alleged Hells Angels associate won't get any jail time after pleading guilty to trafficking cocaine.30 year old Chad Barroby was one of some 20 bikers charged after police raided clubhouses in Vancouver and Kelowna in a 2005 operation known as E-Pandora.He was charged with trafficking cocaine, conspiracy to produce and traffic meth and committing an offense in association with a criminal organization.
Barroby pleaded guilty to the cocaine trafficking charge only, and charges linking him to the Hells ngels have been stayed.He's been sentenced to an 18 month conditional sentence and a 10 year firearms ban.
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Jessica Andrea Gordon pleaded not guilty in Marin County Superior Court Wednesday to being an accessory to the murder, shooting from an occupied vehicle, permitting a shooting from an occupied vehicle, possession of ecstasy for sale and possession of cocaine, Marin County Deputy District Attorney Linda Witong said. Gordon is free on bail. Her co-defendant, Joseph Andrew Farnsworth, 20, of El Cerrito, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of William Crompton Maclean, 25, of San Leandro, and is being held in county jail in lieu of $2 million bail. His preliminary hearing date will be set Aug. 28. The Marin County Sheriff's Office said Farnsworth and Gordon were riding in a Dodge Durango on northbound U.S. Highway 101 around 8:15 p.m. May 24, the night of the shooting. Farnsworth, a passenger in the back seat of the Dodge, is suspected of shooting Maclean as he rode by in a Chevrolet pickup that was leading a group of Hells Angels on motorcycles who were returning from a funeral service in Daly City.
Raymond Foakes, Maclean's brother-in-law and president of the Sonoma County Chapter of the Hells Angels, pulled the Chevrolet off the highway at Paradise Drive and called the California Highway Patrol for help. Maclean was taken to Marin General Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Raymond Foakes, Maclean's brother-in-law and president of the Sonoma County Chapter of the Hells Angels, pulled the Chevrolet off the highway at Paradise Drive and called the California Highway Patrol for help. Maclean was taken to Marin General Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Police say a chance inspection of a car at Port Adelaide has led to the arrests of two senior members of the Hells Angels motorcycle gang.Police approached a group of people congregating around a car in Saint Vincent Street and searched the vehicle.They allege a 22-calibre loaded pistol was found, along with a stolen police identification badge and police flashing lights.Two outlaw motorcycle gang members and another man and a woman have been charged with unlawful possession, illegal interference and firearm offences.The four have been remanded in custody to face Port Adelaide Magistrates Court.
Jessica Andrea Gordon, 20, pleaded not guilty to charges of being an accessory after the fact, one count of shooting at an occupied vehicle, one count of permitting another person to shoot from a vehicle, and two counts of possessing Ecstasy and cocaine.The alleged gunman, 20-year-old Joseph Andrew Farnsworth of El Cerrito, also appeared in court Wednesday seeking an opportunity to post bail. Farnsworth has been held without bail since his arrest, and his attorneys asked Judge Kelly Simmons to set his bail at $500,000, citing his family ties in the East Bay.
Simmons set the bail at $2 million, and Farnsworth remained in custody Wednesday. Farnsworth has pleaded not guilty to charges of murder, one count of shooting a firearm from a vehicle and one count of shooting at an occupied vehicle.
Gordon, who is free on bail, was ushered in and out of court through a side door because of the intense security concerns surrounding the case. Sheriff's officials have taken extra safety precautions because the murder victim, William Crompton Maclean, was a Hells Angels associate who was riding in a procession of Hells Angels when he was shot to death.
Sheriff's investigators have described the motive as road rage. Court documents filed in recent days provide new details about the investigation.
According to the documents, the shooting on May 24 occurred while Gordon was driving on northbound Highway 101 in a red Dodge Durango carrying Farnsworth and his girlfriend, an unidentified juvenile.
Farnsworth, for reasons unclear, allegedly pulled down the window in the back seat and fired two shots at the pickup truck in the next lane, according to a statement filed by sheriff's Detective Matt Stott. One bullet struck Maclean, who was in the passenger seat, in the chest, Stott said.
The driver of the pickup truck, Maclean's brother-in-law, Raymond Foakes of Petaluma, was not injured.Gordon and her passengers exited the freeway at Paradise Drive and hid in the area, investigators said. Foakes also took the Paradise Drive exit, trailed by 10 members of the Hells Angels on motorcycles, and called for help from the nearby California Highway Patrol office.Based on information provided by witnesses, sheriff's investigators began reviewing video surveillance tapes from the Golden Gate Bridge. The tapes showed a red Dodge Durango crossing the bridge shortly before the shooting, and investigators got its license plate number.The license plate traced back to a residence in Mill Valley. On the night of May 28, when investigators were serving a search warrant on the residence, Gordon drove up with a friend."Gordon admitted that she was driving the vehicle when the shots were fired," Stott said in his statement. "She said the person in the back of the vehicle is an acquaintance she knows with another friend. She admitted that the person who fired the shots was sitting in the back seat, rolled down the window and fired shots from a handgun."On May 31, sheriff's detectives served a search warrant on the Richmond residence where Farnsworth and his girlfriend live. Farnsworth's girlfriend confirmed that he fired the gun, and investigators arrested Farnsworth and seized a gun found under his bed, Stott said.
No charges have been filed against Farnsworth's girlfriend, said District Attorney Ed Berberian
Simmons set the bail at $2 million, and Farnsworth remained in custody Wednesday. Farnsworth has pleaded not guilty to charges of murder, one count of shooting a firearm from a vehicle and one count of shooting at an occupied vehicle.
Gordon, who is free on bail, was ushered in and out of court through a side door because of the intense security concerns surrounding the case. Sheriff's officials have taken extra safety precautions because the murder victim, William Crompton Maclean, was a Hells Angels associate who was riding in a procession of Hells Angels when he was shot to death.
Sheriff's investigators have described the motive as road rage. Court documents filed in recent days provide new details about the investigation.
According to the documents, the shooting on May 24 occurred while Gordon was driving on northbound Highway 101 in a red Dodge Durango carrying Farnsworth and his girlfriend, an unidentified juvenile.
Farnsworth, for reasons unclear, allegedly pulled down the window in the back seat and fired two shots at the pickup truck in the next lane, according to a statement filed by sheriff's Detective Matt Stott. One bullet struck Maclean, who was in the passenger seat, in the chest, Stott said.
The driver of the pickup truck, Maclean's brother-in-law, Raymond Foakes of Petaluma, was not injured.Gordon and her passengers exited the freeway at Paradise Drive and hid in the area, investigators said. Foakes also took the Paradise Drive exit, trailed by 10 members of the Hells Angels on motorcycles, and called for help from the nearby California Highway Patrol office.Based on information provided by witnesses, sheriff's investigators began reviewing video surveillance tapes from the Golden Gate Bridge. The tapes showed a red Dodge Durango crossing the bridge shortly before the shooting, and investigators got its license plate number.The license plate traced back to a residence in Mill Valley. On the night of May 28, when investigators were serving a search warrant on the residence, Gordon drove up with a friend."Gordon admitted that she was driving the vehicle when the shots were fired," Stott said in his statement. "She said the person in the back of the vehicle is an acquaintance she knows with another friend. She admitted that the person who fired the shots was sitting in the back seat, rolled down the window and fired shots from a handgun."On May 31, sheriff's detectives served a search warrant on the Richmond residence where Farnsworth and his girlfriend live. Farnsworth's girlfriend confirmed that he fired the gun, and investigators arrested Farnsworth and seized a gun found under his bed, Stott said.
No charges have been filed against Farnsworth's girlfriend, said District Attorney Ed Berberian
Arrests Tuesday, Aug. 5, of Diamond Cut street gang members accused of being involved in a major cocaine and heroin drug ring is a watershed moment that could lead to more arrests, Montgomery County Sheriff Phil Plummer said.Plummer's deputies, Dayton police and up to 40 members of other area law enforcement agencies armed with federal criminal complaints carried out the raid, coordinated by the FBI, on suspected drug trafficking."It was a high target for us," Plummer said. "We have several gangs in this community. This was one of the top gangs," he said of Diamond Cut.Thirteen men were named in the indictments. Nine were arrested Tuesday morning, three more Tuesday evening. One remained on the run Tuesday night.
FBI spokesman Michael E. Brooks said arrests began at 6 a.m. with the help of police in Dayton, Trotwood, Clayton, Harrison Twp. and Kettering. Federal seizure warrants have been obtained for 10 vehicles. Ten homes were searched also.Dayton police Sgt. Dennis Chaney, who said the arrests followed an 18-month investigation, noted that more arrests are likely."It's not over," he said.
FBI spokesman Michael E. Brooks said arrests began at 6 a.m. with the help of police in Dayton, Trotwood, Clayton, Harrison Twp. and Kettering. Federal seizure warrants have been obtained for 10 vehicles. Ten homes were searched also.Dayton police Sgt. Dennis Chaney, who said the arrests followed an 18-month investigation, noted that more arrests are likely."It's not over," he said.
Two men arrested in a series of federal raids on the Outlaws motorcycle club last week bombed a gaming machine business on orders from he Chicago Outfit, according to a court filing today by federal prosecutors in Chicago.
The U.S. Attorney's office for the Northern District of Illinois filed a memorandum requesting that Mark Polchan and Samuel Volpendesto's bond be denied because they have a history of violence including blowing up several Berwyn businesses using a pipe bomb in 2003. According to the government, C & S Coin Operated Amusements which leased vending and video machines, was targeted by the Chicago Outfit because it competed with the Mob's $13 million illegal gambling operation.
Individuals cooperating with the government identify Polchan, 41 of Justice, as a ranking member of the Criminal Outlaws Motorcycle Club Northside Crew and a member of the Chicago Outfit. One informant recorded a meeting with Volpendesto, 84 of Oak Brook, where he confessed to the 2003 bombing and said he was not happy with his payment, according to prosecutors. Authorities say Volpendesto also talks on undercover tape about an unnamed individual referred to only as the "Large Guy." The government refers to that man as Outfit Member A, who worked for Outfit boss Johnny "Apes" Monteleone.
Federal prosecutors claim Polchan and Volpendesto have long ties to organized crime and long rap sheets. Polchan was arrested at least fourteen times in a 22 year period for burglary, assault, battery and possession of a firearm. Two arrests ended in convictions. Volpendesto has been arrested for deceptive practices, battery and domestic battery. All were dismissed according to prosecutors, who add that he "has not let age slow him down when it comes to crime."
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Both men face 35 years to life imprisonment and fines up to $750,000. A detention hearing has been scheduled for tomorrow afternoon.
The U.S. Attorney's office for the Northern District of Illinois filed a memorandum requesting that Mark Polchan and Samuel Volpendesto's bond be denied because they have a history of violence including blowing up several Berwyn businesses using a pipe bomb in 2003. According to the government, C & S Coin Operated Amusements which leased vending and video machines, was targeted by the Chicago Outfit because it competed with the Mob's $13 million illegal gambling operation.
Individuals cooperating with the government identify Polchan, 41 of Justice, as a ranking member of the Criminal Outlaws Motorcycle Club Northside Crew and a member of the Chicago Outfit. One informant recorded a meeting with Volpendesto, 84 of Oak Brook, where he confessed to the 2003 bombing and said he was not happy with his payment, according to prosecutors. Authorities say Volpendesto also talks on undercover tape about an unnamed individual referred to only as the "Large Guy." The government refers to that man as Outfit Member A, who worked for Outfit boss Johnny "Apes" Monteleone.
Federal prosecutors claim Polchan and Volpendesto have long ties to organized crime and long rap sheets. Polchan was arrested at least fourteen times in a 22 year period for burglary, assault, battery and possession of a firearm. Two arrests ended in convictions. Volpendesto has been arrested for deceptive practices, battery and domestic battery. All were dismissed according to prosecutors, who add that he "has not let age slow him down when it comes to crime."
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Both men face 35 years to life imprisonment and fines up to $750,000. A detention hearing has been scheduled for tomorrow afternoon.
A trial date has been set for three Coffin Cheaters bikie gang members accused of assaulting a crowd controller in Bunbury earlier this year.James William Wallace Garland, Aaron David Fraser and Alexander Farquharson Rattray each face a charge of assault occasioning bodily harm.They were charged after a police raid on the bikie gang's Bunbury headquarters in May this year.It is alleged the men assaulted a bouncer at the Fitzgerald's Irish Bar in Bunbury on May 9.The trial has been set down to be heard in the Bunbury District Court in March next year.Meanwhile, fellow Coffin Cheaters' member Brant Gregory Tyler, who is accused of assaulting a crowd controller at the same hotel two weeks after the first incident, has had his charge upgraded.Police allege Tyler assaulted the bouncer on May 24.He was initially charged with assault occasioning bodily harm but that has now been upgraded to assault occasioning grievous bodily harm.He is due to return to court on October 27.A second man also allegedly involved in the altercation that night, Adam Michael Stewart, will return to court on August 19.He has been charged with assaulting a police officer.
Members of the Hell's Angels motorcycle club assaulted a Warren County man Sunday afternoon during a biker gathering to benefit a 14-year-old boy battling cancer, authorities said. Jonathan Stock, 27, of Belvidere, refused to provide information to police and told investigators he could not identify his attackers, New Jersey State Police Sgt. Julian Castellanos said. It happened at Franky and Johnny's Island Park bar on Route 46, state police said. Castellanos said the attackers were armed with a knife, but he refused to say whether they stabbed Stock. He also declined comment on the severity of Stock's injuries. Police were called to the bar about 2:30 p.m. The biker gathering began earlier in the day with area clubs and individual motorcyclists conducting a ride to raise money for the son of Washington Borough Police Department Detective Wendell Whitmore. The event was organized by the tavern owners. Tyler Whitmore suffers from a hereditary disease that caused three tumors to form in his body, his father said. "These people showed up after the fact," Wendell Whitmore said. "It was between the Hell's Angels and the Pagans."
The police detective said the attack occurred outside the bar where tents were set up for bands. "I had my children there," Whitmore said. "There were other children there."
The police detective said the attack occurred outside the bar where tents were set up for bands. "I had my children there," Whitmore said. "There were other children there."
Three main gangs have been identified in Wolverhampton:
The Demolition Crew, or the UDC, operating in Heath Town.
The Reans Crew, operating from Whitmore Reans.
The Park Village Crew, operating in Park Village.
Pubs in the city have become unsuspecting focal points for gang activity, according to police.Gangs are waging a violent war in Wolverhampton, hijacking at least three city pubs that have become their unofficial bases.Amid shootings and violent attacks, one gang member has been spotted by police at a pub wearing a bullet-proof vest.Armed police have been called out to the city centre following shootings, and amid fears of further clashes officers have asked for pubs to be closed down or managers removed.Licensing chiefs will tomorrow meet to discuss the future of the Moscow Bar, following months of violence linked to city bars.
Last month, a man was shot in the bar at the Waggon & Horses in Cannock Road. It came just over a week after another man was fired at and the pub has been temporarily shut down.The future of the Moscow Bar in the city centre, now hangs in the balance. police report on the Moscow Bar that lifts the lid on Wolverhampton’s gangs.Allegations made in the report reveal how: Police called to investigate a stabbing near the Moscow Bar saw a gang member wearing a “ballistic or stab-proof vest”.
Officers called to the pub found 20 people brawling with knives.
The pub was closed for a night after rival gang members confronted each other in the bar.Eight gang members rushed at a door, forcing their way into the pub.
Wolverhampton’s top police officer says his officers are “babysitting” the venue, which was linked to the stabbing of a teenager on a nearby car park on July 6.
It could now be shut down if councillors feel that the venue, which police have found open and packed with 200 clubbers at 4am, poses a risk to the public.Our investigation has found how one of the city’s top drugs gangs has now essentially been wiped out, and others have emerged, with some merging with others to increase their influence.Criminals, often high on cocaine, have easy access to weapons and are willing to open fire to settle petty disputes over “respect”.Pictures have now emerged of one gunman – jailed for at least seven years over a city-centre shootout – showing off in a gangster-style pose in his cell.
The Demolition Crew, or the UDC, operating in Heath Town.
The Reans Crew, operating from Whitmore Reans.
The Park Village Crew, operating in Park Village.
Pubs in the city have become unsuspecting focal points for gang activity, according to police.Gangs are waging a violent war in Wolverhampton, hijacking at least three city pubs that have become their unofficial bases.Amid shootings and violent attacks, one gang member has been spotted by police at a pub wearing a bullet-proof vest.Armed police have been called out to the city centre following shootings, and amid fears of further clashes officers have asked for pubs to be closed down or managers removed.Licensing chiefs will tomorrow meet to discuss the future of the Moscow Bar, following months of violence linked to city bars.
Last month, a man was shot in the bar at the Waggon & Horses in Cannock Road. It came just over a week after another man was fired at and the pub has been temporarily shut down.The future of the Moscow Bar in the city centre, now hangs in the balance. police report on the Moscow Bar that lifts the lid on Wolverhampton’s gangs.Allegations made in the report reveal how: Police called to investigate a stabbing near the Moscow Bar saw a gang member wearing a “ballistic or stab-proof vest”.
Officers called to the pub found 20 people brawling with knives.
The pub was closed for a night after rival gang members confronted each other in the bar.Eight gang members rushed at a door, forcing their way into the pub.
Wolverhampton’s top police officer says his officers are “babysitting” the venue, which was linked to the stabbing of a teenager on a nearby car park on July 6.
It could now be shut down if councillors feel that the venue, which police have found open and packed with 200 clubbers at 4am, poses a risk to the public.Our investigation has found how one of the city’s top drugs gangs has now essentially been wiped out, and others have emerged, with some merging with others to increase their influence.Criminals, often high on cocaine, have easy access to weapons and are willing to open fire to settle petty disputes over “respect”.Pictures have now emerged of one gunman – jailed for at least seven years over a city-centre shootout – showing off in a gangster-style pose in his cell.
James “Frank” Wheeler of Indianapolis, appealed his conviction, arguing that he was essentially convicted on the same charges at an earlier trial in Florida.
The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati agreed and overturned his racketeering conviction. Wheeler, though, won’t be getting out of prison because he is still serving a life sentence for a drug conviction.He also was sentenced to 16 1/2 years in prison for racketeering and other crimes in Florida.
After Wheeler’s conviction in Ohio, U.S. District Judge David Katz said Wheeler created an atmosphere of evil and ruled an organization of crime, fear and violence.
In 1999, Wheeler took control and oversaw the operation in Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky and Oklahoma, threatening and assaulting rivals to protect the territory.
The Outlaws were one of the nation’s four largest motorcycle gangs, along with the Hell’s Angels, Pagans and Bandidos. The Outlaws have chapters in 21 states, Europe, Canada and Australia.The appeals court on Friday also overturned the racketeering and conspiracy convictions of Gregory Driver and ordered that he be resentenced on a drug conspiracy charge. The court said there was not enough evidence to convict him.
The court also upheld convictions but ordered new sentences for Gary Hohn, former president of the Dayton chapter; David Mays, former national enforcer; Patrick Puttick; and Jason Fowler.
The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati agreed and overturned his racketeering conviction. Wheeler, though, won’t be getting out of prison because he is still serving a life sentence for a drug conviction.He also was sentenced to 16 1/2 years in prison for racketeering and other crimes in Florida.
After Wheeler’s conviction in Ohio, U.S. District Judge David Katz said Wheeler created an atmosphere of evil and ruled an organization of crime, fear and violence.
In 1999, Wheeler took control and oversaw the operation in Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky and Oklahoma, threatening and assaulting rivals to protect the territory.
The Outlaws were one of the nation’s four largest motorcycle gangs, along with the Hell’s Angels, Pagans and Bandidos. The Outlaws have chapters in 21 states, Europe, Canada and Australia.The appeals court on Friday also overturned the racketeering and conspiracy convictions of Gregory Driver and ordered that he be resentenced on a drug conspiracy charge. The court said there was not enough evidence to convict him.
The court also upheld convictions but ordered new sentences for Gary Hohn, former president of the Dayton chapter; David Mays, former national enforcer; Patrick Puttick; and Jason Fowler.
Jonathan Nelson from Healdsburg and Mark Anthony Guardado from San Francisco or San Jose, are facing criminal felony charges that allege they acted in participation with a criminal street gang. If proven this will ultimately add time to their sentencing if they are convicted of the crimes. In the evidence the police were seeking in the raid included information that the two men charged hold high ranking positions within the Hells Angels organization and probably have high quality attorney representation.Both men have been charged with allegedly jumping a man and beating him severely even after he had lost consciousness according to Capt. Sears. This incident occurred in February in the vicinity of McNear´s Saloon & Dinning House in the Petaluma area. Both men were again charged with allegedly beating the victim in March in the vicinity of Henny Penny Restaurant located on Petaluma Boulevard. Both Nelson and Guardado have pleaded not guilty to both allegations according to records from the court. Each of the two have also filed five million dollar lawsuits against Sonoma County after Superior Judge Ken Gnoss expelled them from the courtroom because of shirts they were wearing that had the Hells Angels insignia on them. Judge Gnoss stated that the shirt insignias are intended to intimidate and threaten others. During the San Francisco search by two FBI tactical teams Guardado was arrested for alleged drug possession according to statements by Capt. Sears. Lately there has been a lot of high profile criminal news coming from San Francisco, San Jose and the surrounding area. For instance, a parolee recently pleaded Guilty to killing his instructor in Oakland. Troy Tyrone Thomas(that is touph sounding name for sure) is scheduled to be sentenced on September 5th to life without the possibility of parole in a deal in which prosecutors will not seek the death penalty in the death of College teacher John Dennis. He had a good San Jose Criminal AttorneyThomas, who by the way was on parole at the time of the killing, has an extensive criminal history and was released from prison prior to the murder for felony auto theft and possession of a firearm as a convicted felon. He has also been convicted of murder in 1981 and several vehicle thefts.
Three people appeared in Montreal court to face charges indirectly related to a series of shootings in the city's north end more than a week ago.
The arrests made yesterday are a result of an investigation into a robbery and extortion attempt made at a café on July 7, said Montreal police Constable Anie Lemieux.The robbery is suspected of setting off events that led to three people being shot in less than two hours the night of July 23.
The first victim, a 30-year-old drug trafficker with ties to the Bo Gars street gang, was shot inside Le Ritz, a café-bar in St. Léonard. A little over an hour later, a man walked into Mare e Mondo, a café in Rivières des Prairies with ties to the Montreal Mafia, and opened fire, striking a 36-year-old man who is believed to have been an innocent bystander. Shortly afterward, a 19-year-old man was shot as he sat in a vehicle parked behind another café in Rivière des Prairies. He also was believed to be an innocent victim.
All three men suffered non-life-threatening wounds.Police later speculated that the 30-year-old street-gang member was shot July 23 because of the robbery earlier in the month.Lemieux said one of the suspects arrested yesterday, a 28-year-old man, was tasered after resisting arrest when the vehicle he was in was pulled over near Henri Bourassa Blvd and Highway 25. A 29-year-old female passenger was also arrested.
The third person, a 29-year-old man, was arrested at his home in Montreal North.
Lemieux said all three face possible charges of extortion, armed robbery, weapons offences and drug possession.
The arrests made yesterday are a result of an investigation into a robbery and extortion attempt made at a café on July 7, said Montreal police Constable Anie Lemieux.The robbery is suspected of setting off events that led to three people being shot in less than two hours the night of July 23.
The first victim, a 30-year-old drug trafficker with ties to the Bo Gars street gang, was shot inside Le Ritz, a café-bar in St. Léonard. A little over an hour later, a man walked into Mare e Mondo, a café in Rivières des Prairies with ties to the Montreal Mafia, and opened fire, striking a 36-year-old man who is believed to have been an innocent bystander. Shortly afterward, a 19-year-old man was shot as he sat in a vehicle parked behind another café in Rivière des Prairies. He also was believed to be an innocent victim.
All three men suffered non-life-threatening wounds.Police later speculated that the 30-year-old street-gang member was shot July 23 because of the robbery earlier in the month.Lemieux said one of the suspects arrested yesterday, a 28-year-old man, was tasered after resisting arrest when the vehicle he was in was pulled over near Henri Bourassa Blvd and Highway 25. A 29-year-old female passenger was also arrested.
The third person, a 29-year-old man, was arrested at his home in Montreal North.
Lemieux said all three face possible charges of extortion, armed robbery, weapons offences and drug possession.
On Wednesday afternoon at several Outlaws venues in the Chicagoland area, federal agents arrived with search warrants.
A series of coordinated raids from Kankakee Country to the north suburbs were led by FBI agents and investigators from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, according to a high-ranking federal source in Chicago.
Numerous Outlaws bikers were arrested during the federal raids that have in the past targeted a variety of suspected illegal activities from methamphetamines and other illegal drugs to weapons trafficking, burglary and murder. Heavily-armed federal SWAT officers were seen in camouflage and were backed up by local police in some raid locations.
Story continues belowAdvertisementIt is part of an ongoing, nationwide law enforcement initiative targeting the violent gang. Similar operations were conducted last year in Detroit and Boston. Dozens of indictments followed the raids there, charging racketeering, illegal drug distribution and firearms violations.
The Outlaws Motorcycle Club has been identified by the FBI as an international criminal organization whose members engage in acts of violence, including murder, attempted murder, assault, narcotics distribution, and firearms and gambling offenses. The Outlaws are a structured and hierarchical gang, much like the Chicago Outfit, divided into multiple regions in the United States. The Outlaws also have members outside the U.S. in Europe, Asia and Canada. The organization, which began in the Chicago suburb of McCook 75 years ago, have a long-standing violent history with the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club, including assaults/batteries, shootings and fatalities.
A series of coordinated raids from Kankakee Country to the north suburbs were led by FBI agents and investigators from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, according to a high-ranking federal source in Chicago.
Numerous Outlaws bikers were arrested during the federal raids that have in the past targeted a variety of suspected illegal activities from methamphetamines and other illegal drugs to weapons trafficking, burglary and murder. Heavily-armed federal SWAT officers were seen in camouflage and were backed up by local police in some raid locations.
Story continues belowAdvertisementIt is part of an ongoing, nationwide law enforcement initiative targeting the violent gang. Similar operations were conducted last year in Detroit and Boston. Dozens of indictments followed the raids there, charging racketeering, illegal drug distribution and firearms violations.
The Outlaws Motorcycle Club has been identified by the FBI as an international criminal organization whose members engage in acts of violence, including murder, attempted murder, assault, narcotics distribution, and firearms and gambling offenses. The Outlaws are a structured and hierarchical gang, much like the Chicago Outfit, divided into multiple regions in the United States. The Outlaws also have members outside the U.S. in Europe, Asia and Canada. The organization, which began in the Chicago suburb of McCook 75 years ago, have a long-standing violent history with the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club, including assaults/batteries, shootings and fatalities.
Law enforcement in Flathead County tried to find a group of motorcyclists a witness said were involved in a road rage incident Friday afternoon.
Dispatchers said the caller told them 15 motorcyclists were traveling south towards Kalispell in Happy Valley taking up 4 lanes in a 3 lane area.
The caller also said when a pickup didn't move over, a rider took out a chain and whipped it against the vehicle.Authorities could not confirm if they were Hells Angels or part of any other motorcycle group.
Dispatchers said the caller told them 15 motorcyclists were traveling south towards Kalispell in Happy Valley taking up 4 lanes in a 3 lane area.
The caller also said when a pickup didn't move over, a rider took out a chain and whipped it against the vehicle.Authorities could not confirm if they were Hells Angels or part of any other motorcycle group.
Russian court held preliminary hearings on Thursday in the trial of a skinhead gang whose members are charged with murdering 20 people in racist attacks.
Artur Ryno and Pavel Skachevsky, both aged 17, led seven other skinheads aged between 17 and 22 who mainly attacked migrants from post-Soviet Central Asia and the Caucasus."The criminal skinhead group is charged with 20 premeditated murders, 12 attempted murders and fomenting racial hatred," said Moscow City Court spokeswoman Anna Usachyova."The skinhead group ... will be tried behind closed doors," she said. "A jury, requested by a female suspect, will be selected on August 22. The trial will be closed because some of the accused have not yet come of age."The accused video-taped their attacks on people with darker skin and posted them in the Internet.Running sequences of some of the violent attacks, Russia's Vesti-24 channel said that after severely beating their victims the gang would often use a knife to finish them off with a "trademark" stab in the back.
Attacks on foreigners and darker-skinned migrant workers from ex-Soviet republics have become commonplace in today's Russia, where Jewish cemeteries and synagogues are often desecrated by neo-Nazi vandals. Swastika graffiti can be seen across Russia.Local anti-fascist campaigners have repeatedly urged the authorities to tackle rising xenophobia and neo-Nazism in Russia, which lost millions of its citizens fighting against fascism during World War Two.
Artur Ryno and Pavel Skachevsky, both aged 17, led seven other skinheads aged between 17 and 22 who mainly attacked migrants from post-Soviet Central Asia and the Caucasus."The criminal skinhead group is charged with 20 premeditated murders, 12 attempted murders and fomenting racial hatred," said Moscow City Court spokeswoman Anna Usachyova."The skinhead group ... will be tried behind closed doors," she said. "A jury, requested by a female suspect, will be selected on August 22. The trial will be closed because some of the accused have not yet come of age."The accused video-taped their attacks on people with darker skin and posted them in the Internet.Running sequences of some of the violent attacks, Russia's Vesti-24 channel said that after severely beating their victims the gang would often use a knife to finish them off with a "trademark" stab in the back.
Attacks on foreigners and darker-skinned migrant workers from ex-Soviet republics have become commonplace in today's Russia, where Jewish cemeteries and synagogues are often desecrated by neo-Nazi vandals. Swastika graffiti can be seen across Russia.Local anti-fascist campaigners have repeatedly urged the authorities to tackle rising xenophobia and neo-Nazism in Russia, which lost millions of its citizens fighting against fascism during World War Two.
Two groups of apparent gang members opened fire on each other last evening, wounding one man and sending 16 others running through an alley near an Apple Valley community center, San Bernardino County sheriff's deputies say this morning.
The wounded man phoned deputies shortly before 6 p.m. Monday, saying he'd been wounded twice, investigators say in a written statement. The shooting occurred near the James A. Woody Community Center at Navajo and Ottawa Roads.
Friends took the wounded man to a local hospital where officials said he was in stable condition. No arrests were made.
The wounded man phoned deputies shortly before 6 p.m. Monday, saying he'd been wounded twice, investigators say in a written statement. The shooting occurred near the James A. Woody Community Center at Navajo and Ottawa Roads.
Friends took the wounded man to a local hospital where officials said he was in stable condition. No arrests were made.
Three years ago, a group of well-trained MS-13 gang members, who were wearing black FBI shirts, executed several home invasions in the Houston area. Then, one night in November of 2005, real agents were waiting for the home invaders. In a hail of gunfire, two gang members were killed and two others wounded. Thirty six months later, home invasions across the country are on the rise and in Houston; investigators believe a Columbian gang is targeting the wealthy. The latest home invasion happened in the upscale community of Piney Point Village at about 2 p.m. on July 24. A high school student home for the summer heard a knock at the door.
When he went to answer the door, three men barged in. At least one of the men had a gun. They took the family safe and some electronics. The teen that was home told investigators that all three robbers communicated with each other in Spanish.
Now, Houston ATF agents are working on the case. Earlier this month, Dallas police arrested a group of men they think are responsible for 70 home invasions in 20 North Texas cities. Police said the leader of the gang was Ernest Ross. Like the Houston cases, the victims in North Texas would be considered wealthy.
Moreover, it appears that the gang would research their victims by going online. They would also usually pose at cops. “They would on many occasions dress in law enforcement-type gear. They would often tell the homeowners they had a warrant for their arrest,” said Dallas Police Detective Duane Boy. “Once they got in, they would bind them and in some cases they did torture them.” With the ATF and the FBI working with local law enforcement agencies to catch the criminals, officials hope to put a halt to the home invasions sooner than later. Until then, police warn that homeowners need to be careful when a stranger knocks on the door.
When he went to answer the door, three men barged in. At least one of the men had a gun. They took the family safe and some electronics. The teen that was home told investigators that all three robbers communicated with each other in Spanish.
Now, Houston ATF agents are working on the case. Earlier this month, Dallas police arrested a group of men they think are responsible for 70 home invasions in 20 North Texas cities. Police said the leader of the gang was Ernest Ross. Like the Houston cases, the victims in North Texas would be considered wealthy.
Moreover, it appears that the gang would research their victims by going online. They would also usually pose at cops. “They would on many occasions dress in law enforcement-type gear. They would often tell the homeowners they had a warrant for their arrest,” said Dallas Police Detective Duane Boy. “Once they got in, they would bind them and in some cases they did torture them.” With the ATF and the FBI working with local law enforcement agencies to catch the criminals, officials hope to put a halt to the home invasions sooner than later. Until then, police warn that homeowners need to be careful when a stranger knocks on the door.
Winnipeg police spokesman Const. Rose Guiboche said no one in the truck was struck by the bullets, fired in the 300-block of Kennedy Street shortly after 4 p.m. Guiboche said she was unaware how many hit the truck or where.
The shots were fired during an altercation between two males, one of whom was allegedly armed with a handgun, and others, a source said. No one was injured.
Police said the males, aged 14 and 18, are associated with a street gang. The males were arrested after a standoff and are facing firearm- and drug-related charges.
Police have not confirmed who the intended target or targets were. Witnesses told police several people fled the area when three or four shots were fired. Investigators are hoping to speak to the people who ran off.
The standoff began when officers arrived at the scene and two males ran into an apartment block at 388 Kennedy St. Witnesses said one of the males was carrying a handgun. Police blocked the street and evacuated residents as a precaution.
The tactical support team was brought in and, after a few hours, two males and a woman were removed from a suite and arrested. The woman is not facing charges.
Guiboche said the suspects don't live in the building but know someone who does. Police obtained a warrant to search the suite. The organized crime unit conducted the search early yesterday and found a handgun, magazine, 100 grams of crack cocaine and drug-trafficking paraphernalia. The crack is valued at $2,000. Several residents of the building said they don't feel safe in the area anymore due to rising violence, drug dealing and tensions between rival gangs. Guiboche said residents should be concerned about gang activity in the area but not afraid. "We believe things are changing. It's going to take time," Guiboche said.
Danny Davis Ballantyne, 18, is charged with several firearm-related offences, possession for the purpose of trafficking and two counts of failing to comply with a recognizance. He is in custody at the Winnipeg Remand Centre.
A 14-year-old boy is facing similar firearm- and drug-related charges. He is in custody at the Manitoba Youth Centre.
The shots were fired during an altercation between two males, one of whom was allegedly armed with a handgun, and others, a source said. No one was injured.
Police said the males, aged 14 and 18, are associated with a street gang. The males were arrested after a standoff and are facing firearm- and drug-related charges.
Police have not confirmed who the intended target or targets were. Witnesses told police several people fled the area when three or four shots were fired. Investigators are hoping to speak to the people who ran off.
The standoff began when officers arrived at the scene and two males ran into an apartment block at 388 Kennedy St. Witnesses said one of the males was carrying a handgun. Police blocked the street and evacuated residents as a precaution.
The tactical support team was brought in and, after a few hours, two males and a woman were removed from a suite and arrested. The woman is not facing charges.
Guiboche said the suspects don't live in the building but know someone who does. Police obtained a warrant to search the suite. The organized crime unit conducted the search early yesterday and found a handgun, magazine, 100 grams of crack cocaine and drug-trafficking paraphernalia. The crack is valued at $2,000. Several residents of the building said they don't feel safe in the area anymore due to rising violence, drug dealing and tensions between rival gangs. Guiboche said residents should be concerned about gang activity in the area but not afraid. "We believe things are changing. It's going to take time," Guiboche said.
Danny Davis Ballantyne, 18, is charged with several firearm-related offences, possession for the purpose of trafficking and two counts of failing to comply with a recognizance. He is in custody at the Winnipeg Remand Centre.
A 14-year-old boy is facing similar firearm- and drug-related charges. He is in custody at the Manitoba Youth Centre.
Monroe County Court jurors have convicted Tyrone Lamar Members of two homicides and an assault that prosecutors believe may have been a 10-week-long revenge spree by Members against rival street gang members.Members, 19, was convicted of second-degree murder in the shooting of Rasean Roberts on May 11, 2007, and the shooting of Jamel Wigington on June 7, 2007, and second-degree assault in the wounding of Jason Cole on Aug. 22, 2007.Members also was convicted of second- and third-degree criminal possession of a weapon.Judge John J. Connell scheduled sentencing for Aug. 15. Members faces a prison term of up to 65 years to life, said Assistant District Attorney Jennifer A. Whitman.
Jurors delivered the verdict Friday night. But the verdict wasn't official until Monday because a juror became ill and was taken to a hospital after the verdict was reached but before it was announced.During a brief court proceeding Monday, the juror who became ill confirmed his verdict to Connell. The remaining 11 jurors also said the verdict was unanimous.Prosecutors alleged the shootings came after an altercation outside a girl's 16th birthday party on Salina Street in which Cole punched Members in the face, knocking him down, after Members bumped into him. Members got up firing a pistol and hit Roberts in the chest, the prosecution said. None of the combatants had been invited to the party.Wigington, 17, died a day after he was shot in the upper body while sitting in a car on Thurston Road. A witness said she saw Members carrying a shotgun at the time of the shooting.
Cole, 19, was shot in the arm outside his home on Post Avenue. He was initially uncooperative with police but testified that Members was his assailant.
Before Members' trial began, the prosecution told Connell that it hoped several witnesses would provide a potential motive: that Members is reputedly a member of Thurston Zoo, a southwest Rochester gang, and all three victims were members of Mafia Assassins.But the prosecution chose not to ask about alleged gang affiliation. Whitman said the issue could have become muddled because witnesses would have offered different interpretations of what constituted gang membership.
In her summation to jurors, Whitman said witnesses were obviously scared, with one looking warily at Members and asking Connell whether she had to identify Members as the shooter in one of the cases.
"If they (witnesses) were in here and pointed him out, they've got to worry," said Whitman, who noted that only three witnesses came forward of 75 people who were present when Roberts was slain. "That is the reality in the city of Rochester."
Members' lawyer, Jennifer Moll, said the lack of specificity by witnesses created insufficient proof of guilt. "We submit to you there's enough reasonable doubt that Tyrone didn't commit any of these crimes," she told jurors.
Jurors delivered the verdict Friday night. But the verdict wasn't official until Monday because a juror became ill and was taken to a hospital after the verdict was reached but before it was announced.During a brief court proceeding Monday, the juror who became ill confirmed his verdict to Connell. The remaining 11 jurors also said the verdict was unanimous.Prosecutors alleged the shootings came after an altercation outside a girl's 16th birthday party on Salina Street in which Cole punched Members in the face, knocking him down, after Members bumped into him. Members got up firing a pistol and hit Roberts in the chest, the prosecution said. None of the combatants had been invited to the party.Wigington, 17, died a day after he was shot in the upper body while sitting in a car on Thurston Road. A witness said she saw Members carrying a shotgun at the time of the shooting.
Cole, 19, was shot in the arm outside his home on Post Avenue. He was initially uncooperative with police but testified that Members was his assailant.
Before Members' trial began, the prosecution told Connell that it hoped several witnesses would provide a potential motive: that Members is reputedly a member of Thurston Zoo, a southwest Rochester gang, and all three victims were members of Mafia Assassins.But the prosecution chose not to ask about alleged gang affiliation. Whitman said the issue could have become muddled because witnesses would have offered different interpretations of what constituted gang membership.
In her summation to jurors, Whitman said witnesses were obviously scared, with one looking warily at Members and asking Connell whether she had to identify Members as the shooter in one of the cases.
"If they (witnesses) were in here and pointed him out, they've got to worry," said Whitman, who noted that only three witnesses came forward of 75 people who were present when Roberts was slain. "That is the reality in the city of Rochester."
Members' lawyer, Jennifer Moll, said the lack of specificity by witnesses created insufficient proof of guilt. "We submit to you there's enough reasonable doubt that Tyrone didn't commit any of these crimes," she told jurors.
Glaswegian was killed as rival gangs armed with blades, including a Samurai sword, clashed in a terrifying street fight.Police were last night probing the murder of Charles Bowman, 32, who was dead on arrival at hospital after the bloody battle on Sunday night.Four other men were injured as the two gangs clashed in a normally quiet street in the east end of Glasgow.One of them was Douglas Tennent, 37, who innocently stopped to offer help and was stabbed four times in the face in front of his terrified family - including his three-year-old daughter Charli.Locals in Carmyle, Glasgow, believe the battle was between rival gangs from the area and the nearby Westburn area of Cambuslang, where murder victim Charles lived.In Westburn last night, tributes were being left at his home by grieving friends and family.A Rangers flag hung over a car in his driveway, with messages and tributes from his loved ones.In the main street of Westburn, a makeshift memorial was created with Old Firm shirts, scarves and flags all bearing tributes.One message read: "Goodbye Uncle Chick. Rest in Peace."Police said last night: "Police were called to a report of a largescale disturbance in Carmyle Avenue near to Gardenside Avenue. On arrival, they found five men injured."The men were all taken to local hospitals. The 32-year-old man was pronounced dead on arrival."The four other men are being treated for their injuries."It is believed police were already on the scene when Douglas was attacked.One witness said: "This is a peaceful street and nothing like this ever happens here."Two cars full of men came screeching into the street.
"Then they all jumped out with bottles, baseball bats, knives and bricks and started laying into each other. The battle went on for about half an hour and by the time the police arrived there were guys lying bleeding in the street.
"Then a car came into the street, driven by a man with a female passenger and a kid in the back.
"He stopped and rolled down his window.
"Some guy who looked as if he had just been watching then sauntered over to the car, as if he was going to speak to the driver."The next thing I noticed was the woman jumping out of the car screaming that her husband had been stabbed.
"When his attacker ran away, I saw there was blood everywhere and he was in a really bad state."
Douglas's partner Patricia Bradley was too upset to speak last night at their home just a few streets from the scene of the battle.His sister Janice said he was having surgery last night on his face and added: "His hand was also damaged when he lifted it to try to protect his face so he'll probably need more surgery.
"We're really shocked about what has happened, especially in such a quiet place."
A source close to the family said: "We think the guy with the knife has taken him for someone else and thought he was winding down his window to get involved."
'They all jumped out with bottles, bats and knives and layed into each other'
"Then they all jumped out with bottles, baseball bats, knives and bricks and started laying into each other. The battle went on for about half an hour and by the time the police arrived there were guys lying bleeding in the street.
"Then a car came into the street, driven by a man with a female passenger and a kid in the back.
"He stopped and rolled down his window.
"Some guy who looked as if he had just been watching then sauntered over to the car, as if he was going to speak to the driver."The next thing I noticed was the woman jumping out of the car screaming that her husband had been stabbed.
"When his attacker ran away, I saw there was blood everywhere and he was in a really bad state."
Douglas's partner Patricia Bradley was too upset to speak last night at their home just a few streets from the scene of the battle.His sister Janice said he was having surgery last night on his face and added: "His hand was also damaged when he lifted it to try to protect his face so he'll probably need more surgery.
"We're really shocked about what has happened, especially in such a quiet place."
A source close to the family said: "We think the guy with the knife has taken him for someone else and thought he was winding down his window to get involved."
'They all jumped out with bottles, bats and knives and layed into each other'
Insp. Kevan Stuart said the victim, who's not known as a gang member, was shot repeatedly in the abdomen while in his car, but managed to drive himself to Warring's home in his bullet-riddled vehicle. The man in his late 20s or early 30s suffered non-life-threatening injuries. The gang unit is investigating possible organized crime links to the shooting, said Stuart, adding the victim hasn't co-operated with police. "We need them to follow through fully with their information. It takes courage," said Stuart, voicing concern at the tight-lipped behaviour of victims and others following possible gang-related crimes. "Sooner or later, some innocent person's going to get killed but when that happens, it's too late ... somebody out there knows information about this incident."
Stuart also revealed another shooting accompanied a burglary at a home in northeast Calgary about 12:20 a.m. Sunday.
Nobody was injured in the incident but police are trying to determine if it's related to the later shooting nearby, he said. Stuart expressed frustration at the rash of gunplay in Calgary that on Saturday left a man dead on a Chinatown street.
"This isn't what Calgary's all about. This isn't what made Calgary the most prosperous city in North America," he said.
Stuart also revealed another shooting accompanied a burglary at a home in northeast Calgary about 12:20 a.m. Sunday.
Nobody was injured in the incident but police are trying to determine if it's related to the later shooting nearby, he said. Stuart expressed frustration at the rash of gunplay in Calgary that on Saturday left a man dead on a Chinatown street.
"This isn't what Calgary's all about. This isn't what made Calgary the most prosperous city in North America," he said.
Christopher Byron Lord, was well known to police. He died after showing up at a local hospital with a gunshot wound on Saturday. Still, the full circumstances of the killing remain a mystery. Police have identified suspects, but haven't laid charges. They are confident that the shooting happened somewhere around 96 Avenue and 176 Street, about six blocks from where they initially combed a small park for clues following Lord's death. Police first became aware of the case after someone drove Lord to the hospital sometime after the shooting, between 5 and 6 a.m. Saturday. He later died of blood loss. Lord's death comes three years after he found himself in trouble for his role in a beating over a drug debt in Grande Prairie. Last February, he pleaded guilty to unlawful confinement after a man was lured into a crackhouse and beaten on June 10, 2005. Lord, who showed up while the crime was in progress, admitted in court to watching over the victim in confinement.
For his role, Lord received a six-month jail sentence. At the time, court heard that Lord, who was married with children, had been taking steps to recover from a substance-abuse problem. The case was his first conviction on a violent criminal offence. In the meantime, police in Edmonton are asking residents in the area where the killing took place to check their property for anything suspicious. The case is the city's 15th homicide of the year.
For his role, Lord received a six-month jail sentence. At the time, court heard that Lord, who was married with children, had been taking steps to recover from a substance-abuse problem. The case was his first conviction on a violent criminal offence. In the meantime, police in Edmonton are asking residents in the area where the killing took place to check their property for anything suspicious. The case is the city's 15th homicide of the year.
Timothy "Beefy" Bartruff, 50, was arraigned Monday in U.S. District Court on charges of conspiring to manufacture and possess methamphetamines as part of a network in southern Porter County and Newton and Jasper counties.high-ranking motorcycle gang leader accused of dealing large quantities of methamphetamines is finally back in Northwest Indiana, where he was indicted in June on a narcotics trafficking charge.
The former Kouts man was the national president of the Indiana-based Invaders motorcycle gang in the 1980s, before he went to prison for dealing in methamphetamines, news accounts from the time say.Prosecutors in this summer's case have said many of the people affiliated with the conspiracy were either Invaders members or associates. Gang gear decorated with swastikas and Invaders logos was recovered from one of the alleged meth labs in Kouts.Bartruff was arrested in St. Louis in June on the latest meth charges, which involved scores of arrests across northern Indiana and in Chicago, St. Louis and Denver.Bartruff was extradited last week to northern Indiana, as one of the 37 people charged in an investigation involving undercover informants and a large number of tapped phone calls.
Also arraigned Monday in Hammond was Christopher Krug, 31, of Wheatfield, who faces four counts of conspiring to manufacture meth.Krug's arrest Monday leaves only one outstanding fugitive in the bust -- Brandy Pulver, 33, of Knox.Pulver is among the figures facing the least severe charges in the case, involving simple possession of pseudoephedrine that she knew someone else would use to make meth.
The former Kouts man was the national president of the Indiana-based Invaders motorcycle gang in the 1980s, before he went to prison for dealing in methamphetamines, news accounts from the time say.Prosecutors in this summer's case have said many of the people affiliated with the conspiracy were either Invaders members or associates. Gang gear decorated with swastikas and Invaders logos was recovered from one of the alleged meth labs in Kouts.Bartruff was arrested in St. Louis in June on the latest meth charges, which involved scores of arrests across northern Indiana and in Chicago, St. Louis and Denver.Bartruff was extradited last week to northern Indiana, as one of the 37 people charged in an investigation involving undercover informants and a large number of tapped phone calls.
Also arraigned Monday in Hammond was Christopher Krug, 31, of Wheatfield, who faces four counts of conspiring to manufacture meth.Krug's arrest Monday leaves only one outstanding fugitive in the bust -- Brandy Pulver, 33, of Knox.Pulver is among the figures facing the least severe charges in the case, involving simple possession of pseudoephedrine that she knew someone else would use to make meth.
Two former Chicago auto dealers were convicted of turning their businesses into money-laundering havens for drug-dealing street gangs. Amir Hosseini, 50, of Winnetka and Hossein Obaei, 54, of Northbrook, were immediately taken into custody by marshals after being convicted of dozens of counts of racketeering, money laundering, bank fraud, bribery and structuring deposits to evade federal scrutiny. The two men convicted of 98 criminal charges, may end up getting life terms.The drug dealers used cash to buy more than 800 luxury cars, including Mercedes Benz, Jaguar and BMW models, according to prosecutors. Fitzgerald said fake transactions would be created on paper to look as if the cars were bought for less than $10,000 so that required paperwork did not have to be completed. As part of the alleged fraud, prosecutors accuse the defendants of placing liens on cars they sold to drug dealers and gang members, falsely indicating the dealership held security interests in the cars so the defendants could get the cars back if they were seized by law enforcement, prosecutors said. At the trial, which began Jan. 22, members of the Gangster Disciples, Black Disciples, Latin Kings and Four Corner Hustlers testified that they used proceeds from sales of heroin and cocaine to buy Jaguars, BMWs, Cadillacs and other luxury vehicles from the two defendants. Prosecutors said Hosseini and Obaei were aware that drug money was paying for the luxury autos. Evidence showed that Hosseini transferred $100,000 of the cash to Iran but prosecutors declined to comment on the reason.When arrested, both men carried American and Iranian passports.Prosecutors said the two owners and two managers of the three dealerships on the city's West Side had allegedly laundered more than $9 million since 2001. "We're not talking about car dealers who sold cars to people who happened to be drug dealers or sold cars to people despite the fact that they were drug dealers. We're talking about a car dealership that was in the business to cater to people who were drug dealers and gang bangers," Fitzgerald said. The defendants Amir Hosseini, 48, of Winnetka, described as the owner and operator of Standard Leasing Sales, currently known as Amer Leasing Sales, and a partial owner in SHO Auto Credit; Ruhollah Bambouyani, 54, of California and formerly of Glenview, described as Hosseini's business partner at Standard; and Ramona Rodriguez, 38, of Chicago, described as the finance manager and office manager of both Standard and American Car Exchange.
Prosecutors also charged Hossein Obaei, 52, of Northbrook, who owned and operated American Car Exchange and was a partial owner in SHO Auto Credit. Obaei also was charged with aiding and abetting a cocaine- and heroin-trafficking ring allegedly operated by some of his customers. Federal agents and Chicago police also seized more than 100 cars from the dealerships and searched the defendants' offices and homes. According to a criminal complaint, the defendants allegedly sold cars to people they knew were drug dealers or gang members in exchange for cash, "knowing that the transactions were designed to conceal and disguise the nature, location, source, ownership and control of the proceeds of their customers' drug-trafficking activities."
Prosecutors also charged Hossein Obaei, 52, of Northbrook, who owned and operated American Car Exchange and was a partial owner in SHO Auto Credit. Obaei also was charged with aiding and abetting a cocaine- and heroin-trafficking ring allegedly operated by some of his customers. Federal agents and Chicago police also seized more than 100 cars from the dealerships and searched the defendants' offices and homes. According to a criminal complaint, the defendants allegedly sold cars to people they knew were drug dealers or gang members in exchange for cash, "knowing that the transactions were designed to conceal and disguise the nature, location, source, ownership and control of the proceeds of their customers' drug-trafficking activities."
For two weeks, the secrets of the Trigga Mob Gang have spilled out in a Sacramento courtroom, into a story of fear and danger – and the newest twist on the way things work in the city's modern-day gang life.Virtually unknown outside its relatively small membership and the few streets it seeks to control in North Sacramento, the Trigga Mob is still a focus of murder and witness intimidation investigations, and it remains a key manipulator of drug activity on one of the area's meanest streets, according to trial testimony and other court records.
Its reputed leader has a tattoo that identifies him as a "five-star general." He's on trial along with another TMG member who police say is a top "soldier" in the outfit. They're accused of trying to kill a loosely affiliated gangster who they thought had turned snitch. If the Trigga Mob is limited in its geographic reach, it is hugely significant in what it represents about Sacramento gangs. Its 10 to 25 members make up what police and academics call a gang "subset." In TMG's case, it's the long-established Del Paso Heights Bloods that provides the larger umbrella group. And the Trigga Mob's relatively recent emergence exemplifies the splintering of larger "sets" that operate under the banner of the better-known Crips and Bloods gangs.Besides the Trigga Mob, there is its main rival – Keep It Lit. Also on the north side are the True Heights Villains, Elm Street, the Farm Boys, the Beast Mob and the Flat Dogs. All identify with Del Paso Heights and all claim Blood affiliation.Multiply them by the rest of the city's high-crime neighborhoods where broken families and social ills turn young people onto the streets, and the picture of Sacramento gangs in the year 2008 comes more into focus, one leading local gang expert said."It's been happening for the past few years," California State University, Sacramento, criminal justice professor Jim Hernandez said of the fragmentation. "We start out with Crips and Bloods and Norteños and Sureños, and as the gangs have kept growing, you start getting a difference in personalities. They start splitting up, and they become different gang groups and they have different things going on."The breakdown carries potentially ominous consequences. Hernandez said it may make it tougher for police and prosecutors to convince juries that a bunch of fellas from the neighborhood are acting in concert as a gang, even as the same guys are wreaking havoc at the same time in their smaller patches of turf.
"Now we have independent gangs, with tattoos from groups that may not mean anything. And with some gang membership having a fast turnover, it may be more difficult to tackle. It's much more complicated."
The tale of the Trigga Mob is being told in Department 32 at Sacramento Superior Court in the case of the People v. Lerome "L'il Rome" Franklin, 24, and Floyd Aaron "YG" Martin, 21. They're accused of conspiracy and attempted murder. If convicted, they face sentences of 25 years to life.According to trial and preliminary hearing testimony, Franklin (according to a police description of his tattoos, he's the "five-star general") called Martin, the "soldier," from downtown's Main Jail on March 15, 2007, and told Martin to "get on money."
"Money" was the nickname of a reputed Blood associate named Timothy Hurst. Franklin believed Hurst set up his arrest earlier that day on robbery and other charges. Police and prosecutors took Franklin's phrasing to mean that he wanted Martin to do Hurst some harm.That night, outside the Economy Inn on El Camino Avenue, someone shot Hurst five times."It's a done deal," Martin told Franklin in a conversation taped later on the jail telephone line, according to a district attorney's cover sheet contained in court documents.Hurst survived the onslaught. When police questioned him shortly after the attack, he declined to cooperate. Later, he testified that he feared another assault. He also testified that he feared the shooters might target his sister and niece.
Its reputed leader has a tattoo that identifies him as a "five-star general." He's on trial along with another TMG member who police say is a top "soldier" in the outfit. They're accused of trying to kill a loosely affiliated gangster who they thought had turned snitch. If the Trigga Mob is limited in its geographic reach, it is hugely significant in what it represents about Sacramento gangs. Its 10 to 25 members make up what police and academics call a gang "subset." In TMG's case, it's the long-established Del Paso Heights Bloods that provides the larger umbrella group. And the Trigga Mob's relatively recent emergence exemplifies the splintering of larger "sets" that operate under the banner of the better-known Crips and Bloods gangs.Besides the Trigga Mob, there is its main rival – Keep It Lit. Also on the north side are the True Heights Villains, Elm Street, the Farm Boys, the Beast Mob and the Flat Dogs. All identify with Del Paso Heights and all claim Blood affiliation.Multiply them by the rest of the city's high-crime neighborhoods where broken families and social ills turn young people onto the streets, and the picture of Sacramento gangs in the year 2008 comes more into focus, one leading local gang expert said."It's been happening for the past few years," California State University, Sacramento, criminal justice professor Jim Hernandez said of the fragmentation. "We start out with Crips and Bloods and Norteños and Sureños, and as the gangs have kept growing, you start getting a difference in personalities. They start splitting up, and they become different gang groups and they have different things going on."The breakdown carries potentially ominous consequences. Hernandez said it may make it tougher for police and prosecutors to convince juries that a bunch of fellas from the neighborhood are acting in concert as a gang, even as the same guys are wreaking havoc at the same time in their smaller patches of turf.
"Now we have independent gangs, with tattoos from groups that may not mean anything. And with some gang membership having a fast turnover, it may be more difficult to tackle. It's much more complicated."
The tale of the Trigga Mob is being told in Department 32 at Sacramento Superior Court in the case of the People v. Lerome "L'il Rome" Franklin, 24, and Floyd Aaron "YG" Martin, 21. They're accused of conspiracy and attempted murder. If convicted, they face sentences of 25 years to life.According to trial and preliminary hearing testimony, Franklin (according to a police description of his tattoos, he's the "five-star general") called Martin, the "soldier," from downtown's Main Jail on March 15, 2007, and told Martin to "get on money."
"Money" was the nickname of a reputed Blood associate named Timothy Hurst. Franklin believed Hurst set up his arrest earlier that day on robbery and other charges. Police and prosecutors took Franklin's phrasing to mean that he wanted Martin to do Hurst some harm.That night, outside the Economy Inn on El Camino Avenue, someone shot Hurst five times."It's a done deal," Martin told Franklin in a conversation taped later on the jail telephone line, according to a district attorney's cover sheet contained in court documents.Hurst survived the onslaught. When police questioned him shortly after the attack, he declined to cooperate. Later, he testified that he feared another assault. He also testified that he feared the shooters might target his sister and niece.
Cedric Baxter Smith, 59, was one of the early members of the powerful biker gang, which is gathering in Langley this weekend to mark the 25th anniversary of its first chapters in B.C.full-patch member of the Vancouver Hells Angels who unwittingly introduced a police informant to the organized crime group is missing and feared dead, The Vancouver Sun has learned.Smith was out on parole on a series of drug-trafficking convictions when he was last seen by his club brethren on the Victoria Day long weekend.
He failed to report to his probation officer June 17 and the next day, RCMP visited his Langley home in an unsuccessful bid to find him.
Police then heard from a senior Vancouver Hells Angels member on June 27 that Smith might have met with "foul play." RCMP located his abandoned vehicle in a Langley alley later that day.Insp. Gary Shinkaruk, who heads the RCMP's Outlaw Motorcycle Gang unit, confirmed that Smith has vanished without a trace."Cedric Smith of the Vancouver Chapter Hells Angels has been reported missing for some time now," Shinkaruk said. "We don't know where he is. We haven't found him yet."
Smith was the first Hells Angels member to have contact with a police agent who had already secretly agreed to infiltrate clubs in Vancouver and Prince George in a covert operation dubbed Project Essen.The investigation led to 10 major arrests in January 2005, including Smith and Vancouver club president Norman Krogstad. All the accused eventually pleaded guilty to various drug and gun charges, making the project the most successful prosecution of B.C. bikers to date.
Because of the guilty pleas, the police agent, who is now in the witness protection program, did not end up testifying.
Smith is not the only biker in the case who may have met with a violent end. Co-accused William (Billy) Moore, who headed the Hells Angels puppet club in Prince George, was slain in March 2005. The bullet-riddled body of the Renegades president was found slumped in his car near the charred remains of his rural home. The murder remains unsolved.Moore had extensive contact with the police agent during the 18-month undercover operation. Members of both the Angels and Renegades praised Moore at his funeral, held under the watchful eye of police.
At the time, Hells Angels spokesman Rickey Ciarniello, who owns the Vancouver chapter clubhouse, called Moore "a nice man" and said he was shocked at the murder.
Ciarniello refused to disclose Thursday if he had spoken to the RCMP about Smith's disappearance."I have nothing to say about that," Ciarniello said. "I am not going to say anything about it."At Smith and Krogstad's sentencing hearing, prosecutor Martha Devlin laid out the Crown case against the pair. She said the police agent began meeting Smith in June 2003 at his Langley home and was soon purchasing kilos of cocaine for $39,600 each. Some of the coke was delivered to a nearby Wendy's restaurant. The agent would leave the code 666 on Smith's pager as a signal to meet at the restaurant. Some of the coke was sold to the agent by Smith in Cache Creek and Boston Bar.At one point, when the police agent complained his kilogram was an ounce "short," Smith arranged a meeting with the agent and Krogstad, who was also charged with trafficking cocaine in Prince George with the Renegades and Moore.
When Smith was arrested, police found $73,000 at his house. In addition to a four-year sentence, Smith had to pay $100,000, but was allowed to use the seized cash towards the fine.His lawyer, David Martin, said at the time that Smith was single and had spent his entire life as an auto-body repairman.
Project Essen was the first major RCMP operation against the Hells Angels in B.C. and resulted in nine people convicted - four connected to the Vancouver chapter and the other five from the puppet Renegades.
Smith and Krogstad both got early parole in March 2007 due to their good behaviour.
But Smith was banned from associating with members of the biker gang until after the expiry of his warrant on Nov. 6, 2009, according to National Parole Board documents obtained by The Sun."There were no reasonable grounds to believe that, if released, you are likely to commit an offence involving violence before the expiry of your sentence," the parole board said.But board members also said Smith must recognize that his "association with people involved in criminal activity and criminal organizations was a causal factor in your criminal behaviour. You must therefore avoid any person you know or suspect is affiliated with an outlaw motorcycle gang or other organized criminal group."
"This condition is reasonable and necessary to protect society and to facilitate your successful reintegration as a law-abiding citizen," the board said.
The board noted that Smith's criminal record wasn't clear prior to the police sting that resulted in 11 charges against him.
"Though you have a number of convictions dating back to 1975 and 1993 that involved violent behaviour, the board is satisfied that you were a low risk for future violence," the parole documents said.Your affiliations with members of an outlaw motorcycle group and involvement in the drug trade were issues that had the potential of increasing your risk for violence. None of these have been in evidence since your day parole began
David Babcock, 46, was killed last week while he was riding his bike to work.
Police won't go into detail as to what led to Thursday's early morning arrest on July 24. But we know the teen they arrested is charged with murder.
Police say he also has gang ties, which is keeping the Babcock family even more on edge. Dounche Jones, 19, is the man police say killed 46-year-old David Babcock while he was riding his bike last week to work.One of Babcock's relatives said, "Why somebody that young? And why would you do it?""See someone totally innocent lose his life for what? The most he had was a couple of bucks and a bike," says Toledo Police Captain Ray Carroll.
While riding down Western Avenue, police say Babcock was stopped by Jones. "I don't know if he tried to get the bike, or if he tried to get something else," says Captain Carroll, "Mr. Babcock put up a fight, and he was shot."Babcock's relative tells us, "Knowing him, he went down fighting. That's why his last words were **** you."Police say Jones took nothing, even leaving the bike at the scene. Then went into hiding. They say he admitted to being a gang member in that area. Also, he may have not wanted anyone unfamiliar on his turf. Babcock's relative says, "The question I have for everybody... what is a gang? What are you representing? All you're doing is causing trouble for the neighborhood. Why can't everyone live in peace.?A week later, police picked up Jones on the same street. They say he was drinking underage. After questioning him, they arrested him for Babcock's murder.
Now the slain man's family members are keeping their identities hidden for protection. However, they do plan to show up to court and follow Jones' case through.
Babcock's family member tells us, "We want to make sure this person gets what they deserve. For somebody to do that, he knew what he was about to do."
Police won't go into detail as to what led to Thursday's early morning arrest on July 24. But we know the teen they arrested is charged with murder.
Police say he also has gang ties, which is keeping the Babcock family even more on edge. Dounche Jones, 19, is the man police say killed 46-year-old David Babcock while he was riding his bike last week to work.One of Babcock's relatives said, "Why somebody that young? And why would you do it?""See someone totally innocent lose his life for what? The most he had was a couple of bucks and a bike," says Toledo Police Captain Ray Carroll.
While riding down Western Avenue, police say Babcock was stopped by Jones. "I don't know if he tried to get the bike, or if he tried to get something else," says Captain Carroll, "Mr. Babcock put up a fight, and he was shot."Babcock's relative tells us, "Knowing him, he went down fighting. That's why his last words were **** you."Police say Jones took nothing, even leaving the bike at the scene. Then went into hiding. They say he admitted to being a gang member in that area. Also, he may have not wanted anyone unfamiliar on his turf. Babcock's relative says, "The question I have for everybody... what is a gang? What are you representing? All you're doing is causing trouble for the neighborhood. Why can't everyone live in peace.?A week later, police picked up Jones on the same street. They say he was drinking underage. After questioning him, they arrested him for Babcock's murder.
Now the slain man's family members are keeping their identities hidden for protection. However, they do plan to show up to court and follow Jones' case through.
Babcock's family member tells us, "We want to make sure this person gets what they deserve. For somebody to do that, he knew what he was about to do."
We have learned that the two members of the Hells Angels who are accused of sparking a gun fight in 2006 have been moved to the Minnehaha County Jail.Chad Wilson and John Midmore are charged with attempted murder, conspiracy and weapons violations in their role in a shooting that injured six members of a rival motorcycle gang.
19-year-old man Thursday became San Jose's 20th homicide this year in what appeared to be a gang-related fight, police said.The teenager was walking with a group of about four or five other male teens near the intersection of Kammerer and Oakland avenues when he was stabbed at about 8 p.m., said San Jose police officer Enrique Garcia.At the time, several suspected gang members approached the group and a fight broke out, Garcia said, with one of the teens pulling out a knife and stabbing the victim several times.The victim was taken to a hospital, where he died a few hours later. His identity was not released. No suspect is in custody.
Thursday's killing puts the city on pace to surpass last year's spike in homicides. Of the city's 36 homicide victims last year, 16 were gang slayings.
To help stem the violence, the San Jose City Council approved a budget plan that beefs up its 1,370-member force by 25 officers next year and 100 by 2012.
Thursday's killing puts the city on pace to surpass last year's spike in homicides. Of the city's 36 homicide victims last year, 16 were gang slayings.
To help stem the violence, the San Jose City Council approved a budget plan that beefs up its 1,370-member force by 25 officers next year and 100 by 2012.
Calgary is in the midst of a bloody gang war, the city's top cop said he fears an innocent will wind up caught in the crossfire.
"I would absolutely expect more shootings," Rick Hanson said yesterday, a day after a man survived a brazen execution-style shooting on a busy downtown street to become the latest chapter in a violent struggle between two rival gangs. "That's always our concern, that an innocent person is going to get shot -- it's happened in other jurisdictions, it can happen here." Hanson confirmed the man in his 20s, shot in the Beltline by several masked gunman in the middle of the afternoon Monday, was an associate of slain gangster Roger Chin. This incident is the latest sortie in a war between two groups -- Fresh Off the Boat and Fresh Off the Boat Killers -- that, since 2001, has left a dozen dead and many others wounded. The man, listed in serious but stable condition last night, had been under surveillance by the gang unit and was out on bail for a June 24, 2007, assault in Banff. Acting Staff Sgt. Martin Schiavetta of the gang unit said the two groups have been engaged in a bloody conflict, which has little prospect of abating until one side or the other is wiped out. "There are numerous acts of violence between both these groups and, of course, every one of these shootings occurs in a public place, which obviously concerns us greatly," he said. "After every act of gang violence we expect a retaliation to occur -- the dispute that they're engaged in has to do with a lot of interpersonal disputes and hatred which is very difficult for police to stop." In the weeks following Chin's slaying, police stepped up efforts to monitor gang members, ensuring they abide by curfews and court-ordered conditions, and then showed up en masse at his funeral last weekend to try to thwart more bloodshed.
"We are not going to be anything less than vigilant. We are not going to ease up," Hanson said. "Do we worry about an innocent person being killed? Absolutely we do and there isn't a police officer you talk to who wouldn't express that concern and that's why we're doing everything we can."
Calgary has 12 active gangs and some 400 members vying to compete in the burgeoning cocaine trade, leading to confrontations in some very public locations.
"I would absolutely expect more shootings," Rick Hanson said yesterday, a day after a man survived a brazen execution-style shooting on a busy downtown street to become the latest chapter in a violent struggle between two rival gangs. "That's always our concern, that an innocent person is going to get shot -- it's happened in other jurisdictions, it can happen here." Hanson confirmed the man in his 20s, shot in the Beltline by several masked gunman in the middle of the afternoon Monday, was an associate of slain gangster Roger Chin. This incident is the latest sortie in a war between two groups -- Fresh Off the Boat and Fresh Off the Boat Killers -- that, since 2001, has left a dozen dead and many others wounded. The man, listed in serious but stable condition last night, had been under surveillance by the gang unit and was out on bail for a June 24, 2007, assault in Banff. Acting Staff Sgt. Martin Schiavetta of the gang unit said the two groups have been engaged in a bloody conflict, which has little prospect of abating until one side or the other is wiped out. "There are numerous acts of violence between both these groups and, of course, every one of these shootings occurs in a public place, which obviously concerns us greatly," he said. "After every act of gang violence we expect a retaliation to occur -- the dispute that they're engaged in has to do with a lot of interpersonal disputes and hatred which is very difficult for police to stop." In the weeks following Chin's slaying, police stepped up efforts to monitor gang members, ensuring they abide by curfews and court-ordered conditions, and then showed up en masse at his funeral last weekend to try to thwart more bloodshed.
"We are not going to be anything less than vigilant. We are not going to ease up," Hanson said. "Do we worry about an innocent person being killed? Absolutely we do and there isn't a police officer you talk to who wouldn't express that concern and that's why we're doing everything we can."
Calgary has 12 active gangs and some 400 members vying to compete in the burgeoning cocaine trade, leading to confrontations in some very public locations.
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