Hells Angels were originally called the Pissed-Off Bastards of Bloomington

Hells Angels were originally called the Pissed-Off Bastards of Bloomington, but that name didn’t exactly roll off of the tongue.
They were made up of disillusioned World War II veterans from southern California, and in 1948, they took the name of an American airforce squadron and called themselves “the Hells Angels.”
It was a case of life imitating art – eccentric mogul Howard Hughes had already made a movie in 1930 called Hell’s Angels, which was based on a fictional World War I fighter squadron.
For their symbol, the biker Hells Angels drew up a crest with a winged skull, which bore a resemblance to ones painted on American fighter planes and bombers.
Long before the Hells Angels logo or the aircraft paintings appeared, winged skulls appeared on headstones of Puritans in New England in the 1700s, symbolizing the ascendancy of the human spirit into heaven.
Around the same time the Pissed-Off Bastards of Bloomington changed their name, they also began wearing patches with “1%” on their chests.
That referred to a press release put out by the American Motorcyclist Association after bikers rioted at a rally in 1947 in Hollister, Calif.
The association’s press release stated that “the trouble was caused by the 1 per cent deviant that tarnishes the public image of both motorcycles and motorcyclists.”

ban the operations of motorcycle clubs such as Hells Angels in Denmark.

Danish Minister of Justice Lars Barfoed is not going to look into whether the Danish Constitution can be used to ban the operations of motorcycle clubs such as Hells Angels in Denmark. However, his Icelandic counterpart, Ragna Árnadóttir, is keen on using the Icelandic Constitution to prevent the club from launching operations in Iceland.

legions of Hells Angels are expected in Nelson this weekend for a poker run.

legions of Hells Angels members are expected in Nelson this weekend for a poker run.
About 30 bikies were stopped after they had disembarked from the ferry at 2pm, before heading to Nelson.About 12 police were involved in the operation.Most of the bikies were Hells Angels gang members.The poker run marks the one year anniversary of the first public outing in Nelson of patched members of the Red Devils, a puppet gang of the Hells Angels.The event is due to go ahead despite all the venues and the charity involved pulling their support at the last minute.Police had promised they would be out in force and said the public should not be intimidated by the gang presence.
"The important thing is that people are safe to go about their business and shouldn't be intimidated by the gang presence," said Senior Sergeant Grant Andrews of Motueka.
"We are aware of the risk but we are dedicated to policing this as we always do."
Yesterday the Turf Hotel in Stoke pulled its support for the event because of negative publicity. The Tapawera Hotel and the last venue on the run have also pulled out.St John Nelson, the event's designated charity, has said it will not accept any money from the poker run.The Tapawera Hotel's owner said she was fearful of violent clashes.
"If there's a threat like this, we don't want it in our pub. It's just a small pub, a quiet country pub. This is the last thing you want in your place."
Mr Andrews, who is heading Operation Joker 2, which will police the gang presence over the weekend, said he was open-minded about what might occur."It seems they can't have a run now because their whole run was to raise money for St John, who now doesn't want any of it."
However, despite the venue cancellations, Jarrod Gilbert, a University of Canterbury PhD student specialising in New Zealand gang culture, said the event would definitely go ahead.He said the Hells Angels had promoted the ride and their reputation was on the line.
"They will certainly follow through with this. Clubs face all sorts of hurdles – if you choose this lifestyle, you commit to running an event like this, but what exactly they will do remains to be seen."
A flier for the poker run says the event is organised by Nelson Bays Motorcycle Events, which "encourages safe and responsible riding".Mr Andrews said the police operation would go ahead as planned, but there was no intelligence to suggest that anything untoward would occur.The leader of a gang calling itself the Southern Skinheads spoke to Newstalk ZB on Wednesday, saying the Hells Angels were not welcome in Nelson because they would bring the drug P with them.The president, "Max", said: "We will burn any pub they drink at, any motel they stay at, and may take it to the extent we will probably try to shoot them off their motorbikes."Mr Andrews said police had to take the threat seriously to ensure the safety of the public."We are prepared for anything that might eventuate but they may just lay low and stay where they are."In Wellington this morning at the ferry terminal, Doug Jay, a patched Hells Angels member from Auckland who was on his way to Nelson, said the perpetrator of the threat should be treated with the contempt he deserved.The Nelson City Council passed a resolution yesterday forwarded by councillor Ian Barker, that the Nelson police were to be advised of the council's "grave concern" about the threats made publicly to burn Nelson hotels and motels, and to shoot people on motorbikes.The resolution also said the council would support the police in taking all action necessary to protect Nelson people and their property.
"The main reason for doing this is to let people know the council is concerned about people and their property," Mr Barker said.
Mr Gilbert said the Southern Skinheads had a small presence in the South Island in 1994 but lasted only a year. He said it was possible that a few people had reformed under the name, but it was equally likely that "a loose cannon was shooting his mouth off"."It seems like a very unusual thing to do in the scene. Usually if you are of that persuasion, you don't make threats – you take action.
Ulysses Club Nelson branch president Lorraine Lindsay said none of its members knew about the run, and the club, for motorcyclists aged 50 and over, did not support it at all.
"The whole thing is pretty negative. They use the motorcycles as a cover for criminal activity, and we certainly wouldn't want anything to do with that. If they saw our Japanese bikes, they probably would

Crown is seeking a 12-year sentence for Randy Potts and a 16-year sentence for John Punko, who have both pleaded guilty to drug trafficking charges.

Crown is seeking a 12-year sentence for Randy Potts and a 16-year sentence for John Punko, who have both pleaded guilty to drug trafficking charges.They were charged after a two-year police investigation, code-named Project E-Pandora, that resulted in the roundup of half a dozen members of Vancouver's East End chapter of the Hells Angels and more than a dozen associates.While a number of charges against Hells Angels members alleged the biker gang was a criminal organization, none of the prosecutions on those charges were successful.But it's not over yet, says the officer in charge of E-Pandora."It's not necessarily the final sentencing," RCMP Insp. Gary Shinkaruk said Thursday. "I'm cautiously optimistic it'll be back in court again."
He said the Crown is appealing a number of rulings, including one by B.C. Supreme Court Justice Peter Leask last November that the Crown could not proceed on criminal organization charges against Potts and Punko.Leask made the decision because a jury at another trial last summer involving the two accused and two other Hells Angels acquitted all the bikers on similar criminal organization charges."We still want to have a ruling on the criminal organization," Shinkaruk said, noting that despite the jury ruling, no B.C. judge has ruled on the criminal organization issue.However, there was an Ontario Superior Court ruling in 2008 that the Hells Angels is a national crime group.Potts is to be sentenced today on a guilty plea last year of being involved in a drug lab that made methamphetamine.Punko pleaded guilty last Dec. 7 to three charges: producing and trafficking methamphetamine, trafficking cocaine and possessing $387,140 cash that was the proceeds of the sale of illegal drugs, including $142,500 from selling five kilograms of cocaine to Michael Plante, who worked as a police agent and infiltrated the Hells Angels chapter.Plante secretly tape-recorded conversations between Punko, Potts and a meth lab cook named Ryan Renaud, who Punko suspected was also working for the UN gang and its boss Clay Roueche.Punko was earlier convicted of threatening a prosecutor in another Hells Angels case.Last summer, a jury convicted Punko, Potts and two other Hells Angels members, Ronaldo Lising and Jean Violette, of weapons offences and extortion.
In that case, Punko, 43, was convicted of the unauthorized possession of a loaded semi-automatic Smith & Wesson pistol and sentenced to 15 months in jail, plus a consecutive sentence of four years for counselling Plante damage a Surrey home, where Punko was trying to collect a large sum of money.
Potts, 49, was convicted of four offences: having control of illegal grenades, possessing a loaded Colt .45 semi-automatic pistol, possessing an Intratec 9-mm semi-automatic pistol, a Ruger .22-calibre semi-automatic rifle and Voere bolt-action rifle and a .44 Ruger revolver. Lising was convicted of possessing two loaded prohibited firearms.

Hells Angels threats by a local gang to burn any pub they drink at and shoot them off their bikes.

Hells Angels threats by a local gang to burn any pub they drink at and shoot them off their bikes.

Police will be out in force tomorrow as gang members arrive for a poker run, which marks the anniversary of the first public outing last year in Nelson of patched members of the Red Devils, a puppet gang of the Hells Angels.
That poker run saw more than 200 bikes, with 30-plus patched gang members, including four Red Devils, ride from the Turf Hotel in Stoke through Moutere, Riwaka, Tapawera and back. Today the Turf pulled out of Saturday's run.The threat has come from Southern Skinheads president "Max" who told Newstalk ZB the Angels were not welcome in Nelson because they would bring P with them. "We will burn any pub they drink at, any motel they stay at and may take it to the extent we will probably try to shoot them off their motorbikes," he said.
Nelson Bays police area commander Detective Inspector John Winter said police were anticipating a large contingent of motorcycle gangs including the Hells Angels arriving from the North Island.Police would be out in force. They would have a zero tolerance in road policing and other offending, and that would be made clear in Wellington when the bikies caught the ferry and again on their arrival in the South Island, he said.
"We have had discussions with a number of people and have nothing to suggest any confrontation, and we will be making sure there is not," he said.Senior Sergeant Grant Andrews, who is heading Operation Joker 2 which will police the gang presence over the weekend including the poker run, said police were not aware of the Southern Skinheads being in Nelson."We are looking into it and taking the threats seriously," he said.A flier for the Nelson Bays Poker Run says it supports St John, Nelson, and the event is in association with the Turf Hotel. The run has a $20 entry donation, and prizes include $1000 for first, $500 for second and $250 for third.

This year the flier does not list other sponsors. Mr Andrews said: "There was quite a bit of ill-feeling against the gang presence on the poker run last year and that has seen people who supported it in the past pull back and not support it this year."

Nelson Area Committee of St John chairman Dennis Creed said it was not having anything to do with the poker run and would not accept any money. "They've been great support in the past, but for some reason St John in the region, not just St John locally, has indicated that that support has to be withdrawn."The Turf Hotel today pulled its sponsorship for the event. A spokesman, who did not want to be identified, said it was concerned about negative publicity the run had received and its shareholders wanted to rebuild the pub's image. The pub is owned by four Nelson people, two of whom started managing it three weeks ago.The decision was made to pull the sponsorship at a meeting this morning.Tapawera Hotel manager Cory Bennett said the riders didn't cause any trouble last year when they stopped by and they had "good manners" when they lined up to buy drinks."They have one drink and they are gone. Half of them only drink Coke or raspberry and Coke."Last year they had lunch at the pub, and this year they would be dining at Kaiteriteri, Ms Bennett said. After lunch, the riders would call at the Tapawera Hotel.Their presence was not menacing and many took off their patched jackets before they entered the pub, Ms Bennett said. She was happy donating money to St John, but wouldn't say how much the pub gave. "It's for a really good cause."A Riwaka Hotel spokesperson had not heard from the poker run organiser and was not aware that the event was on this weekend. Last year, publican Peter Beauchamp said he would support the event again, if the organisers produced a balance sheet and banned club patches.Last year, following the Red Devils public display, the Lost Breed Motorcycle Club spoke out publicly saying Nelsonians should be worried about new gangs setting up in the region. It also said it did not condone the use of the methamphetamine drug P, and made clear it did not want confrontation.

A Lost Breed spokesman declined to comment on gangs coming for this weekend's poker run.

Leroy Frasier, who also is former president of the club’s Black Region of Michigan and Indiana, must surrender at noon

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Leroy Frasier, who also is former president of the club’s Black Region of Michigan and Indiana, must surrender at noon April 19 to serve 10 months behind bars plus one year of supervised release. former president of the Bay City chapter of The Outlaws motorcycle gang is headed to federal prison
He also must surrender his firearms, including a .38-caliber Smith & Wesson revolver, court records show.
Frasier pleaded guilty to violent crimes in aid of racketeering - conspiracy to assault with a dangerous weapon. The charge is a three-year felony that includes up to $250,000 in fines.
In exchange, prosecutors dismissed two counts of assault and single counts of aggravated or felonious assault and unlawful transport of firearms, records show.
The charges stem from an April 1, 2006, melee between members of the Hells Angels and the Outlaws at a South Bend, Ind., swap meet.
Investigators alleged the brawlers beat each other with various weapons including motorcycle parts, ball peen hammers, fists, boots similar objects.
Although Frasier did not participate in the scrap, he helped plan the trip to South Bend knowing the confrontation over territory would occur with the arch-rival Hells Angels, investigators claimed.

arrested two more Comanchero bikies in relation to the seizure of 5kg of methylamphetamine

arrested two more Comanchero bikies in relation to the seizure of 5kg of methylamphetamine last week, in a joint operation with NSW police.WA Serious and Organised Crime Division detectives executed two more search warrants on Thursday in the northern Perth suburbs of Balcatta and Stirling.They arrested a 24-year-old Stirling man and a 28-year-old Balcatta man, both associates of the Comancheros, and charged them with serious drug offences in relation to the 5kg seizure on February 25.Both men are due to appear in the Perth Magistrates Court on March 10.Police arrested the president of the nascent WA chapter of the Comancheros and three gang associates last week when they seized the 5kg of drugs, which police said was secreted inside a vehicle that had been transported from Sydney to Perth.The drug seizure was part of Operation Baystone, which began after 2.7kg of methamphetamine was found in the Perth suburb of Stirling in December last year.

Steven Lindsay and Raymond Bonner were the first people convicted under Parliament's 2002 anti-gang law.

Steven Lindsay and Raymond Bonner were the first people convicted under Parliament's 2002 anti-gang law. The Ontario Court of Appeal last year dismissed the challenge, upholding the convictions for committing extortion "in association with" a criminal organization.The former bikers had sought leave to appeal that decision to the Supreme Court, but the country's top court today dismissed that application.At the pair's trial in Barrie, Ont., in 2005 the Superior Court judge declared the Hells Angels a criminal organization for the first time in Canada.
The anti-gang legislation the men were challenging allows courts to impose up to 14 additional years in prison to anyone who commits a serious crime "for the benefit of, at the direction of, or in association with a criminal organization."

Arnold Loto appeared via video link in Central Local Court where he pleaded guilty to riot and affray and the murder charge was withdrawn.

Arnold Loto, 41, and another man were charged with murder after a fight at Sydney Airport in March last year.Hells Angels associate Anthony Zervas was killed in the fight at the airport's domestic terminal.Arnold Loto appeared via video link in Central Local Court where he pleaded guilty to riot and affray and the murder charge was withdrawn.He remains in custody until he is sentenced and is expected to be called as a witness in the crown case against the other members.A magistrate put a non-publication order on facts tendered to the court.The include the name of the second man, who also had his murder charge dropped.

Comanchero nominee Arnold Loto, through his lawyer, yesterday indicated he would plead to his role in the violence

Comanchero bikie expected to testify over deadly airport riot, court told~
ONE of the 12 Comanchero charged over a fatal brawl at Sydney Airport has signalled that he will plead guilty and may have to testify against his gang mates, a court has heard.
Comanchero nominee Arnold Loto, through his lawyer, yesterday indicated he would plead to his role in the violence that went on to claim the life of Hells Angels affiliate Anthony Zervas. The 41-year-old from Heckenberg was the last of 12 Comanchero to be charged with murder, riot and affray following the incident at the Qantas terminal last year.
Violence allegedly broke out between members of the Comanchero and Hells Angels outlaw motorcycle gangs following tensions between the clubs on a Qantas flight from Melbourne on March 22 last year.
Loto's barrister Dina Yehia SC told Central Local Court yesterday that her client's case would now be "a short matter". "I anticipate there will be pleas of guilty in respect of one count of affray and one count of riot," she said.
Magistrate John Favretto was later told that it was Ms Yehia's "expectation . . . that he will now be called (as a witness) in the Crown case".
While the pleas have not been formally entered, Ms Yehia asked that the matter be adjourned to Friday for that to occur formally, when it would then be remitted to the District Court for sentence. The murder charge is expected to be withdrawn upon Loto formally entering those pleas of guilty.
Fifteen men are now facing charges - including three Hells Angels - and will front a committal hearing later this year but a fragmented argument is under way over witnesses required for cross-examination.
But as legal argument heated up in the case yesterday, a magistrate cast some doubt on a key part of the evidence relating to the charge of riot.
Barrister Avni Djemal, for the deceased's brother Peter Zervas, argued that the riot charge was dependant on at least 12 of the accused acting with "a common purpose" to commit unlawful violence.
He said a crucial element of his client's claim of self-defence to be explored at committal was that any "common purpose" between the rival gangs was preposterous.
Magistrate Favretto agreed that "there may be an inherent problem with riot".
But he said that was a matter to be explored at a later time.
The remaining matters will return to court next Tuesday.

Ellen Hall, 53, and Russell "Rustie" Hall,They are suspicious deaths. We suspect foul play

Ellen Hall, 53, and Russell "Rustie" Hall, also 53, according to a police news release. According to provincial property records, the house is owned by Ellen and James R. Hall.Officers found the bodies when they responded to a 911 call at 7:30 this morning, said RCMP Sgt. Brigdit Leger. Police have ordered an autopsy, though one is not scheduled yet."They are suspicious deaths. We suspect foul play," Leger said at the scene Friday afternoon, as investigators continued to gather evidence from inside a grey, two-storey home, trimmed in white.
Investigators were also interviewing nearby neighbours.When asked about possible connections between the deaths and motorcycle gangs, Leger would not comment.
She also would not say if the 911 call was made by someone inside the house.
"You have to understand this is very early in the investigation," she told thechronicleherald.ca Friday morning.On Friday afternoon, two vehicles, including a red pickup truck, could be seen in the driveway of the home.A neighbour on the Barr Settlement Road confirmed that the home belongs to James (Rustie) and Ellen Hall.
"It's a different shaped home. It has a lot of skylights," said the neighbour who explained that she never socialized with the couple.The woman moved to the road about 11 years ago and she believes the Halls had been living on the street sometime before her arrival.While some neighbours were reluctant to speak to reporters, one woman came to her door with her three-year-old daughter by her side."We don't know them very well at that house because we keep to ourselves," she said, as the little girl chewed on a soother and smiled shyly.
"It's usually so quiet on this road. I wonder what in the name of God happened inside that house." Another neighbour who came to her door was awake overnight Thursday and had seen a car drive by at about 2 a.m. headed in the same direction as the Halls' home.Other residents said the couple once owned a variety store in nearby Nine Mile River, but sold it a few years ago.One man described the Halls as "decent people."
He said they are "hobby motorcyclists", but added "they weren't members of the Hells Angels, by any means, to my knowledge."On her Facebook profile, which had been removed by early Friday afternoon, Ellen Hall boasted of her love for her three "beautiful" grandchildren. Her page contained dozens of photos of them. Hall wrote that her adult children, Angela and Mike, both live in Alberta and that she missed them "very much".She said she liked to do crafts and scrapbooking in the winter, but she and Rustie "love going on our Harley to bike events" during the summer. Under her profile picture, Hall had written "Live out Loud very loud!!"
One of her Facebook friends was listed as Scott O'Reilly, who was an officer with the East Coast Riders Motorcycle Club and still owns the Waverley site of the East Coast Riders clubhouse which burned down in April 2007. O'Reilly has been pictured with his arm around a member of the Hells Angels.In January, the RCMP said the East Coast Riders had "patched over" to form a new chapter of the Hells Angels-affiliated Bacchus club in New Brunswick.
RCMP cars travelled back and forth Friday along the rutted and heaving roadway. Many people were speculating about what was going on.
Officers who have the road blocked off near the home were turning the curious away without giving any details, one man said.East Hants municipal councillor Greg Grant, who represents the area including Barr Settlement Road, said people in the neighbourhood would be shocked to learn what had happened in their community."It's a very quiet community on a dirt road," he said.
"Activity like that, it would be extremely rare anywhere, but it's unheard of out there."According to provincial records, the 2010 tax-assessed value of the Halls' property is $162,200 residential and $2,200 resource.
Barr Settlement is a small community in East Hants, about an hour's drive from Halifax.

Outlaws of course are the top known motorcycle gang, organized crime gang, motorcycle gang members in the United States.

"The Outlaws of course are the top known motorcycle gang, organized crime gang, motorcycle gang members in the United States. They have chapters located in, about 170 or so chapters located throughout the United States in most states."
James Parker was indicted on six counts of intent to sell cocaine, three counts of unlawful transport of firearms, and three counts of violent crime involving drugs and a machine gun.
Ryan Birt was indicted on one count of unlawful transport of Firearms and two counts of possession of child pornography. Thirteen others were indicted on a variety of drug charges...
Bradley County Sheriff Tim Gobble and his department was part of a similar raid conducted on an Outlaws clubhouse in Cleveland, netting one arrest, Danni Decker.
"He was charged on the state charges based on an incident that had occurred the day before, the night before in which he attempted to harass and intimidate other law enforcement officers and there were some state violation charges that were charged there. That was initially charged in order to hold him until the federal charges could be finalized out of Chattanooga."
Federal Charges that will send most in the group away for a long time.
"Those federal charges carry with them significant teeth, and if they are convicted of those federal charges they can carry with them very stiff penalties and they can be off the streets for many many years."
In Cleveland, Gobble says his crew is still on the lookout for more members associated with the Outlaws.
"This is also something that might be interesting to the public because they have seen the limited and the Black Pistons operating in this area and they are considered to be a potential support group and a support group depending on the status of their membership for this Outlaw motorcycle gang."
Most of the suspects will appear in federal court on Monday.

motorcycle gang leader and a former Hockley County Deputy are headed for federal prison

motorcycle gang leader and a former Hockley County Deputy are headed for federal prison for their part in meth trafficking ring.54-year-old Bobby Duwayne Froman, the gang leader, got 20 years in exchange for pleading guilty.39-year old Jose Jesus Quintanilla received a three year sentence.These are just two of more than two dozen suspects indicted in a major meth trafficking operation from the south plains of Texas to California.

Blackmail is listed as a "principal source of revenue" for Finks bikie gang

Blackmail is listed as a "principal source of revenue" for Finks bikie gang in a dossier which also details the club's involvement in pack rape, drug trafficking, bashings and shootings.Prepared last year for the South Australian Government as part of new laws to target the Finks, the document reveals that 42 of the gang's 46 members in SA - which includes some now living in Perth - have serious criminal records.The dossier highlights the challenge faced by WA Police trying to combat the gang's expansion here since it joined forces with ousted Coffin Cheater bikie Troy Desmond Mercanti in 2008.In the past four years, there have been 111 allegations of blackmail made against the Finks in SA, of which 40 were formally investigated and involved 24 members of the gang. But only a handful of cases resulted in charges because the victims were too scared to give evidence.According to SA police, the Finks pose the greatest threat to public safety of any Australian bikie gang. One senior gang member has a business connection to Mercanti in WA."The members of the organisation associate for the purposes of organising, planning, facilitating, supporting or engaging in serious criminal activity," the document said.A registered association since 1991, the Finks Motorcycle Club tells a different story in its application for incorporation. "Establishing, carrying on, improving a community meeting place and promoting the interests of motorcycle enthusiasts within the local community," the document said.Over the past fortnight, two Finks associates in WA have been arrested at a Swan Valley concert or the gang's Balga clubhouse with unlicensed guns. Both have histories of violence, including a multiple stabbing and threats to injure.
One of the men is a 23-year-old Congolese refugee, whose father was jailed in Perth for stabbing his mother through the heart. The other is a South African-born Muslim, who once ran a children's clothing store, was a manager for a well-known WA car dealership and used the word "emails" as code when dealing ecstasy tablets from his gold Mercedes-Benz.But one of the most noticeable WA-based Finks is 2.03m-tall Matthew Thomas Ward, who is from South Australia and was convicted last year of having a loaded .357 Magnum handgun on a Kambalda mine site.Since the late 1960s, when the gang formed in Sydney, 162 convictions for violence have been recorded against Finks members.The gang's attempts to traffic in large quantities of the ingredients needed to manufacture methylamphetamine were confirmed in 2005, according to the document, when $380,000 was transferred by a Finks associate to Malaysia, which resulted in 38kg of pseudoephedrine being transported undetected into Australia inside children's books.
Between 1977 and 2008, there have been 173 convictions against Finks for serious drug crimes.Det-Supt Des Bray from the SA gang crime taskforce, who was in WA this week, said the Finks are by far his State's most violent bikie gang.
"If the Finks were to establish in WA that would be a bad thing but I think your police have done a very good job in containing them, locking them and putting a freezing order on the clubhouse," he said.

sentenced 54-year-old Bobby Duwayne Froman, the founder of the Aces and Eights Outlaw Motorcycle Gang, to 240 months in federal prison.

Former Hockley County sheriff's deputy Jose Jesus Quintanilla received a 36-month federal prison sentence.
Froman and Quintanilla were arrested last July and charged with multiple counts of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine.
In January, Froman agreed to a 20-year sentence after pleading guilty a month earlier for transporting methamphetamine from California to West Texas for distribution in the South Plains.
Kimberly Hull of Levelland and Perry Dean Roberson from Lubbock were also sentenced on Wednesday to one year in federal prison by Magistrate Judge Nancy M. Koenig.
Another co-conspirator, Bradley Gene Gore of Levelland, had his sentencing moved to March 5.

Fifteen members of the Outlaws club in Chattanooga and Cleveland, Tenn., face the possibility of life in federal prison

The Web site maintains the group’s veil of secrecy, saying, “Do not write us asking how to join! Find an Outlaw and ask him!” Motorcycle Club bills itself as “75 years of biking and brotherhood,” but some members of law enforcement say such clubs can be criminal organizations.
Fifteen members of the Outlaws club in Chattanooga and Cleveland, Tenn., face the possibility of life in federal prison after being arrested on charges of conspiring to sell cocaine, crack cocaine and illegally possessing firearms. Most were arrested at the club’s houses in Chattanooga on Wednesday night and Thursday morning.
“Suffice it to say the Outlaws are a subculture that does not conform to mainstream culture. That’s a nice way to say they are a criminal organization,” said Special Agent Darryl Hill with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Agent Hill said the Outlaws rank among the top motorcycle gangs in the United States along with the Hell’s Angels, Pagans and Banditos.Based on the club’s own Web site and U.S. Department of Justice data, the Outlaws range across the East Coast and South with an estimated 500 or more members among more than 90 clubs.It was not clear whether attorneys had been hired or assigned to the members arrested Thursday. Attempts to reach members of the club were unsuccessful, and there are no numbers or e-mail addresses on the Outlaws’ Web site.



Mike Hall, director of the Tennessee 10th Judicial Drug Task Force, encounters a variety of criminal organizations in the Bradley, Polk and McMinn counties covered by his group. Along with other local law enforcement, including Chattanooga police and sheriff’s offices in Hamilton and Bradley counties, the task force assisted in the recent arrests of Outlaw members.“Motorcycle gangs are like any type of gang. It’s organized crime,” Mr. Hall said.Russ Dedrick, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Tennessee, said overall criminal activity among motorcycle gangs is down in the district.“The Outlaws is just one organization,” he said, and many motorcycle clubs operate within the law.But motorcycle gangs involved in crime are not to be compared with small-time street-level drug dealers, authorities said. With their wide distribution and hierarchy, they operate “on a national level.”The secretive nature of these types of groups — which often have probationary periods and strict rules for membership — make it more difficult for police to infiltrate, he said.
“It’s a strong-knit community; they consider each other family,” Mr. Hall said. “They would die for each other, and they would kill for each other.”Sixteen Outlaws club members in the Detroit area were indicted in federal court last August on charges including violent crime in the aid of racketeering, illegal drug distribution and gun violations, according to the Justice Department.Following those indictments, the Justice Department announced that “the Outlaws Motorcycle Club has been identified as an international criminal organization whose members and associates engage in acts of violence including murder, attempted murder, assault, narcotics distribution and firearms and gambling offenses.”“The Outlaws have a long-standing violent history with the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club, including assaults/batteries, shootings and fatalities,” according to the Justice Department.
That long-standing history of violence with the Hells Angels hit locally when, in August 2007, James Wayne Brock Jr. was hospitalized and later lost his hand in a car bomb blast in Whitfield County, Ga., according Chattanooga to Times Free Press archives.Authorities believe the bomb was retaliation for a shooting in which Mr. Brock’s father, James Wayne Brock Sr., shot a member of the Outlaws at a strip club in Forest Park, Ga., the archives state. Both the senior and junior Brock were members of the Renegades, a motorcycle club that aligns with and supports the Outlaws.Following that shooting, more local agencies began assisting federal agents with investigations on the Outlaws, said Bradley County Sheriff Tim Gobble.
The evening prior to the raid at the Cleveland clubhouse, two undercover police were threatened by Outlaws member Danny Decker, and the officers had to draw their weapons, Sheriff Gobble said. Mr. Decker was arrested on state charges related to the threats, the sheriff said.
Sheriff’s deputies raided an Outlaws club in Knox County on New Year’s Eve 2009, arresting two members for allegedly threatening an undercover officer and charging them with aggravated robbery and aggravated kidnapping.

Twelve Comanchero members, including the president, are in custody charged with murder

Police today revealed that the notorious New South Wales gang, allegedly responsible for the Sydney Airport brawl which left one man dead, had established a foothold in Western Australia, with up to a dozen members.It comes amid speculation that WA Police are failing to stem the tide of interstate bikie gangs into WA, with the recent emergence of the Finks and the Rock Machine.
Today, police said that the 5kg haul of methamphetamine had been uncovered in a vehicle transported from Sydney to Perth, which arrived this week.Police will allege one of the arrested men flew to WA yesterday, collected the vehicle and drove it to an address in Bayswater before meeting one of the other arrested men in North Perth.
It will be alleged the first man later travelled back to Perth Airport to book a flight back to New South Wales before he returned to the Perth CBD where he was arrested.Detectives then pounced, launching a series of raids, including on a gym in Wellman St, Perth where police will allege Comancheros members had set up a clubhouse in a back room.Another 11 properties in WA, including a property in Hargraves St, Stirling where 210 grams of methamphetamine was allegedly seized, were searched by police, along with one in NSW.“We will allege there is a clear link between this drug shipment and the Comancheros. There is no question that outlaw motorcycle gangs represent organised crime networks. They are not social clubs, they are organised crime,'' said Det-Supt Jim Migro, from the Serious and Organised Crime Division.
The top-secret investigation, code-named Operation Baystone, has been in train since December last year when police seized 2.7kg of methamphetamine from a house in Stirling.Det-Supt Migro said police intelligence suggested that a senior member of the NSW Comancheros was due to arrive in Perth this weekend to distribute colours to up to eight new WA members.
``They are establishing themselves here in Western Australia...This is a clear indication that outlaw motorcycle gangs are involved in and/or are organised crime. They are not social clubs. They are organised crime,'' he said.
``We first became aware of them back in December...They haven't been out overtly displaying themselves as Comancheros but our intelligence holdings have been given some information and because of that we started this operation on them.''Det-Supt Migro said the drug seizure equated to a $50 million reduction in the social cost of illicit drugs to the community. He would not disclose the street value of the seized drugs.Criminals and interstate bikie gangs were attracted to WA in a bid to capitalise on the rich economy and hefty disposable income, he said.``This is a very significant bust. We're talking here 7.5kg of amphetamine over a couple of months. These people are not small fish. These are the people that we talk about (who) are key players in the illicit drug trade."These people are serious and organised crime and for those people who say that outlaw motorcycle gangs aren't in organised crime, this is a clear indication of their involvement.''“Methamphetamine is hugely destructive, resulting in not just personal misery but it has the knock-on effect of contributing to further serious and volume crime within society.''Tuart Hill man Steve Milenkovski, 32, the WA Comancheros president, has been charged with two counts of conspiracy to supply methamphetamine.
East Perth man Hao Bi, 26, was charged with attempting to supply methamphetamine, while Yuvaz Ozan, 31, from Kogarah in New South wasles has been charged with supplying methamphetmaine and conspiring to sell the drug. The trio appeared in Perth Magistrates Court today.
Another man, a 28-year-old from Stirling has been charged with possessing methamphetamine with intent to sell or supply, possessing cocaine and possessing ecstasy. He will appear in court at a later date.Det-Supt Mal Lanyon, from then NSW Gang Squad, said the Comancheros were one of the most significant gangs in NSW with about 50 members and had been involved in the notorious Sydney AirportTwelve Comanchero members, including the president, are in custody charged with murder, he said.These charges relate to the death of Anthony Zervas, 29 - the brother of senior Hells Angels member Peter Zervas - who was killed during a brawl between the Comancheros and Hells Angels at Sydney Airport in March last year.

Raid on the Perth headquarters of the Finks bikie gang

Raid on the Perth headquarters of the Finks bikie gang has resulted in the seizure of ammunition and a small amount of drugs.Officers from the Gang Crime Squad searched the clubhouse on Olney Court at Balga for firearms after a Finks nominee was charged with possessing a loaded handgun.Police allege the .25 calibre pistol fell to the ground during a scuffle between the 47-year-old man and security staff at a concert at surburban Caversham last night.He has been charged and is due to face court next week.
Detective Inspector John Adams says the operation was a success and charges will be laid."We've located a quanity of ammunition and a small amount of drugs," he said.He says part of another firearm was also found on Friday night during a search of the Balga clubhouse.

William Wardell "Cozmo" Welebir,, and now of Conway, S.C., was convicted Friday in U.S. District Court on a single count of arson

William Wardell "Cozmo" Welebir, formerly of Front Royal, and now of Conway, S.C., was convicted Friday in U.S. District Court on a single count of arson. Prosecutors didn't have to prove that he actually set the Oct. 25, 2003, fire, but had at least aided and abetted the arson.six years after Strasburg's Bad Water Bill's Bar-B-Q Barn was destroyed in a 3 a.m. blaze, one of the culprits has been brought to justice.The other is dead, according to the U.S. government.
Welebir faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison, with a 20-year maximum. After ensuring his medical needs -- he suffers from insulin-dependent diabetes, hypertension and osteoarthritis, among other ailments -- could be met in a local jail, he was taken into the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service to await sentencing.Jurors sat through more than two days of testimony from witnesses who included a fire expert, a motorcycle gang expert, investigators and current and former members of the Pagans Motorcycle Club.Within weeks of the fire, Welebir, using the alias "Mr. Wagner," was supplying police with information on the Pagans, one of what are known as one-percenter outlaw motorcycle gangs because they are among the 1 percent of bikers who don't follow society's rules. He was put in touch with Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Special Agent Mark Ambrozy, who testified that Welebir kept changing his story about the arson that at Bad Water Bill's.In one account, Welebir didn't know about the fire until the next morning; in another, he said he was at one gas station, while in a different version he placed himself at another. In one statement, Welebir said he saw current Pagan James Arthur "Art" Calhoun and former Pagan Josh Vossel set the fire, according to Ambrozy.
A Virginia state trooper saw Welebir's Ford Mustang leaving the bar, a haunt for area biker gangs, particularly the Warlocks, minutes before the fire was reported.On the stand Friday morning, Vossel said had he been asked to set the fire, he would have. At that time, he was what is known as a "hang around," someone who runs around with the gang, but is not a full member.

Vossel said "one percenters" live by their own rules, prompting U.S. District Judge Samuel G. Wilson to ask if that applied to telling the truth on the stand. Vossel said he left the Pagans five or six years ago, so their rules no longer applied to him."It's not like they're out there robbing banks or killing babies, or anything like that," he said. "It's like a government. You have officers, you have presidents, you have secretaries, treasurers."

The Pagans were upset by what they saw as an effort by the Hells Angels to move into their territory, Vossel said. A Hells Angels support club, the Titans, had a bike show scheduled at the Strasburg eatery the day of the fire. Putting up a wall against the support club makes it harder for the bigger club to settle in, he said.

"It's like containing a virus," Vossel said. "You don't want it to get airborne."Vossel overheard the Pagans' president, Steven Paul "Blacksmith" Hampton, who was killed in a motorcycle crash five years ago, talking about retaliating against the Hells Angels. He described Hampton, a close friend of Welebir's, as "paranoid" of the Pagans being linked to criminal activity."'Blacksmith' liked to use civilians for a lot of his dirty work," Vossel said. "That way, it has nothing to do with the Pagans."Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Souders said Welebir was guilty of at least driving Hampton to the scene of the fire."A strong message was sent with what was done," he said. "There were flames and destruction. This was a terrible fire.
"I will be honest. There are some questions that haven't been answered. There are some questions that we're never going to know the answer to. Who all was there at the scene of the fire? Who lit the match? Who poured the gas? We don't know."
Calhoun, 51, of White Post, testified Thursday that Welebir wasn't "Pagans material," highlighting as an example of his breach of Pagan etiquette Welebir publicly identifying Calhoun at a bike show. Souders played excerpts of a recorded phone call between Welebir and an intelligence analyst.In that call, Welebir talks about recently taking a gift to Calhoun, but spends a great deal of time telling the analyst, Domingo Perez, of the Shenandoah County Sheriff's Office, that Calhoun is supplying drugs, and suggests that Calhoun's wife be pressured to give up information by threatening to take away their baby.
Defense attorney Andrea Harris threw suspicion on Calhoun's and Vossel's credibility, and said her client didn't want to be a member of the Pagans.
"Cooperating with police certainly wouldn't impress the Pagans," she said. "Once [investigators] found the Mustang, they just tried to build a case against the Mustang."The government is asking you to speculate, and you cannot speculate. The government is asking you to believe the words of these Pagans. ... They're outlaws. Mr. Welebir is a person who was trying to do the right thing."Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Mott was the final lawyer to address jurors.
"We don't have to prove motive, but we did," he said. "It's respect. He was trying to get the respect of Paul Hampton, the president of the chapter. He was trying to get the respect of Calhoun and Vossel and others involved in the club. But when he didn't get it, he turned on them."A sentencing date has not yet been set.The arson's victims have some "vindication" now, Mott said after court.
"They were innocent victims caught up in [a] turf war," he said.

Dispute between rival bikie gangs may have been behind a fire at a tattoo parlour owned by a former member of the rock group Rose Tattoo.

The Hells Angels have been on a recruitment drive and Mr King is believed to be one of five Nomads who defected to the group, along with their former national president Scott Orrock. Such changes can cause tension between rival gangs, according to the bikie expert Arthur Veno.
Dispute between rival bikie gangs may have been behind a fire at a tattoo parlour owned by a former member of the rock group Rose Tattoo.The blaze at House of Pain, in Annandale, was spotted shortly before 12.30am yesterday and neighbours in adjoining units had to be evacuated.The parlour is owned by Steve King, who played with Rose Tattoo from 2000.Mr King was believed to have been a member of the Nomads gang, but may have switched his allegiance and joined the Hells Angels shortly before Christmas.”There’s a strong correlation between recruiting drives and inter-club tensions,” Dr Veno told the Herald last month.”The growth of one club can also have a flow-on effect on other clubs. A recruitment drive in one club tends to spark a recruitment drive in others in response.”Mr King displayed guitars from his time with Rose Tattoo in the parlour on Parramatta Road as well as other music memorabilia, all of which is thought to have been destroyed in the fire.A year ago the nearby Hell’s Angel’s clubhouse on Crystal Street, Petersham, was blown up and shots fired into another tattoo parlour on Parramatta Road.Four men associated with the Nomads were arrested at Kings Street Wharf after an assault on nightclub bouncers about 12.30am on February 14, 2010.

shoulder-bumping" members of the Hells Angels and the Throttle Lockers

shoulder-bumping" members of the Hells Angels and the Throttle Lockers puppet gang inside the nightclub, provoking a street fight outside.

Cpl. Annie Linteau said the officers charged, Const. Chris MacDonald of Prince Edward Island, and Const. Kiel Samotej of Alberta, remain on duty though they are also the subject of an internal code of conduct review.MacDonald, 40, and Samotej, 25, were in the Okanagan with others on vacation. They are due to make their first appearances in a Kelowna courtroom April 22.

Kelowna resident Errol Milsom-Gardener, 25, will appear in court April 8 for allegedly striking Mac-Donald, who ended up in hospital.Linteau said the fight outside the night club involved 15 to 20 individuals wearing Hells Angels and Throttle Lockers colours and about seven members of MacDonald's group."This alleged assault involved a 'shoulder bump' inside the nightclub and is believed to have instigated the much larger altercation that later took place outside," she said.

Linteau said a shoulder bump would constitute an assault if it was done intentionally, which is what the evidence showed in this case. The shoulder bump did not result in anyone being injured, she said.

After the incident inside, the Mountie group left the bar and the biker group followed them.

"The group of 15 to 20 tracked them down the street for about half a block and that's where the altercation happened," Linteau said.

While the Mounties could identify the bikers, Linteau said she didn't know if the bikers knew there were police officers in the opposing group.

She said others with Mac-Donald sustained minor injuries that did not require hospitalization. Mac-Donald was held overnight at Kelowna General Hospital and then released.

Kelowna RCMP investigated the fight and sent the findings to Crown counsel for consideration of criminal charges, Linteau said. Those charged were approved Feb. 5.

The Hells Angels established a Kelowna chapter in the summer of 2007, and several members of the notorious biker gang have moved to the Okanagan.

The Throttle Lockers are one of several puppet clubs that have surfaced across B.C. over the past year. Police say these clubs have a direct relationship to the Hells Angels. The Throttle Lockers club is based in 100 Mile House and has about 10 members and ties to the Kelowna Hells Angels.

motorcycle gangs played any role in the shooting death of a tattoo parlor owner.

 Police say Ferraiolo was ambushed Tuesday night outside his parlor, A Touch of Color, on Dixwell Avenue. The medical examiner's office says he died of multiple gunshot wounds. gangs played any role in the shooting death of a tattoo parlor owner.Chief Thomas Wydra said Wednesday that police are investigating whether the victim, 64-year-old Joseph Ferraiolo, had any affiliation, membership or involvement in any motorcycle gang, and whether his killing may have been retaliation for something.Wydra declined to say why police were looking at motorcycle gangs and wouldn't say if any suspects had been identified. Investigators are looking for a black truck they say was connected to the killing.

Jay Dobyns, death threats from the Hells Angels.

Jay Dobyns, an ATF agent in Arizona for 22 years, contends in U.S. Court of Claims papers that his bosses failed to uphold an agreement to protect him after he received death threats from the Hells Angels.Last month, Judge Francis Allegra ruled that Dobyns' complaint must proceed, and he rebuked government lawyers for their dismissal arguments.The agent's victory was short-lived, however. Days after Allegra's Jan. 15 decision, federal lawyers filed a counterclaim accusing Dobyns of harming his country by publishing an autobiography, "No Angel: My Harrowing Undercover Journey to the Inner Circle of the Hells Angels," and entering a deal to sell the book's movie rights.The counterclaim argues that Dobyns violated federal rules by failing to get a supervisor's approval before publishing a book based on information he gathered while working as an ATF agent.Dobyns, who still works at ATF as a coordinator for computerized ballistics data, said the countersuit was a "completely retaliatory move.""It definitely supports my allegation that ATF is going to do everything it can to break me," he said.ATF and Justice Department officials did not respond to interview requests.Dobyns' troubles with the bureau began in 2003 after he completed 21 months as the lead undercover agent in Operation Black Biscuit, one of the deepest law-enforcement probes into the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club.Working with informants and other agents who posed as bikers, Dobyns infiltrated the Hells Angels so thoroughly that he was invited to become a member before the probe ended. The case resulted in charges of murder, conspiracy, weapons violations and narcotics offenses against 16 bikers in Arizona.Dobyns, already a decorated agent, received several other national awards.The Hells Angels case later fell apart, largely because of problems with undercover informants as well as disputes between federal prosecutors and ATF agents.In the aftermath, Dobyns says that he and his family were targeted by a series of death threats issued by the Hells Angels and other groups. Jail informants described plans to murder Dobyns.Dobyns eventually went public with complaints that the ATF failed to adequately investigate the threats or provide security for his family. ATF administrators rebuffed all formal grievances, Dobyns said, then launched a retaliatory campaign of harassment and slander against him. An internal inquiry dismissed Dobyns' allegations, but an investigation by the Office of the Inspector General validated his claims. In 2007, ATF managers agreed to settle the matter with a payment of $373,000, a guarantee that Dobyns' family would be protected and assurances that the agent would no longer be subjected to abuse.
Seven months later, according to Dobyns' lawsuit, the ATF stopped providing protection. Then, in August 2008, Dobyns' home in Tucson was destroyed by an arson-caused fire.Dobyns' Court of Claims lawsuit lists 147 instances in which he says the ATF violated the settlement agreement.Department of Justice attorney Kent Kiffner asked for a dismissal based on technical arguments.Federal employees are normally limited in their ability to seek tort damages from their agencies. However, because Dobyns won a settlement in his previous claim, the judge said, the agent is entitled to sue the government for breaching that 2007 agreement.Days after the ruling, the federal government filed its counterclaim.
Government lawyers argue that Dobyns had previously breached the agreement by not seeking a supervisor's approval before publishing his book. Federal rules also prohibit ATF agents from using their official position to further a private business interest.The counterclaim asks that Dobyns pay the government for all funds he has or will receive related to the book and possible movie.
Dobyns' actions, the counterclaim says, have "injured" and "damaged" the United States, but the filing does not explain how.Kiffner referred inquiries to a Justice Department spokesman, who could not be reached.Dobyns said his autobiography, co-written by Nils Johnson-Shelton, has been on sale for a year and only contains information about the ATF that had previously been public."How did this damage them?" he asked. "I'm just waiting for an answer to that one."

provincial witness protection program will help law enforcement combat Hells Angels

provincial witness protection program will help law enforcement combat gang activity, Calgary police Chief Rick Hanson said.The government announced in its speech from the throne on Thursday that it will establish a program that will offer short-term protection, as opposed to an existing federal program that offers long-term or permanent protection.Witness protection on its own may not induce members to quit gangs, but Hanson said it could be a deciding factor for gangsters looking for a way out. "It's just something that leaves the door open if they want to get out and are really serious about getting out," he said.Gang cases are typically difficult to prosecute because witnesses are afraid to come forward. Getting former gang members as witnesses may allow police to start gaining momentum in gang-related investigations, said Hanson."It creates opportunities to develop sources, individuals who would be willing to support the police in giving evidence against their associates," he said.
The program will be paid for and administered by the province and could be used for other types of cases, though gang prosecutions are seen as its most likely application. That arrangement not only spares police budgets the burden, but the separation also protects investigations, Hanson said.
"It's really critical when you use someone as a witness who has gang ties or affiliations, it's done so that it doesn't compromise the integrity of the investigation," he said.
While the concept is new to Alberta, other jurisdictions have used the same sort of short-term protection.

Norwegian lawyer Morten Furuholmen is preparing a lawsuit against Icelandic authorities for what he calls an unfounded arrest of Leif Ivar Kristiansen

Norwegian lawyer Morten Furuholmen is preparing a lawsuit against Icelandic authorities for what he calls an unfounded arrest of Leif Ivar Kristiansen, the leader of the Hells Angels motorcycle club in Norway, at Keflavík International Airport yesterday.