Informant at Va. biker trial talks of gang 'war'

OFF THE WIRE
RICHMOND, Va. -- A former member of the Outlaws motorcycle gang who became an FBI informant testified Monday that when he was told the organization's bosses had declared war on the rival Hell's Angels, he interpreted that as a directive to kill.

Lyle Beatty, of Front Royal in northern Virginia, testified at the federal racketeering trial of Outlaws national president Jack Rosga, of Milwaukee, Wis., and three other members of the organization. Federal prosecutors claim Rosga led an organization responsible for a variety of violent crimes, most of them intended to gain an advantage over the Hell's Angels.

Beatty, 40, told the jury about several confrontations between Outlaws and Hell's Angels or their supporters. He said Outlaws were given the "green light" to assault Hell's Angels after some Outlaws were beaten in Connecticut last fall. The following April, he said, Outlaws Shenandoah Valley chapter president Mark Steven "Snuff" Fiel told Beatty the Outlaws were at war with the Hell's Angels and asked if he knew what that meant.


"It meant if I ran into a Hell's Angel, I was supposed to kill him," Beatty said.

Beatty, whose Outlaws nickname was "Butchie," testified that he agreed to cooperate with the FBI in 2007 after he was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm. Beatty acknowledged that he hopes his cooperation will earn him a break when he is sentenced, although there are no guarantees.

Defense attorneys emphasized that the government paid about $75,000 in expenses Beatty ran up as an FBI informant, including about $9,000 for a motorcycle so he could get back in the club after his previous bike was repossessed.

They also pressed him on why he did not admit until last month that he used illegal drugs while working as an informant, in violation of government orders.

"I was trying to fit in to be a better Outlaw," Beatty said.



Beatty testified that he belonged to a motorcycle riding club and was considering joining the Hell's Angels in 2006 but decided to go with the Outlaws. He said he was taught about the Outlaws' hatred for the Hell's Angels and was encouraged to help the organization get a foothold in Virginia.

He also learned about the organization's rituals and symbols, including two patches affixed to Outlaws' vests. One says "Snitches are a dying breed." The other says "GFOD" which means God forgives, Outlaws don't.

Along with Rosga, the defendants are Rock Hill, S.C., Outlaws leader Leslie Werth; William Davey, described by prosecutors as an "enforcer" in the Asheville, N.C., chapter; and Mark Spradling of Hickory, N.C., treasurer of the region that encompasses Virginia and the Carolinas.

They are among 27 biker gang members indicted in June. One was shot to death as federal agents tried to arrest him in Maine. Fifteen, including Fiel, have entered guilty pleas. Charges against one were dropped, and six will be tired later.


Read more: http://www.thesunnews.com/2010/10/25/1773570/informant-at-va-biker-trial-talks.html#ixzz13Pq6c4pc