Indictment details biker gang in region

Off the Wire
MCs in the News

PETERSBURG - A 51-page federal indictment from a Richmond grand jury unsealed on Tuesday reads like a criminal cookbook on biker gangs.

The indictment outlines 12 criminal counts against a total of 27 men across the country that federal officials say were involved in on ongoing criminal enterprise that involved drug smuggling, illegal gambling and violence against rival biker gangs. The men were indicted in Virginia with attempted murder, weapons violations, kidnapping, robbery, narcotics distribution, illegal gambling, assault, extortion and other crimes.

Twenty-six of the men were arrested and one was killed by federal agents during the federal sweep. Those charged are from Virginia, Wisconsin, Maine, Montana, North Carolina, Tennessee and South Carolina.

But make no mistake, a key ingredient in this criminal cookbook was the Petersburg region. The indictment says the gang used the city as a hub for criminal activity, including discussing or planning criminal activity at the "Petersburg Outlaws clubhouse." It is unclear in the indictment where the location of the clubhouse is.

The city of Petersburg is listed 15 times in the indictment by the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia that was unsealed Tuesday, while Dinwiddie County is listed several times. Additionally, two men from Chesterfield - Charles "Chuck" Barlow, 43, and Dennis "Chew Chew" Haldermann, 45 - were listed as alleged members of the allied Pagans Motorcycle Club.

The document says the Petersburg chapter of the American Outlaws Association conducted drug smuggling, illegal gambling, "shows of force" and laid a trap to assault rival bikers at a city bar.

The indictment says, "The Outlaws is a highly organized criminal enterprise with a defined, multi-level chain of command."

About 16 pages of the indictment then goes into detail on how the Outlaws operated, including membership requirements and procedures; funding of operations through "dues, taxes and gambling;" maintaining control over specific areas; rules of conduct and punishment; coordinating Outlaws' responses to rival gangs, law enforcement and others; using firearms to protect the enterprise; drug distribution; and coordinating with allied motorcycle clubs.

The Outlaws were described as "a gang whose entire environment revolves around violence," said Neil H. MacBride, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.

The remainder of the indictment outlines "overt acts" - many in the Tri-Cities - that the biker gang undertook as part of its criminal enterprise. For example, frequently mentioned in the indictment was the "Cockades Bar in Petersburg" where a planned assault was made against rival gang members. The U.S. Attorney's Office in Richmond confirmed that the indictment is referring to the Cockade City Grill at 305 N. Sycamore Street.

The indictment says Outlaws and Pagans members set a trap and assaulted rival Hell's Angels and Desperados Motorcycle Club members at Cockade's some months later. On March 14, 2009, three members went into the bar in "colors" (a vest signifying membership in the club). One man stood outside the bar in colors as a lure, while three Outlaws waiting inside incognito, without the vests. Several others waited outside to trap rival bikers inside the bar, where they were assaulted.

The fight spilled into the parking lot, where guns were drawn by the Outlaws and rivals. Local police arrived and ended the standoff, the indictment says. They seized a knife and brass knuckles from one Outlaws member.

Petersburg police yesterday declined to comment on the incident.

The indictment also says that in September 2008, more than 50 Outlaws and Pagans prepared to clash with members of the Merciless Souls Motorcycle Cub, a group affiliated with the Hell's Angels, at Virginia Motorsports Park in Dinwiddie. An "overwhelming" presence of law enforcement prevented the assault from happening, it says.

Petersburg was a frequent meeting place for the Outlaws, according to the indictment. In July 2009, Jack "Milwaukee Jack" Rosga, whom federal officials described as the group's national president, ordered a crowd of Outlaws at the Petersburg Clubhouse to shoot Hell's Angels and other rivals. In October, members meeting at the Petersburg Clubhouse discussed assaulting Hell's Angels over a recent attack in Florida that sent two Outlaws to the hospital. Following a shooting attack of a Hell's Angel in Maine, a member asked about staying at the Petersburg Clubhouse to avoid attention up north.

In February of this year, the Petersburg Clubhouse allegedly took delivery of illegal gambling machines from North Carolina, with the club agreeing to a 60-40 percent split of proceeds with the machines' owner. In March, $580 of gambling proceeds were transported from Petersburg.

The indictment also says drugs flowed through the Petersburg Clubhouse. A member allegedly sold 66 Oxycodone pills and six muscle relaxers in October 2009. On the same day, an undercover agent purchased 3.5 grams of cocaine, which was then taken by Outlaws. In March 2010, an undercover agent purchased 2.85 pounds of marijuana at the cost of $13,680 from a fellow Outlaw. That Outlaw was later stopped attempting to transport another five pounds of marijuana from Montana to Virginia.

Much information was told to an undercover Outlaws member in the Petersburg Clubhouse, the indictment indicates.

The Outlaws moved into Virginia in 2006 after coming to an accord with the Pagans Motorcycle Club.

The Outlaws website lists chapters in Petersburg and Northern Virginia.

- Brian J. Couturier may be reached at 722-5109 or bcouturier@progress-index.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .