8 indictments follow Sons of Silence probe

OFF THE WIRE
A federal investigation centered on Indianapolis' Sons of Silence motorcycle club has resulted in indictments against eight men, authorities announced Saturday.

The charges involve methamphetamine trafficking, money laundering and firearms offenses, U.S. Attorney Joe Hogsett said at a news conference Saturday, adding that the investigation continues, and more charges are expected.

The principal indictment in the case charges that Gary Baker, Indianapolis, obtained methamphetamine in Michigan and distributed it through two members of the motorcycle club identified as James E. Taylor Jr. and Jackie Craft as well as Stephen Davis Jr., identified as a member of the Vigilantes motorcycle club.

The indictment also charges that Baker's son, James R. Baker, "transported drug proceeds from Indianapolis to Michigan to pay Gary Baker's source for the methamphetamine."

Another Sons of Silence member, Joseph Woolsey, was charged with firearms offenses, as was a seventh man, Aaron Byers, who was also charged with money laundering.

An eighth man, identified only as a Sons of Silence member, is charged in a separate sealed indictment with methamphetamine trafficking. Hogsett said he has not been apprehended.

Hogsett said the charges followed a four-month investigation by an FBI task force and the Marion County Sheriff's Department, and execution of a search warrant at the Sons of Silence clubhouse on the Near Westside earlier this month.

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