 93, and his wife Francis, 91, in their Leppington home in 1993. Mr Draper was believed to have witnessed one of Albert Perish's grandsons brutally bashing a man to death.
The grandson was suspected of his grandparents' murder, as was Terry Falconer, who was murdered in 2002 while out on parole for drugs charges.
Strikeforce TUNO is investigating these cases and more, and has now offered rewards for further information regarding:
Terry Falconer - $200,000;
Ian Draper - $100,000;
Attempted murder of a 30-year-old New Zealand national in Haymarket in 2002 - $100,000; and Albert and Francis Perish - $200,000.

28-year-old Mongols gang member Eric Gunner Lundin, was sentenced by Judge Dale Reinholtsen to three years in prison for felony charges

Four men arrested in connection to the non-fatal shooting of a suspected Hells Angels member in November were sentenced in Humboldt County Superior Court Tuesday afternoon to terms ranging from three years in prison to 180 days in jail.
All four men, three of whom were found to be card carrying members of the Mongols Motorcycle Club, pleaded guilty in a plea agreement offered during their preliminary hearing, after evidence surfaced that the victim -- Robert Thompson -- may have fired first.Deputy District Attorney Ben McLaughlin said although there are no current plans to charge Thompson as a felon in possession of a firearm, the matter is still under investigation. The accused gunman in the case, 28-year-old Mongols gang member Eric Gunner Lundin, was sentenced by Judge Dale Reinholtsen to three years in prison for felony charges of assault with a firearm and participating in a criminal street gang. Lundin's attorney, Glenn Brown, said his client will likely serve "a little over two years." Dustin Liebes, a 36-year-old who the prosecution named as the president of the area Mongols chapter, was sentenced to one year in jail with five years probation. Shasta County resident Eric Garcia, 28, was also given a one year jail sentence with five years probation. Both men had pleaded guilty to participation in a criminal street gang, and both were granted 110 days time served.

Troy L. Martin's shooting, which the county district attorney has labeled an "assassination,"

Troy L. Martin spent the last moments of his life with a longtime friend, Russell E. Samuels. 58, a Honey Brook man who witnessed Martin's murder, has had ties to the Pagans motorcycle club, according to news accounts and a law enforcement source.
And now authorities are exploring whether there is a link between that gang and the killing, the source said.Samuels was part of a Pagans/Amish drug ring that operated locally 10 years ago.Martin, 45, of Earl Township, in turn, had ties to Strong Arm Productions, a local motorcycle club that serves as a feeder or associate club of the Pagans, the source said.New Holland Police today declined to comment on whether Martin's shooting, which the county district attorney has labeledan "assassination," had anything to do with the Pagans.Martin was shot in the chest and abdomen late Saturday night as he got out of Samuels' car at his home, at the end of a dead-end street off Route 322 near Hinkletown.His mother, Suzanne, said earlier this week that Martin had been out on the town that night with Samuels, a longtime friend.
Police said a man in a red Ford SUV followed Samuels and Martin down Clearview Avenue to Martin's home. The man, who hid his face with an article of clothing, then shot Martin and fled.Sources said Martin was a member of Strong Arm Productions, a relatively new motorcycle club that has members in Lancaster City and eastern Lancaster County.Its members are known to frequent bars in the New Holland area, where they occasionally get into fights, said a law enforcement source familiar with the group.The club's emblem is a clenched fist and an upper arm flexing its bicep.
Strong Arm is known as a feeder club for the Pagans, a law enforcement official said. Strong Arm members sometimes ride with and associate with the Pagans and, if the chemistry is right, may be asked to join the club, a source said.Lancaster County has served as a base for the Pagans over the years. Its national secretary-treasurer, now in prison on drug and money laundering charges, formerly lived in West Hempfield Township. The Lancaster County chapter president, a longtime Lancaster postal worker, was killed in 2002 in a brawl between the Pagans and the Hells Angels in New York.The Pagans, along with the Sons of Satan, also maintained a clubhouse in Rapho Township for about 20 years, police said. The clubhouse was destroyed in a pipe bombing in 2002, during what police said may have been a gang feud.The U.S. Department of Justice, on its Web site, says the Pagans are one of the most prominent Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs in the Mid-Atlantic region, with an estimated 200 to 250 members in 41 chapters in 11 states.The Pagans have been tied to traditional organized crime groups in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and New York and have engaged in criminal activities such as drug trafficking, arson, assault, bombing, extortion and murder, according to the Justice Department.Samuels, who did not return several calls for comment, is not a stranger to the club.He was among six members and Pagans associates who pleaded guilty in 1998 to distributing as much as $1 million in cocaine and methamphetamines to several Lancaster County Amish youths throughout Lancaster and Chester counties.According to federal indictments in the case, the Pagans obtained drugs and sold them to Amish people for distribution in Lancaster County at hoedowns — traditional gatherings for Amish and other teens and young adults.Samuels was identified by federal officials as a "Hang-Around" in the case. So-called "Hang-Arounds" or "Prospects" were allowed to associate and socialize with the Pagans, but had to go through a hazing period to become full members, federal authorities said at the time.Samuels pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute drugs and was sentenced to four years in prison. At his sentencing in 1999, he told a judge that before his arrest he had decided to change his lifestyle and become a Christian. He added that he was sorry for his mistakes and had made many positive steps toward a better life and was "getting old to start over again."
Samuels has an extensive criminal record in addition to the indictment in the Amish/Pagan drug ring.In 1988, he was charged with aggravated assault, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct, according to court records. He pleaded guilty to the latter two charges and was sentenced to two years of probation.In 1995, he pleaded guilty to receiving stolen property and was sentenced to two years of probation. The charge stemmed from a police search warrant at his home that turned up stolen motorcycle parts.Since his release from jail on the Amish drug ring charges, Samuels has had other problems with the law. In 2007, Samuels was charged with accidents involving death or personal injury, driving under the influence of alcohol and traffic offenses related to an accident outside a New Holland bar.

According to the criminal complaint, Samuels ran over a man with his Harley-Davidson motorcycle in the parking lot of The Pub on East Main Street in July 2007, and then drove away. A test showed Samuels' blood-alcohol level was 0.167, which is above the legal threshold for drunken driving, according to the criminal complaint.

Samuels told police there was a disagreement in the bar and he was trying to leave, according to the criminal complaint in the case.
Samuels said "he didn't know if he hit someone or something when he left," according to the complaint. Samuels said the incident was "all over (expletive)."
The alleged victim was treated at Ephrata Community Hospital for non-life threatening injuries.Samuels posted $5,000 bail and was released. A pre-trial conference on the case is scheduled for next month.Martin also had a history of criminal problems, involving assaults, a weapons charge and disorderly conduct.
His most serious offense was in 2004, when New Holland police charged Martin with aggravated assault, reckless endangerment, public drunkenness and a weapons offense after a fight at The Ritz on Main, 138 E. Main St., New Holland.According to newspaper records, the owner of the Ritz told police he had been assaulted by a patron, who had later been removed from the establishment.While searching for that patron, police heard popping noises from the rear of a nearby drugstore. They found Martin, who had a .32-caliber handgun and a switchblade on him.The suspect in the assault of the club owner told police that Martin chased him and fired a gunshot at him, according to newspaper records.Court records indicate Martin pleaded guilty to possessing an illegal weapon and reckless endangerment. He was sentenced to probation.Strong Arm Productions is listed on a Web site run by the Eastern Pennsylvania Federation of Clubs, a group that claims to help "abolish discrimination toward motorcyclists, and increase communications within the motorcycle communities."

Founder of the Oregon chapter of Mongols notorious motorcycle gang turned himself in after violating the terms of his release

Founder of the Oregon chapter of Mongols notorious motorcycle gang who served one day of a year jail sentence before being released last summer turned himself in after violating the terms of his release by fleeing the state to work in a tattoo parlor in California.Police say Justin DeLoretto, 27, fled the state after he was released last summer. Deloretto, the founder of the Oregon chapter of the Mongols motorcycle gang, turned himself in at the Lane County Jail Tuesday.A jury convicted DeLoretto on a misdemeanor charge. Prosecutors had sought a felony conviction. Police say he tried to run a car carrying a Eugene police investigator and a federal agent off Interstate 5.Eugene detective Dave Burroughs, the officer who was in the car last April, said DeLoretto had been working at a tattoo shop in San Diego that has ties to the Mongols.Burroughs said he isn't surprised DeLoretto eventually turned himself in.The Mongols ran into trouble after a massive federal investigation involving undercover agents who infiltrated the gang.

Penrith Police Local Area Command have charged an outlaw motorcycle gang associate over a stabbing in Penrith

Penrith Police Local Area Command have charged an outlaw motorcycle gang associate over a stabbing in Penrith in October last year. A 23-year-old Quakers Hill man was stabbed in the leg and chest while he was sitting in his 4WD near the intersection of Castlereagh Road and Jane Street shortly before 4.30pm on 21 October 2008. The injured man was treated at the scene by ambulance officers from a nearby station, before being taken to Nepean Hospital for treatment.As a result of the ongoing investigation, police conducted a high-risk operation in Werrington yesterday afternoon.About 6.45pm a 23-year-old man was arrested without incident on Werrington Road and taken to Penrith Police Station.He was refused bail to appear in Parramatta Bail Court today charged with attempted murder and maliciously inflict grievous bodily harm. Yesterday’s operation involved police from Penrith Local Area Command, North West Metropolitan Region Enforcement Squad, State Crime Command Gangs Squad, Tactical Operations Unit and Negotiators, as well as the SPG Dog Unit.

latest move to crack down on bikie gangs follows police raids of various club headquarters in Nowra, Albion Park, Batemans Bay and Kiama Downs

Lake Illawarra police are investigating alleged breaches of new laws which ban outlaw motorcycle gang members wearing their club colours into pubs and clubs.Licensed premises across the Illawarra have begun working with police to make it a condition of entry to ban clothing or visible tattoos with bikie gang symbols, logos, names or colours.Sergeant Gary Keevers emphasised the new conditions of entry were not about banning people, only the clothing or other symbols representing the gangs."For nearly six months now, police have advised a number of motorcycle clubs of the pending entry conditions and the reasons for those conditions," he said. "Some hotel staff have even offered persons T-shirts to wear while they were on the premises."An escalation in gang rivalry, particularly in Sydney, was behind the move, Sgt Keevers said."Police are monitoring the Kiama local government area in respect of a particular motorcycle club," he said."We continually get community and liquor industry complaints about the behaviour of some gangs, with people indicating fear and a feeling of intimidation."The latest move to crack down on bikie gangs follows police raids of various club headquarters in Nowra, Albion Park, Batemans Bay and Kiama Downs last year.Members of the Rebels motorcycle gang were later charged with offences including operating an unlicensed premises, possessing illegal gaming machines and breaching a noise abatement order and were fined $15,900.

Not guilty of sparking an Aug. 8, 2006, gunfight at Custer State Park during the Sturgis motorcycle rally.

Jurors in Sioux Falls on Nov. 20 found Chad Wilson, 33, a Canadian citizen who lives in San Diego, and John Midmore, 35, a dual Canadian-Australian citizen of Valparaiso, Ind., not guilty of sparking an Aug. 8, 2006, gunfight at Custer State Park during the Sturgis motorcycle rally. Three Outlaws Motorcycle Club members and two women with them were injured. Prosecutors said Wilson and Midmore tried to kill their rivals but Wilson testified he fired in self-defence after they were confronted during a rest stop at Legion Lake Resort. Midmore was released on bail hours after the verdict. Wilson was indicted days later on a federal charge of being a non-immigrant alien in possession of a firearm. He was transferred to Rapid City, where he is scheduled to stand trial Feb. 10. Wilson testified he fired several rounds with a handgun and had other guns in his truck. Jurors initially were split.
"Right from the get-go we decided we should have a vote to see where everybody stood," the juror said. "And it was five for not guilty, five for guilty and two for not decided." The voting worked toward not guilty, then back toward guilty and ultimately ended over problems with some of the evidence, he said. "The entire jury felt that the scene had not been managed as well as it could have been. And eventually it ended up in a contradiction to some of the evidence relating to the number of shots fired," he said. "That probably was the thing that ended up getting us to the point where we eventually got to the unanimous decision." During the trial, the defence lawyer queried investigators at length about how people were allowed to walk through the parking lot and pick up and move shell casings, clothing and even a gun. Prosecutors countered rescue personnel and law-enforcement officers at the scene were most concerned with saving the lives of the people shot, some of whom lost a lot of blood. During the second day of deliberating, jurors said they couldn't reach a decision. The judge had them keep at it and after another day they ultimately found the men not guilty of all charges. "A couple of the people who insisted on not guilty were making it very clear it would be a cold day in hell before they could consider anything different," the juror said. The man said though several jurors expressed concern for their safety, he couldn't say if it affected anyone's vote. Several Hells Angels bikers attended the trial. Prosecutors still want to try Wilson and Midmore on a more serious charge of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, which carries a punishment of life in prison if convicted. Defence lawyers have asked the judge to dismiss the charge, arguing it would amount to double jeopardy - being tried twice for the same crime. Prosecutors argued the attempted murder and conspiracy charges are separate crimes, so another trial would not amount to double jeopardy.

Iron Horsemen Motorcycle Club, accused of running an elaborate drug ring in Maine

The trial of several members of the Iron Horsemen Motorcycle Club, accused of running an elaborate drug ring in Maine, has been pushed back until at least March because another defendant has been charged by a federal grand jury.Ramon Dellosantos, 39, of Haverhill, Mass., made his initial appearance and arraignment at U.S. District Court in Portland on Tuesday.Standing beside defense attorney Elliot Weinstein of Boston, Dellosantos pleaded not guilty to the single charge of conspiracy to possess and distribute cocaine and marijuana.Dellosantos became the 20th defendant charged in the case, which is among the largest drug-conspiracy cases ever prosecuted in Maine.Federal prosecutors say members and supporters of the Iron Horsemen funneled drugs from Massachusetts to Maine, where they were distributed throughout the state. The ring operated from at least 2004 until December of 2007, Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Perry has said in court documents.Richard Szpyt, president of the Maine chapter of the Iron Horsemen, is the alleged ringleader. Prosecutors seek to have his properties in Haverhill, Mass., and Old Orchard Beach, plus the property of a co-defendant in Albany Township, turned over to the government. The house in Old Orchard Beach served as the state headquarters for the Iron Horsemen.

A grand jury indicted 19 defendants in March, and Dellosantos was indicted in October. Some of them face multiple charges and face a minimum of 10 years in prison if convicted.

Three of the defendants have already pleaded guilty, and await sentencing. Charles Green of East Dixfield and Bruce Hill of Limerick pleaded guilty to conspiracy. Kelley Monahan of Newfield pleaded guilty to using a telephone to facilitate the distribution of marijuana.The rest of the defendants are waiting for the trial, although some or all of them could reach plea agreements in the meantime with the U.S. Attorney's Office.The case is tentatively on the March 2 trial list for Chief U.S. District Judge George Singal.Weinstein said neither he nor his client, Dellosantos, would comment. Perry, the prosecutor, said federal court rules prohibit him from discussing details of the case.According to court documents, federal investigators obtained wiretaps in the summer of 2007, and they captured "thousands of conversations and electronic communications," between the defendants. Other evidence includes seized notebooks, drugs and weapons at Szpyt's property on Ross Road in Old Orchard.The Iron Horsemen is one of the largest motorcycle clubs active in Maine. The club has chapters nationwide, with concentrated pockets in Maryland, Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana.Along with other clubs, including Hells Angels, Saracens and Bandidos, the Iron Horsemen are classified by law enforcement agencies as "outlaw motorcycle gangs." Drug investigators in Maine say motorcycle club members have played significant roles in the state's drug trade since the 1970s.

Outlaw motorcyle gang was said to have been involved in theft of pearls

In Western Australia, outlaw motorcyle gang was said to have been involved in theft of pearls; in the Northern Territory, OMCGs had purchased fishing licences; and in South Australia, enforcement stakeholders believed that OMCGs had been involved in the illegal abalone trade," the report says. "These gangs were also reported to have purchased fishing vessels to distribute illicit drugs." In the Northern Territory, companies and family groups are illegally profiting from large-scale and well-organised shark "finning", in which fins are sliced from illegally caught sharks and smuggled to Asia, where they are in huge demand. In NSW, entire racks of oysters are being stolen from oyster farms using lifting equipment on the back of vehicles. Money laundering, including the use of underground banks to illegally move money into and out of Australia, is also linked to the seafood black market. The criminology institute's general manager of research, Judy Putt, co-author of the report, said there was widespread concern among fisheries officers that Australia's existing regulations were inadequate to deal with the growing threat posed by organised crime. The report, based on a survey of more than 300 fisheries officers and consultations with law enforcement agencies, warns that as some types of seafood become rarer and more expensive they will increasingly attract organised crime groups. "Systematic criminal activity, which is more likely to target vulnerable and most valuable species, escalates not only the seriousness of the illegal activity but also its effects, through an increase in criminal activity generally, such as environmental offences, theft, fraud, quarantine violation, tax evasion and serious crimes against people, including murder," the report says. International trafficking of fish products between organised crime groups is arranged "as and when the need arises".

All of the fisheries officers surveyed in the study believed there was organised crime involvement in illegal fishing in their jurisdictions, with 26 per cent saying there was "a lot" and 58 per cent responding there was "some".

"The sector is also characterised by seasonal work, which can attract individuals with involvement in criminal activity such as poaching and drug distribution," the report says. "These structural factors can reduce the resistance of the sector to organised criminal activity."
According to the report, poachers are becoming more sophisticated in their efforts to avoid detection, with illegal divers in Tasmania and Victoria using re-breathers to hide their bubbles, working at night with underwater lights and using global positioning systems.

Former Outlaws motorcycle gang member Ronald Stahlman was arrested

former Outlaws motorcycle gang member has been indicted in northeast Ohio in a murder from nearly 30 years ago. Authorities say 52-year-old Ronald Stahlman was arrested Dec. 8 in Arizona by a federal task force that pursues fugitives. He was indicted yesterday by a Trumbull County grand jury in the 1979 stabbing death of 18-year-old Bernard Williamson in Warren. Authorities say the suspect had been using an alias since an arrest warrant was issued for him in 1979. He's now locked up in Phoenix awaiting extradition.