OFF THE WIRE
agingrebel.com
The case of the Special Memory Wedding Chapel Christmastime knife fight continues its deliberate and stately crawl through the criminal justice meat grinder – Vegas style. Yeah, the metaphor is lame. So is American justice.
The eight defendants in this trial are Dominic Orlando, Frederick O’Dell, Brandon Young, James Sexey, John Dawson, Jeffrey Murray, John Merchant, and Armando Porras. Five more defendants named Charles Goldsmith, Brad Goldsmith, Joshua Ramos, Joseph Gennuso and Samuel Murray are scheduled to stand trial for the same incident on July 30. Collectively, the defendants are charged with Conspiracy to Commit Assault, Battery or Provoking Commission of Breach of the Peace; Attempted Murder With Use of a Deadly Weapon With Intent to Promote the Activities of a Criminal Gang; three counts of Battery With a Deadly Weapon With Substantial Bodily Harm With Intent to Promote the Activities of a Criminal Gang; Battery With Substantial Bodily Harm With Intent to Promote the Activities of a Criminal Gang; Assault With a Deadly Weapon With Intent to Promote the Activities of a Criminal Gang; Coercion With Force; and Coercion With Force With Use of a Deadly Weapon. The assault lasted 62 seconds.
Groom’s Lawsuit
The case began on a Sunday evening, December 20, 2008 when 13 guests at a Hells Angels wedding spotted a wedding party of Mongols.
At the time, Las Vegas Metro Police confirmed that the fight had occurred but refused to release even the most basic details of the brawl including the two clubs involved, the names of the combatants or the extent of their injuries. “We have some video that we are reviewing,” a Vegas Metro Police Lieutenant named Richard Fletcher admitted reluctantly. “It won’t be released at this time. It has been turned over to detectives.” Now both the criminal prosecution and defense and the civil litigants all say it is all about the Mongols and the Hells Angels.
The night of the assault the groom, Eugene Formica, told television station KTNV, “We were friggin’ attacked. We defended ourselves the best we could. It’s real hard to do when you are outnumbered that bad. But that is alright.” Formica has since left the Mongols Motorcycle Club and is now pursuing a civil suit against the Special Memory Wedding Chapel. He thinks the chapel should have hired extra security that evening. Formica testified for the prosecution last week.
A chapel employee told the jury that none of the employees understood that two clubs would be attending back to back ceremonies or that there might be a problem with that. The night of the fight Chapel manager Joshua Gust said, “There’s 100,000 weddings a year in Las Vegas and how many across the world. To have two groups that close together, I think that is very odd.”
The Prosecution
The prosecution opened its case by showing jurors video surveillance footage of the fight and dozens of photographs of blood splatters and stains.
Tim Jameson, another witness for the state, testified that he wore a Mongols cut to the wedding at the request of someone in the club. Jameson is not and was not a member or prospective member of the Mongols. Jameson characterized the attack as “unprovoked.”
A Vegas Metro police officer named Joel Albert testified that crime scene investigators found illegal drugs left in a pew in the wedding chapel. He did not introduce any evidence that the drugs belonged to anyone in either the Mongols or Angels wedding parties.
Prosecutors hope to prove that the defendants were acting on behalf of the Hells Angels. Proving that would allow the court to impose draconian gang enhancements on the defendants and the assault could become a predicate in future racketeering cases against members of the Hells Angels.
The Defense
The defendants are claiming self-defense. A quotable defender named Tom Pitaro told jurors that the Angels wedding party attacked the Mongols wedding party because they feared the Mongols were dangerous. Pitaro said the Angels “came for a wedding not a fight” and “acted reasonably under the circumstances as they believed them to be.”
Pitaro told jurors the wedding came just a few months after the death of San Francisco charter President Mark “Papa” Guardado. Guardado died at the hands of Mongol Christopher “Stoney” Ablett. Ablett was found guilty of four counts of racketeering and sentenced to multiple life sentences last May.
“Whether they were there for a wedding I don’t know and I don’t care,” Pitaro told the jury in his opening remarks. He said the Mongols are “considered a violent organization with a well deserved reputation for violence.”
The prosecution is expected to complete its case this week. The trial is expected to last for at least another two weeks.
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
AUSTRAILIA - Qld bikie laws unconstitutional: lawyer
OFF THE WIRE
news.ninemsn.com.au
news.ninemsn.com.au
A lawyer representing the Finks bikie gang says Queensland's anti-association laws are unconstitutional and will soon be struck down, as were similar laws in NSW and South Australia.
Police are attempting to have the Gold Coast chapter of the club declared a criminal organisation and ban its members from associating.
An application lodged in the Supreme Court in Brisbane in July is the first under the state's Criminal Organisation Act 2009.
But solicitor Bill Potts, who represents the Gold Coast Finks, lodged an application with the High Court Registry in Brisbane on Monday to have the club removed from the legislation.
Mr Potts says the laws are unconstitutional and precedent will guide any decision the court makes.
"Look what's happened. The High Court has, in respect to a similar application in SA and NSW, struck down the laws," he told AAP.
During the Queensland election campaign, Campbell Newman indicted he would not declare motorcycle gangs illegal.
But after a shooting at a packed Gold Coast shopping centre the Newman government's attitude changed, Mr Potts said.
Despite the government's redrafting of the laws, they were "fundamentally flawed", he said.
"We need to be sure all of this legislation is within the grounds of the constitution."
The Finks have about one month to outline the details of the High Court challenge.
ARIZONA - Hells Angels to host Chino Valley boxing event
OFF THE WIRE
Doreen's Bar and Grill in Chino Valley will play host to a Boxing Smoker on Saturday, Aug. 18. The all day event is being sponsored by the Hells Angels Arizona Nomads, local members of the international motorcycle club.
Larry Scott, a longtime Chino Valley resident and member of the club, is helping organize the event. Scott says he hopes the public will set aside any preconceived ideas about the club, instead focusing on the purpose of the event.
"We're putting this on for the kids in town," said Scott. "There will be matches based on weight classes and even a female class. So far the youngest division is the 11-year olds."
Scott says the club is expecting more than 100 riders and their families from around the state, as well as visiting clubs for inter-club bouts featuring adult boxers. He acknowledges that some in town won't welcome such a large group of riders, especially in the wake of the 2010 shootout between members of his group and Vagos, a rival club.
In June, the charges against seven defendants from the 2010 case, including Scott, were dismissed in Yavapai County Superior Court.
Sending out an open invitation to the community, Scott hopes the town will give the event a chance.
"All I ask is that before anyone makes up their mind about me or about the club, they come out and hang with us, see what we're all about," said Scott. "I ask that the folks in the community not believe what they read or what they hear, but come over and hang out with us. We're no different than anyone else."
The Aug. 18 event will feature three one-minute rounds in the kids' classes. Event organizers will provide headgear and 16-ounce gloves. Boxers will need to provide their own mouthpieces.
Scott says Robert Vaughan, a paramedic, will serve as an in-ring referee to ensure the safety of the fighters. Vaughan will also handle early registration in an effort to provide even match ups.
"We're hoping everyone will register early, that way we can make sure they get evenly matched. Vaughan's taking care of that, looking at weight, skill, and experience," said Scott, adding that there are several gyms in the area where boxers can train, including Golden Cobra in Cottonwood. "What's really important though, is that with this altitude, they train and get some air in them. That's the biggest thing."
Scott is confident that the event will go on with little or no trouble, but said he wanted to get the word out early to avoid causing worry in the community.
"We're going to have more than 100 bikes and I can anticipate a few folks seeing us ride into town and get a little worried," said Scott. "I went over and had a talk with Police Chief Chuck Wynn, to let him know what we're planning, and to see if we needed any permits or anything. I did that as a sign of respect to let him know we don't want or expect any trouble."
"Mr. Scott came to see me, to inform me of the event and let me know what's taking place," said Wynn. "I told him that my concerns are, as always, the safety of the public. That's number one. The safety of those participating in and attending the event is also very important. We talked about informing the public, because in the past we've had large events and people weren't told about them. When that happens, we start to get curiosity calls to 911 and that can overwhelm the system. And, obviously, with motorcycles, traffic, and music, it increases that curiosity."
Wynn added that his department plans to increase patrols that day, in an effort to stop any issues before they arise.
"As with any event this size, we will beef up patrol because of the additional traffic," said Wynn. "And this one, because it's happening at a bar where alcohol will be served, has the potential for spin-off problems."
Following the first bouts beginning at 10 a.m., the boxers will take a break at 1 p.m. to hold a bike run. The run will begin at Doreen's on Arizona Trail, then cross Highway 89 to Road 4 North. The caravan of more than 100 bikes will then proceed west to Yuma Drive, south on Yuma, then east on Road 3 North. They will then travel north on Hwy 89 back to Doreen's.
"We're going up to Yuma past Teddy Toth's house, because more than likely, he's not going to be able to come to Doreen's. Anyone who wants to ride is welcome to join the run," said Scott.
Toth, a member of the local Nomad chapter, suffers from ailing health. His Yuma Drive house was the scene of the 2010 shootout.
This event is not unique for the club according to Scott, who also helped organize a toy drive this past winter.
We're involved in community groups all over the country, all over the world," said Scott. "Last year our chapter collected toys at Christmas time by talking to the public and hosting bike runs. We took the toys up to the Boys and Girls Center in Kingman. We were able to collect enough to take care all those kids, giving them a really nice Christmas."
Scott hopes the August event will open up an opportunity for him to start a gym in Chino Valley sometime in the near future.
"This is where I'm from and I'd like to do something to keep these kids out of trouble," said Scott. "My whole deal is that I want to do something for the kids. I'd like to see kids start boxing, giving them a place fight or to learn how to fight. I hope it keeps them from straying off and getting into trouble. This town used to have a nice skate park, my own kids used to hang out there. But financially, the town couldn't keep it and that's really sad for the kids."
Scott said his time coaching football for Chino Valley High School and his involvement in the now defunct local rodeo opened his eyes to a real need in the community.
"I've coached high school football and I was involved in bringing rodeo to town years ago as Steer Wrestling Director," said Scott. "It's important to provide an outlet for kids, and some kids aren't able to participate in organized sports like football, baseball, or soccer. It takes a lot of time and can be really expensive. Realistically, a lot of families in Chino just can't afford it."
He says he hopes to develop his gym as a non-profit organization, providing an inexpensive place for kids to work out.
"If I can get enough support from the community to pay the rent and keep the lights on, that would be great."
http://www.dcourier.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=109231
Doreen's Bar and Grill in Chino Valley will play host to a Boxing Smoker on Saturday, Aug. 18. The all day event is being sponsored by the Hells Angels Arizona Nomads, local members of the international motorcycle club.
Larry Scott, a longtime Chino Valley resident and member of the club, is helping organize the event. Scott says he hopes the public will set aside any preconceived ideas about the club, instead focusing on the purpose of the event.
"We're putting this on for the kids in town," said Scott. "There will be matches based on weight classes and even a female class. So far the youngest division is the 11-year olds."
Scott says the club is expecting more than 100 riders and their families from around the state, as well as visiting clubs for inter-club bouts featuring adult boxers. He acknowledges that some in town won't welcome such a large group of riders, especially in the wake of the 2010 shootout between members of his group and Vagos, a rival club.
In June, the charges against seven defendants from the 2010 case, including Scott, were dismissed in Yavapai County Superior Court.
Sending out an open invitation to the community, Scott hopes the town will give the event a chance.
"All I ask is that before anyone makes up their mind about me or about the club, they come out and hang with us, see what we're all about," said Scott. "I ask that the folks in the community not believe what they read or what they hear, but come over and hang out with us. We're no different than anyone else."
The Aug. 18 event will feature three one-minute rounds in the kids' classes. Event organizers will provide headgear and 16-ounce gloves. Boxers will need to provide their own mouthpieces.
Scott says Robert Vaughan, a paramedic, will serve as an in-ring referee to ensure the safety of the fighters. Vaughan will also handle early registration in an effort to provide even match ups.
"We're hoping everyone will register early, that way we can make sure they get evenly matched. Vaughan's taking care of that, looking at weight, skill, and experience," said Scott, adding that there are several gyms in the area where boxers can train, including Golden Cobra in Cottonwood. "What's really important though, is that with this altitude, they train and get some air in them. That's the biggest thing."
Scott is confident that the event will go on with little or no trouble, but said he wanted to get the word out early to avoid causing worry in the community.
"We're going to have more than 100 bikes and I can anticipate a few folks seeing us ride into town and get a little worried," said Scott. "I went over and had a talk with Police Chief Chuck Wynn, to let him know what we're planning, and to see if we needed any permits or anything. I did that as a sign of respect to let him know we don't want or expect any trouble."
"Mr. Scott came to see me, to inform me of the event and let me know what's taking place," said Wynn. "I told him that my concerns are, as always, the safety of the public. That's number one. The safety of those participating in and attending the event is also very important. We talked about informing the public, because in the past we've had large events and people weren't told about them. When that happens, we start to get curiosity calls to 911 and that can overwhelm the system. And, obviously, with motorcycles, traffic, and music, it increases that curiosity."
Wynn added that his department plans to increase patrols that day, in an effort to stop any issues before they arise.
"As with any event this size, we will beef up patrol because of the additional traffic," said Wynn. "And this one, because it's happening at a bar where alcohol will be served, has the potential for spin-off problems."
Following the first bouts beginning at 10 a.m., the boxers will take a break at 1 p.m. to hold a bike run. The run will begin at Doreen's on Arizona Trail, then cross Highway 89 to Road 4 North. The caravan of more than 100 bikes will then proceed west to Yuma Drive, south on Yuma, then east on Road 3 North. They will then travel north on Hwy 89 back to Doreen's.
"We're going up to Yuma past Teddy Toth's house, because more than likely, he's not going to be able to come to Doreen's. Anyone who wants to ride is welcome to join the run," said Scott.
Toth, a member of the local Nomad chapter, suffers from ailing health. His Yuma Drive house was the scene of the 2010 shootout.
This event is not unique for the club according to Scott, who also helped organize a toy drive this past winter.
We're involved in community groups all over the country, all over the world," said Scott. "Last year our chapter collected toys at Christmas time by talking to the public and hosting bike runs. We took the toys up to the Boys and Girls Center in Kingman. We were able to collect enough to take care all those kids, giving them a really nice Christmas."
Scott hopes the August event will open up an opportunity for him to start a gym in Chino Valley sometime in the near future.
"This is where I'm from and I'd like to do something to keep these kids out of trouble," said Scott. "My whole deal is that I want to do something for the kids. I'd like to see kids start boxing, giving them a place fight or to learn how to fight. I hope it keeps them from straying off and getting into trouble. This town used to have a nice skate park, my own kids used to hang out there. But financially, the town couldn't keep it and that's really sad for the kids."
Scott said his time coaching football for Chino Valley High School and his involvement in the now defunct local rodeo opened his eyes to a real need in the community.
"I've coached high school football and I was involved in bringing rodeo to town years ago as Steer Wrestling Director," said Scott. "It's important to provide an outlet for kids, and some kids aren't able to participate in organized sports like football, baseball, or soccer. It takes a lot of time and can be really expensive. Realistically, a lot of families in Chino just can't afford it."
He says he hopes to develop his gym as a non-profit organization, providing an inexpensive place for kids to work out.
"If I can get enough support from the community to pay the rent and keep the lights on, that would be great."
http://www.dcourier.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=109231
AUSTRAILIA - Gold Coast Finks bikies hire top barrister for High Court battle against Queensland Police anti-bikie laws
OFF THE WIRE
GOLD Coast Finks bikies have hired one of Australia's top constitutional barristers for a High Court battle against a Queensland police bid to have them outlawed. The Finks have retained Bret Walker SC, a $12,000-a-day Sydney silk who led a successful High Court challenge to similar anti-bikie laws in South Australia.
Mr Walker, who also represented tobacco companies in their fight against the Gillard Government's plain packaging legislation, is being briefed by high-profile Gold Coast criminal lawyer Bill Potts, a long-time Finks representative.
Mr Potts yesterday lodged a High Court application seeking to have Queensland's Criminal Organisation Act declared unconstitutional.
The move came almost two months after police used the 2009 law for the first time in a Supreme Court bid to have the Finks' Gold Coast chapter and an associated company declared a criminal organisation.
Police Assistant Commissioner Mike Condon alleged the Finks had been involved in crimes including murder, extortion, robbery and drug trafficking and posed "a great risk to the community".
Affidavits lodged with the Supreme Court in June alleged 45 Finks members had criminal convictions and that the gxxg included a so-called "Terror Team" whose "major function . . . is the extortion of money by a system known as "Finks Fines".
Mr Potts said the Finks contended the Criminal Organisation Act was "invalid and unconstitutional' because it denied them the right to challenge the case against them in the Supreme Court, including criminal intelligence.
"We're not attacking the police or the Supreme Court. We're simply saying the legislation is fundamentally flawed," Mr Potts said outside the High Court registry.
"It is legislation which has far-reaching and enormously intrusive powers to effectively declare that fathers, sons, brothers and friends cannot associate and that if they do, they are criminals," he said.
"There is no recourse for them to test the evidence against them or to even be legally represented in court."
A backlog of cases means the High Court may not hear the Finks application until late this year or early next year.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/national/finks-bikies-set-to-take-queensland-police-to-court/story-fndo45r1-1226438634691
GOLD Coast Finks bikies have hired one of Australia's top constitutional barristers for a High Court battle against a Queensland police bid to have them outlawed. The Finks have retained Bret Walker SC, a $12,000-a-day Sydney silk who led a successful High Court challenge to similar anti-bikie laws in South Australia.
Mr Walker, who also represented tobacco companies in their fight against the Gillard Government's plain packaging legislation, is being briefed by high-profile Gold Coast criminal lawyer Bill Potts, a long-time Finks representative.
Mr Potts yesterday lodged a High Court application seeking to have Queensland's Criminal Organisation Act declared unconstitutional.
The move came almost two months after police used the 2009 law for the first time in a Supreme Court bid to have the Finks' Gold Coast chapter and an associated company declared a criminal organisation.
Police Assistant Commissioner Mike Condon alleged the Finks had been involved in crimes including murder, extortion, robbery and drug trafficking and posed "a great risk to the community".
Affidavits lodged with the Supreme Court in June alleged 45 Finks members had criminal convictions and that the gxxg included a so-called "Terror Team" whose "major function . . . is the extortion of money by a system known as "Finks Fines".
Mr Potts said the Finks contended the Criminal Organisation Act was "invalid and unconstitutional' because it denied them the right to challenge the case against them in the Supreme Court, including criminal intelligence.
"We're not attacking the police or the Supreme Court. We're simply saying the legislation is fundamentally flawed," Mr Potts said outside the High Court registry.
"It is legislation which has far-reaching and enormously intrusive powers to effectively declare that fathers, sons, brothers and friends cannot associate and that if they do, they are criminals," he said.
"There is no recourse for them to test the evidence against them or to even be legally represented in court."
A backlog of cases means the High Court may not hear the Finks application until late this year or early next year.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/national/finks-bikies-set-to-take-queensland-police-to-court/story-fndo45r1-1226438634691
Don't Embarrass the Hells Angels
OFF THE WIRE
Eva Knott
Source: San Diego Reader
Eric Wayne Thorsgard was in the worst possible situation. He was taken into custody, accused of beating up somebody in the alley outside a biker bar in Oceanside. That wasn’t the worst part.
the article ends on the 2nd to last paragraph with: "The San Diego district attorney’s office said it might be dangerous to name the alleged victim, since he’d been served a subpoena to testify against two Hells Angels members."
Then the writer goes on to tell the world who he is in the next paragraph (indirectly of course)!
"The old man rides with a motorcycle club called the Geezers. He said he is the oldest member and admits to being 65. The Geezers go on “runs” and have barbeques and parties. The old man has a Harley-Davidson Dyna Super Glide. He’s been riding for more than 40 years. He was once a Marine (“I got blowed up with a mortar when I was in Vietnam.”) and has medical problems related to Agent Orange. He said he is on 100 percent disability."
WTF.. believe me, I believe snitches get stitches.... but whoever wrote this doesn't know how to keep their mouth shut themselves....This is reporting at its worst.... If anything happens to this guy i hope the "reporter" gets whats coming for putting this old man on blast who got jumped!!!
Eva Knott
Source: San Diego Reader
Eric Wayne Thorsgard was in the worst possible situation. He was taken into custody, accused of beating up somebody in the alley outside a biker bar in Oceanside. That wasn’t the worst part.
#Eric is known as “Thor” to his pals in the Hells Angels. (No, they don’t use an apostrophe in the name, and if you don’t like the punctuation you can tell them yourself.)
#Thor is a “full patch” member, which is top status, full member. You might not know that a man needs an invitation just to have “hang around” status for this exclusive group of motorcycle riders. Women need not apply. The next step up in approval is “prospect” status. For each of these steps, one gets a small red-and-white patch to wear; the patch displays rank. Any recognition at all from the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club is exhilarating to certain persons.
#The notorious club guards its reputation, such as it is; for example, they will not tolerate someone pretending to be a member who is not really a member. And there are expectations for persons who are members; for example, one must have an American-made motorcycle. This includes Harley s and Indians and Victory-made bikes.
#Thor ran into a problem when a rumor sprang up that the guy he’d “thumped” was an old man. Worse, the old man is reportedly a member of a “friendly” motorcycle club.
#So Thor found himself needing to answer felony assault charges from the State of California. And he needed to answer to the Hells Angels, too.
#“One More That’s It” Pub in Oceanside, California
#On a Friday night last January, Thor was having drinks in a biker bar in Oceanside. The bar is called One More That’s It. Regulars refer to it as OMTI — they say “ohmtee.” The low-profile bar is located on the northern coast of San Diego County, near Camp Pendleton.
#Thor is a largish guy, six feet tall and more than 200 pounds. He got a ride to the bar with his friend, John Michael Wayne.
#John Michael Wayne is small and tough and an active-duty Marine. He is 28 now; he joined the Marines when he was 20. Wayne has been deployed twice to Afghanistan. He said he is anxious to go back to “forward deployment” with his platoon later this year.
#Marine Staff Sergeant Wayne met Thor a couple of years ago when he bought a motorcycle. Thor was a salesman at Biggs Harley-Davidson. The two men discovered that they were both from Kansas. They enjoyed each other’s company and spent time together.
#The night of January 6, 2012, Wayne drove his blue Ford pickup truck to the biker bar. It was only a mile from his home. Wayne brought his wife and his friend Thor.
#Wayne’s wife is attractive, and Wayne knows it. (“My wife is a pretty girl, she gets talked to a lot.”) The security guy at the front door said he particularly remembered her, because he wondered why such a good-looking woman was with such rough-looking guys.
#Wayne said that while he was playing pool, he noticed an old guy at the bar chatting up his wife. “He was kinda laughing and whispering in her ear.” The old guy bought Wayne’s wife three rounds, three shots of tequila. But the wife declined the last drink. She went to her husband to get the truck keys and said she wanted to wait out in the truck. “She was tired of drinking,” Wayne said later.
#Then Wayne went up to the old guy hunched over at the bar. “I walked over to him and said, ‘Do you mind if we have a word outside?’” The old man agreed to go outside.
#This is Wayne’s version: his friend Thor was outside having a cigarette with the doorman, and Wayne walked by them with the old guy. When the two were in the dark alley alongside the bar, Wayne asked the old man, “Hey, how come you’re hitting on my wife?” The tough old bird was not a bit intimidated. He leaned into the smaller man and said, “So, this is how it’s going to be?”
#Thor then joined the discussion. He took a special interest when the old man claimed to be Hells Angels. The old man may have dated his membership as 1974–1981, but Wayne was later fuzzy on this detail.
#Thor must have believed the old guy would enjoy revisiting the colors for a moment, because Thor opened up his overcoat to show the Hells Angels colors he was wearing underneath. The old man “bowed up” and puffed out his chest and Wayne said, “I saw that as a threat, so I punched him.” The old man immediately went down on the ground.
#The doorman said he couldn’t hear any of the conversation, but he did see that Thor and Wayne had their heads close to the old man, “like an inch from his face.” The doorman speculated that the three were either close friends or menacing each other. Then the old man flew backward.
#The Geezers Motorcycle Club
#The old man didn’t really want to talk about getting punched out at the bar last January. “Whatever problem I had was already taken care of, resolved a long time ago.” He said he just wanted his broken eyeglasses replaced; they cost him $300.
#The San Diego district attorney’s office said it might be dangerous to name the alleged victim, since he’d been served a subpoena to testify against two Hells Angels members.
#The old man rides with a motorcycle club called the Geezers. He said he is the oldest member and admits to being 65. The Geezers go on “runs” and have barbeques and parties. The old man has a Harley-Davidson Dyna Super Glide. He’s been riding for more than 40 years. He was once a Marine (“I got blowed up with a mortar when I was in Vietnam.”) and has medical problems related to Agent Orange. He said he is on 100 percent disability.
COMMENT,
SERIOUSLY WHO WROTE THIS? the article ends on the 2nd to last paragraph with: "The San Diego district attorney’s office said it might be dangerous to name the alleged victim, since he’d been served a subpoena to testify against two Hells Angels members."
Then the writer goes on to tell the world who he is in the next paragraph (indirectly of course)!
"The old man rides with a motorcycle club called the Geezers. He said he is the oldest member and admits to being 65. The Geezers go on “runs” and have barbeques and parties. The old man has a Harley-Davidson Dyna Super Glide. He’s been riding for more than 40 years. He was once a Marine (“I got blowed up with a mortar when I was in Vietnam.”) and has medical problems related to Agent Orange. He said he is on 100 percent disability."
WTF.. believe me, I believe snitches get stitches.... but whoever wrote this doesn't know how to keep their mouth shut themselves....This is reporting at its worst.... If anything happens to this guy i hope the "reporter" gets whats coming for putting this old man on blast who got jumped!!!
Review: Attika 7 – Blood of My Enemies
OFF THE WIRE
Paige Camisasca |
Jul 16, 2012
Evan Seinfeld may have split with Biohazard, but the hardcore/metal (and hardcore porn) star is back with another ear-slamming band. Attika 7–who also feature celebrity motorcycle builder Rusty Coones, on guitar, along with former members of Kyuss, Nonpoint, and UPO–spew brawny riffs, Rob Zombie-ish electronic bits, and a snarling street vibe reminiscent of Seinfeld’s previous outfit. On “Serial Killer,” amid a dynamic din, the frontman roars as menacingly ever, while also showing increased range as vocalist. “Devil’s Daughter” is another scorcher, yet it comes a little too close to aping Pantera. And sometimes, Blood’s industrial metal is the kind that got overdone a decade ago. Still, it’s a mostly good set—and a cool comeback for Seinfeld. JEFF PERLAH
Motorcycle Accident Victim Received $31.5 Million in Lawsuit Against State of Ca
OFF THE WIRE
Following one of several serious injury motorcycle accidents occurring on California State Route 138, a jury recently awarded one victim $31.5 million in a verdict against California’s state agency responsible for rail, bridge, and highway transportation construction, planning, and maintenance (Caltrans). Case number CIVVS1002497, Superior Court of the State of California for the county of San Bernardino
California (PRWEB) July 28, 2012
Following one of several serious injury motorcycle accidents occurring on California State Route 138, a jury recently awarded one victim $31.5 million in a verdict against California’s state agency responsible for rail, bridge, and highway transportation construction, planning, and maintenance (Caltrans).
Caltrans was held responsible for what was determined to be a dangerous roadway condition. On April 29, 2009, David Evans was riding his motorcycle when he collided with an oncoming vehicle. The collision left Mr. Evans with severe spinal cord and brain injuries that will require around-the-clock nursing assistance for the remainder of his life.
California Highway Patrol (CHP) documents showed that ten previous accidents had occurred at this location. The handling attorneys were able to convince the jury that Caltrans failed to provide sufficient protection for their client in an area that had been flagged for being especially dangerous.
According to the 2009 California Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS), 232,777 people were injured and 3,076 suffered fatal injuries in California auto collisions. Of those injured, 13,083 were pedestrians, 12,043 were bicyclists, and 10,479 were traveling on motorcycles.
Brian Chase, California motorcycle attorney and lifelong motorcycle enthusiast, has assisted dozens victims of motorcycle accident and dangerous roadway conditions. “Too often, California’s transportation agencies are made aware of dangerous roadway conditions and fail to quickly address the issue. In Mr. Evans’ case, Caltrans’ Chief of Operations had received a complaint eighteen months prior to his Evans’ collision. Had this complaint, or the several motor vehicle accidents which took place in the area, been treated with the respect that they deserved, the roadway could have been modified to help prevent Mr. Evans’ collision.
“When Caltrans, or any other governmental agency, contributes to a dangerous condition, they put themselves in a position to be held liable. Luckily, Mr. Evans received a generous verdict which will allow him to receive the care he so desperately needs.” Said Mr. Chase.
Following one of several serious injury motorcycle accidents occurring on California State Route 138, a jury recently awarded one victim $31.5 million in a verdict against California’s state agency responsible for rail, bridge, and highway transportation construction, planning, and maintenance (Caltrans). Case number CIVVS1002497, Superior Court of the State of California for the county of San Bernardino
California (PRWEB) July 28, 2012
Following one of several serious injury motorcycle accidents occurring on California State Route 138, a jury recently awarded one victim $31.5 million in a verdict against California’s state agency responsible for rail, bridge, and highway transportation construction, planning, and maintenance (Caltrans).
Caltrans was held responsible for what was determined to be a dangerous roadway condition. On April 29, 2009, David Evans was riding his motorcycle when he collided with an oncoming vehicle. The collision left Mr. Evans with severe spinal cord and brain injuries that will require around-the-clock nursing assistance for the remainder of his life.
California Highway Patrol (CHP) documents showed that ten previous accidents had occurred at this location. The handling attorneys were able to convince the jury that Caltrans failed to provide sufficient protection for their client in an area that had been flagged for being especially dangerous.
According to the 2009 California Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS), 232,777 people were injured and 3,076 suffered fatal injuries in California auto collisions. Of those injured, 13,083 were pedestrians, 12,043 were bicyclists, and 10,479 were traveling on motorcycles.
Brian Chase, California motorcycle attorney and lifelong motorcycle enthusiast, has assisted dozens victims of motorcycle accident and dangerous roadway conditions. “Too often, California’s transportation agencies are made aware of dangerous roadway conditions and fail to quickly address the issue. In Mr. Evans’ case, Caltrans’ Chief of Operations had received a complaint eighteen months prior to his Evans’ collision. Had this complaint, or the several motor vehicle accidents which took place in the area, been treated with the respect that they deserved, the roadway could have been modified to help prevent Mr. Evans’ collision.
“When Caltrans, or any other governmental agency, contributes to a dangerous condition, they put themselves in a position to be held liable. Luckily, Mr. Evans received a generous verdict which will allow him to receive the care he so desperately needs.” Said Mr. Chase.
Monday, July 30, 2012
CALIFORNIA - LAPD wary of Mongols' rise in the Harbor Area
OFF THE WIRE
Donna Littlejohn
dailybreeze.com
The growing presence of a notorious motorcycle gang in the Harbor Area has raised the antenna of local law enforcement.
Word that as many as 300 members of the Mongols Motorcycle Club were headed this past Sunday to San Pedro's Point Fermin Park - where there was a free concert near Walker's Cafe, a long-standing biker burger haunt - spurred a preemptive response by Los Angeles police.
Many of those arriving by motorcycle were turned away for lack of parking.
Both Walker's Cafe and the adjacent park's popular Music by the Sea series are big draws every summer.
But the five-concert series - which began July 1 and ends this Sunday - almost was canceled when skirmishes broke out just outside the park during a July 15 outdoor performance.
Police say the trouble erupted between members of the Mongols and a rival motorcycle gang. The concert producer disputes that. No one was hurt and no weapons were involved.
Concert producer Mike Caccavalla said the fights did not involve motorcycle club members, who he said have always been welcome to attend the free summer concerts at Point Fermin.
Club members regularly attend the concert series, Caccavalla said, and have never caused any problems.
"When they come into the park, they're nothing but respectful," he said. "They're the nicest bunch of people. ... They spend their money with the vendors and in the past they've helped me patrol and keep things under
control."
Members of the motorcycle group could not be reached for comment.
Sgt. Catherine Plows of the LAPD Harbor Division said officers worked with the Department of Transportation to control parking at the park and Walker's Cafe this past Sunday to make sure there wasn't a repeat of the scuffles the week before.
The Mongols, she said, "are in the process of trying to make San Pedro their home city, which is a little disconcerting. They have every right to be wherever they want to be, but we want to make sure their events are safe."
This coming Sunday afternoon, Plows said, the group plans to celebrate its 13th annual South Bay anniversary at an auto brake repair shop near Anaheim Street and Western Avenue in Harbor City.
The club has been known to gather at Ken Malloy Harbor Regional Park, also in Harbor City.
"When you look at their vests, they have a harbor insignia on them, so they're claiming the area," Plows said.
The concern, Plows said, is when members of rival groups - primarily the Hells Angels, the Mongols' longtime archenemy - also show up.
Caccavalla said the Mongols have been coming to the free concerts in Point Fermin Park since the club formed 16 years ago.
While there have never been problems, Caccavalla said he nevertheless appreciated the additional parking enforcement and police presence last Sunday. There initially was talk of suspending the concerts after the July 15 trouble, he said.
"This has been a community event that's been going on for 16 years and it's something that needs to continue," he said.
One observer, though, said the parking enforcement was heavy-handed, turning away most of the iconic Walker Cafe's traditional biker business.
"This place is famous on weekends for being packed," said the individual, who did not want to be identified. "Is it illegal to triple park motorcycles? Yes. Have people been doing it here for 17 years? Yes, and the police have always allowed it."
The motorcycle club's website - http://www.mongolsmc.com/ - lists numerous chapters in California, including a Harbor Chapter ("Los Angeles Port area"). The group also has chapters in Italy, Germany, Mexico and Scandinavia.
In a news release issued last May, the FBI's San Francisco office referred to the Mongols as an "outlaw motorcycle gang." The release outlined the sentencing terms of Christopher Bryan Ablett ("Stoney"), a member of the group's Modesto chapter, for the 2008 gang-related murder of Mark "Papa" Guardado, president of the San Francisco chapter of the Hells Angels.
Abett claimed he acted in self-defense.
Testimony in the trial by agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives described the Mongols as an "organized criminal motorcycle gang whose primary rival is the Hells Angels motorcycle gang," according to the release.
A 2002 clash between the two groups in Laughlin, Nev., left two Hells Angels and one Mongol dead.
Plows said LAPD officers have been in communication with the Mongol leadership, which she said has been cooperative.
"We had a conversation early this morning and told them we're not here to take away their good time," she said Tuesday.
"We're just letting them know that if they're going to have an event here ... we're not going to tolerate any nonsense as far as other groups coming in."
donna.littlejohn@dailybreeze.com
Donna Littlejohn
dailybreeze.com
The growing presence of a notorious motorcycle gang in the Harbor Area has raised the antenna of local law enforcement.
Word that as many as 300 members of the Mongols Motorcycle Club were headed this past Sunday to San Pedro's Point Fermin Park - where there was a free concert near Walker's Cafe, a long-standing biker burger haunt - spurred a preemptive response by Los Angeles police.
Many of those arriving by motorcycle were turned away for lack of parking.
Both Walker's Cafe and the adjacent park's popular Music by the Sea series are big draws every summer.
But the five-concert series - which began July 1 and ends this Sunday - almost was canceled when skirmishes broke out just outside the park during a July 15 outdoor performance.
Police say the trouble erupted between members of the Mongols and a rival motorcycle gang. The concert producer disputes that. No one was hurt and no weapons were involved.
Concert producer Mike Caccavalla said the fights did not involve motorcycle club members, who he said have always been welcome to attend the free summer concerts at Point Fermin.
Club members regularly attend the concert series, Caccavalla said, and have never caused any problems.
"When they come into the park, they're nothing but respectful," he said. "They're the nicest bunch of people. ... They spend their money with the vendors and in the past they've helped me patrol and keep things under
control."
Members of the motorcycle group could not be reached for comment.
Sgt. Catherine Plows of the LAPD Harbor Division said officers worked with the Department of Transportation to control parking at the park and Walker's Cafe this past Sunday to make sure there wasn't a repeat of the scuffles the week before.
The Mongols, she said, "are in the process of trying to make San Pedro their home city, which is a little disconcerting. They have every right to be wherever they want to be, but we want to make sure their events are safe."
This coming Sunday afternoon, Plows said, the group plans to celebrate its 13th annual South Bay anniversary at an auto brake repair shop near Anaheim Street and Western Avenue in Harbor City.
The club has been known to gather at Ken Malloy Harbor Regional Park, also in Harbor City.
"When you look at their vests, they have a harbor insignia on them, so they're claiming the area," Plows said.
The concern, Plows said, is when members of rival groups - primarily the Hells Angels, the Mongols' longtime archenemy - also show up.
Caccavalla said the Mongols have been coming to the free concerts in Point Fermin Park since the club formed 16 years ago.
While there have never been problems, Caccavalla said he nevertheless appreciated the additional parking enforcement and police presence last Sunday. There initially was talk of suspending the concerts after the July 15 trouble, he said.
"This has been a community event that's been going on for 16 years and it's something that needs to continue," he said.
One observer, though, said the parking enforcement was heavy-handed, turning away most of the iconic Walker Cafe's traditional biker business.
"This place is famous on weekends for being packed," said the individual, who did not want to be identified. "Is it illegal to triple park motorcycles? Yes. Have people been doing it here for 17 years? Yes, and the police have always allowed it."
The motorcycle club's website - http://www.mongolsmc.com/ - lists numerous chapters in California, including a Harbor Chapter ("Los Angeles Port area"). The group also has chapters in Italy, Germany, Mexico and Scandinavia.
In a news release issued last May, the FBI's San Francisco office referred to the Mongols as an "outlaw motorcycle gang." The release outlined the sentencing terms of Christopher Bryan Ablett ("Stoney"), a member of the group's Modesto chapter, for the 2008 gang-related murder of Mark "Papa" Guardado, president of the San Francisco chapter of the Hells Angels.
Abett claimed he acted in self-defense.
Testimony in the trial by agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives described the Mongols as an "organized criminal motorcycle gang whose primary rival is the Hells Angels motorcycle gang," according to the release.
A 2002 clash between the two groups in Laughlin, Nev., left two Hells Angels and one Mongol dead.
Plows said LAPD officers have been in communication with the Mongol leadership, which she said has been cooperative.
"We had a conversation early this morning and told them we're not here to take away their good time," she said Tuesday.
"We're just letting them know that if they're going to have an event here ... we're not going to tolerate any nonsense as far as other groups coming in."
donna.littlejohn@dailybreeze.com
Sunday, July 29, 2012
CALIFORNIA - Former Mongols see opening in Montebello PD rift
OFF THE WIRE
Frank C. Girardot
sgvtribune.com
MONTEBELLO - A former Mongol believes a rift among top officers within the Montebello Police Department will help him and his brother prove the 2008 federal indictment that brought down their motorcycle club was built on lies.
Al "The Suit" Cavazos based his claim on a whistle-blower lawsuit filed in June by Montebello police officers Gregory Wilsey, Brian Dragoo, Kimberly Lundy and Ricardo Rojas against the city.
"The suit shows there's a cover-up," Cavazos said. "I want to put them on the witness stand and ask them about the cover-ups involving members of the Montebello Police Department."
Cavazos said he will subpoena the officers to appear in federal court this fall when he attempts to get three motorcycles seized by the federal Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives returned. The motorcycles belong to him, his brother Ruben "Doc" Cavazos and Rueben's son Ruben "Little Rubes" Cavazos, Jr.
Without naming the officer, a portion of the Wilsey, Dragoo, Lundy and Rojas lawsuit details the 2011 arrest in San Diego of Chris Cervantes, a Montebello police officer.
In their action against the city, Wilsey and Dragoo said Montebello Police Chief Kevin McClure interfered with an internal affairs investigation into Cervantes' arrest, which "implied McClure was trying to sweep the matter under the rug."
McClure has declined to discuss the allegations.
Cavazos and his brother Ruben "Doc" Cavazos, onetime president of the motorcycle club, said Cervantes and and his partner John Ciccone, a special agent with the ATF, provided false evidence to a federal grand jury in a racketeering case against the Mongols.
Their testimony involved a July 2007 shooting outside Nicola's, a Commerce topless bar frequented by Mongols and various street gang associates. It resulted in federal time for 78 members of the club and a state prison rap for the convicted shooter.
David "Little Dave" Santillian, the Mongols' current president, has declined to discuss the case. He said the club no longer associates with the Cavazos brothers, whom he describes as "out bad."
"Doc" Cavazos said Cervantes' statements about the shooting were used to frame club members in court as dangerous felons who needed to be removed from the streets.
"The ...case was used to portray us as a violent group in front of the federal grand jury," he wrote in a July 18 letter from federal prison. "If someone honest would review the evidence ... justice may be found."
Montebello and ATF officials have denied the claim.
In a July 11 letter from federal prison, "Doc" Cavazos said Cervantes and Ciccone were motivated to go after the Mongols because they believed the club had a source inside the Montebello Police Department and the detectives wanted to smoke out the source.
In 2006, the inside source gave "Doc" Cavazos the results of a Los Angeles County District Attorney's probe into a Montebello police lieutenant's allegations that Cervantes lied to obtain a search warrant in a 2002 drug case.
The District Attorney's Justice System Integrity Division investigated the allegations leveled by Lt. Don Ramos. The D.A. declined to file charges, according to documents on file with the Montebello Police Department.
Al Cavazos' quest to clear his name began earlier this year when the West Covina resident started collecting information about the 2007 Nicola's shooting, which he witnessed.
"The Suit's" story will soon be featured in an hour-long Australian documentary on the Discovery Channel titled "Hidden America."
In March, he filed a complaint with the Montebello Police Department, which led the department to conduct an "inquiry" into Cervantes' conduct, Montebello Police Capt. Brad Keller said.
By July, Al Cavazos came to believe his own fight with the ATF and Montebello PD parallels the plight of Kent and Josephine Terry.
The Terrys' son Brian, a Border Patrol agent, was shot and killed in December 2010 by members of a suspected Mexican drug cartel. The gun that killed him was supplied to the cartel through an ATF program known as "Fast and Furious."
"My situation ain't as bad as theirs," he said. "But we have to do something to stop the government from lying."
frank.girardot@sgvn.com
626-962-8811, ext. 4478
Frank C. Girardot
sgvtribune.com
MONTEBELLO - A former Mongol believes a rift among top officers within the Montebello Police Department will help him and his brother prove the 2008 federal indictment that brought down their motorcycle club was built on lies.
Al "The Suit" Cavazos based his claim on a whistle-blower lawsuit filed in June by Montebello police officers Gregory Wilsey, Brian Dragoo, Kimberly Lundy and Ricardo Rojas against the city.
"The suit shows there's a cover-up," Cavazos said. "I want to put them on the witness stand and ask them about the cover-ups involving members of the Montebello Police Department."
Cavazos said he will subpoena the officers to appear in federal court this fall when he attempts to get three motorcycles seized by the federal Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives returned. The motorcycles belong to him, his brother Ruben "Doc" Cavazos and Rueben's son Ruben "Little Rubes" Cavazos, Jr.
Without naming the officer, a portion of the Wilsey, Dragoo, Lundy and Rojas lawsuit details the 2011 arrest in San Diego of Chris Cervantes, a Montebello police officer.
In their action against the city, Wilsey and Dragoo said Montebello Police Chief Kevin McClure interfered with an internal affairs investigation into Cervantes' arrest, which "implied McClure was trying to sweep the matter under the rug."
McClure has declined to discuss the allegations.
Cavazos and his brother Ruben "Doc" Cavazos, onetime president of the motorcycle club, said Cervantes and and his partner John Ciccone, a special agent with the ATF, provided false evidence to a federal grand jury in a racketeering case against the Mongols.
Their testimony involved a July 2007 shooting outside Nicola's, a Commerce topless bar frequented by Mongols and various street gang associates. It resulted in federal time for 78 members of the club and a state prison rap for the convicted shooter.
David "Little Dave" Santillian, the Mongols' current president, has declined to discuss the case. He said the club no longer associates with the Cavazos brothers, whom he describes as "out bad."
"Doc" Cavazos said Cervantes' statements about the shooting were used to frame club members in court as dangerous felons who needed to be removed from the streets.
"The ...case was used to portray us as a violent group in front of the federal grand jury," he wrote in a July 18 letter from federal prison. "If someone honest would review the evidence ... justice may be found."
Montebello and ATF officials have denied the claim.
In a July 11 letter from federal prison, "Doc" Cavazos said Cervantes and Ciccone were motivated to go after the Mongols because they believed the club had a source inside the Montebello Police Department and the detectives wanted to smoke out the source.
In 2006, the inside source gave "Doc" Cavazos the results of a Los Angeles County District Attorney's probe into a Montebello police lieutenant's allegations that Cervantes lied to obtain a search warrant in a 2002 drug case.
The District Attorney's Justice System Integrity Division investigated the allegations leveled by Lt. Don Ramos. The D.A. declined to file charges, according to documents on file with the Montebello Police Department.
Al Cavazos' quest to clear his name began earlier this year when the West Covina resident started collecting information about the 2007 Nicola's shooting, which he witnessed.
"The Suit's" story will soon be featured in an hour-long Australian documentary on the Discovery Channel titled "Hidden America."
In March, he filed a complaint with the Montebello Police Department, which led the department to conduct an "inquiry" into Cervantes' conduct, Montebello Police Capt. Brad Keller said.
By July, Al Cavazos came to believe his own fight with the ATF and Montebello PD parallels the plight of Kent and Josephine Terry.
The Terrys' son Brian, a Border Patrol agent, was shot and killed in December 2010 by members of a suspected Mexican drug cartel. The gun that killed him was supplied to the cartel through an ATF program known as "Fast and Furious."
"My situation ain't as bad as theirs," he said. "But we have to do something to stop the government from lying."
frank.girardot@sgvn.com
626-962-8811, ext. 4478
MINNESOTA - Sting targets white supremacists: Agents' Nazi 'gang' duped suspects
OFF THE WIRE
ST. CLOUD — A neo-Nazi motorcycle gxxg created by an undercover law-enforcement unit to investigate white supremacists and racist bikers has helped topple two domestic-terrorism groups in Central Florida.
The original investigation began in 2007, when an undisclosed agent traded emails with August Kreis III, a leader of the Aryan Nations hate group who wanted to form a Nazi motorcycle club to serve as the militant arm for white supremacists across the country, according to records obtained by the Orlando Sentinel.
Using a false identity, the agent with the Orange County Sheriff's Office became the Aryan Nations' top Florida administrator responsible for recruiting members for what would become the 1st SS Kavallerie Brigade Motorcycle Division — operating out of a clubhouse in St. Cloud.
Early members included at least two additional undercover FBI agents — who infiltrated the club — and a biker accused of offering $1,000 to anyone willing to shoot a black man riding an ATV in rural Osceola County, records show.
"The underlying aspect through all of it was that they were obtaining explosives and explosives expertise, and they intended to use them to kill people in the United States," Orange-Osceola State Attorney Lawson Lamar told the Sentinel last week about what he characterized as the region's most complex undercover operation in decades.
"We have a duty to stop what they were doing."
The two cases — the motorcycle club and the takedown of the American Front white-supremacist group in Osceola in May — have resulted in 20 arrests on charges ranging from unsuccessful bomb and murder plots to drug dealing, illegal firearms possession and conducting paramilitary training to prepare for a race war.
Hidden mikes, cameras
Once one of America's largest white-supremacist groups, the Aryan Nations broke into factions after losing a 2004 civil lawsuit brought by the Southern Poverty Law Center that depleted the racist group's finances. In 2008, Kreis came to Central Florida to meet his new followers after Brian Klose became the new club's "Fuhrer."
A 6-foot-6 giant known for drinking from a 70-pound beer stein, Klose worked as an enforcer for the Outlaws Motorcycle Club, which the U.S. Department of Justice describes as one of the country's largest "outlaw motorcycle gxxgs" with a long, violent history in Florida. A doting son of elderly parents, he opened the Kavallerie Brigade's clubhouse within walking distance of their St. Cloud home on Old Canoe Creek Road.
The Sentinel obtained hundreds of pages of documents related to the two domestic-terrorism cases. The information in this report comes from them and from interviews with Lamar, some members of his staff and local law-enforcement officers.
Once the operation into the Kavallerie Brigade began, the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force installed enough hidden microphones and cameras in the clubhouse to stage a reality-TV show.
Unaware of being filmed and recorded, Klose warned members to be wary of the post-9-11 Patriot Act, which gave police new surveillance powers, and to never admit they belonged to the Kavallerie Brigade.
Despite his wariness of police infiltration, Klose's in-house explosives experts turned out to be agents whom he asked repeatedly to build bombs and hand grenades for attacks he was planning.
Documents in the case show an agent reported to officials that he stalled Klose and others by claiming the explosives were difficult to make or easily traceable.
But on April 28, 2009, the agent detonated a remote-control bomb to show Klose what he could do. The blast so excited Klose, he fired a pistol and told the agent "he had a target for him to use the explosives on and that was the [rival] Warlock motorcycle gxxg's clubhouse."
By then, agents had become so entrenched in the group that three of them traveled with Klose to Chicago to meet with heads of the Outlaws' chapters about opening Kavallerie Brigade chapters there, records state. The outcome of the discussions was not disclosed.
Combat training
In the spring of 2010, the local Joint Terrorism Task Force began looking at the American Front, another Nazi-influenced group of white supremacists rumored to be conducting combat training in rural Osceola County for a race war.
There were no law-enforcement officers inside that organization. Instead, that investigation relied on a former drug dealer working as a confidential informant for the government. In that capacity, the man received offers to join biker gxxgs and the Confederate Hammerskins, a skinhead group that required genetic testing to prove racial purity.
Emailing agents late at night, the informant reported on whom he met, the drugs they sold, the guns they carried and violent acts the group was planning.
Video: http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2012-07-28/news/os-neo-nazis-bikers-florida-white-power-20120728_1_white-supremacists-aryan-nations-outlaws-motorcycle-club
ST. CLOUD — A neo-Nazi motorcycle gxxg created by an undercover law-enforcement unit to investigate white supremacists and racist bikers has helped topple two domestic-terrorism groups in Central Florida.
The original investigation began in 2007, when an undisclosed agent traded emails with August Kreis III, a leader of the Aryan Nations hate group who wanted to form a Nazi motorcycle club to serve as the militant arm for white supremacists across the country, according to records obtained by the Orlando Sentinel.
Using a false identity, the agent with the Orange County Sheriff's Office became the Aryan Nations' top Florida administrator responsible for recruiting members for what would become the 1st SS Kavallerie Brigade Motorcycle Division — operating out of a clubhouse in St. Cloud.
Early members included at least two additional undercover FBI agents — who infiltrated the club — and a biker accused of offering $1,000 to anyone willing to shoot a black man riding an ATV in rural Osceola County, records show.
"The underlying aspect through all of it was that they were obtaining explosives and explosives expertise, and they intended to use them to kill people in the United States," Orange-Osceola State Attorney Lawson Lamar told the Sentinel last week about what he characterized as the region's most complex undercover operation in decades.
"We have a duty to stop what they were doing."
The two cases — the motorcycle club and the takedown of the American Front white-supremacist group in Osceola in May — have resulted in 20 arrests on charges ranging from unsuccessful bomb and murder plots to drug dealing, illegal firearms possession and conducting paramilitary training to prepare for a race war.
Hidden mikes, cameras
Once one of America's largest white-supremacist groups, the Aryan Nations broke into factions after losing a 2004 civil lawsuit brought by the Southern Poverty Law Center that depleted the racist group's finances. In 2008, Kreis came to Central Florida to meet his new followers after Brian Klose became the new club's "Fuhrer."
A 6-foot-6 giant known for drinking from a 70-pound beer stein, Klose worked as an enforcer for the Outlaws Motorcycle Club, which the U.S. Department of Justice describes as one of the country's largest "outlaw motorcycle gxxgs" with a long, violent history in Florida. A doting son of elderly parents, he opened the Kavallerie Brigade's clubhouse within walking distance of their St. Cloud home on Old Canoe Creek Road.
The Sentinel obtained hundreds of pages of documents related to the two domestic-terrorism cases. The information in this report comes from them and from interviews with Lamar, some members of his staff and local law-enforcement officers.
Once the operation into the Kavallerie Brigade began, the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force installed enough hidden microphones and cameras in the clubhouse to stage a reality-TV show.
Unaware of being filmed and recorded, Klose warned members to be wary of the post-9-11 Patriot Act, which gave police new surveillance powers, and to never admit they belonged to the Kavallerie Brigade.
Despite his wariness of police infiltration, Klose's in-house explosives experts turned out to be agents whom he asked repeatedly to build bombs and hand grenades for attacks he was planning.
Documents in the case show an agent reported to officials that he stalled Klose and others by claiming the explosives were difficult to make or easily traceable.
But on April 28, 2009, the agent detonated a remote-control bomb to show Klose what he could do. The blast so excited Klose, he fired a pistol and told the agent "he had a target for him to use the explosives on and that was the [rival] Warlock motorcycle gxxg's clubhouse."
By then, agents had become so entrenched in the group that three of them traveled with Klose to Chicago to meet with heads of the Outlaws' chapters about opening Kavallerie Brigade chapters there, records state. The outcome of the discussions was not disclosed.
Combat training
In the spring of 2010, the local Joint Terrorism Task Force began looking at the American Front, another Nazi-influenced group of white supremacists rumored to be conducting combat training in rural Osceola County for a race war.
There were no law-enforcement officers inside that organization. Instead, that investigation relied on a former drug dealer working as a confidential informant for the government. In that capacity, the man received offers to join biker gxxgs and the Confederate Hammerskins, a skinhead group that required genetic testing to prove racial purity.
Emailing agents late at night, the informant reported on whom he met, the drugs they sold, the guns they carried and violent acts the group was planning.
Video: http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2012-07-28/news/os-neo-nazis-bikers-florida-white-power-20120728_1_white-supremacists-aryan-nations-outlaws-motorcycle-club
NEW ZEALAND - Club filthy on raffle appeal
OFF THE WIRE
The Filthy Few Motorcycle Club’s appeal for costs against the Gambling Commission’s decision to knock back its application for a raffle licence has failed.
The Tauranga motorcycle club traditionally raffles off a motor bike at its annual Metalmania show, held February 18/19 this year.
The motorcycle club applied to the secretary for Internal Affairs for the raffle licence in September last year. It was declined on November 18. The motorcycle club filed an appeal on December 6. The secretary withdrew his letter on February 17, reversing the earlier decision and removing the need for the appeal. The Filthy Few applied to the Gambling Commission for costs against the secretary.
The Motorcycle raffle is a traditional feature of the club’s Metalmania bike and tattoo shows, but permission was refused this time because police claimed concerns about the motorcycle club’s criminal associations and expressed concerns the raffle licence provided the club with a money laundering opportunity.
The club complained the secretary for Internal Affairs completely failed to assess the merits of the application and did no more than rubber stamp a police objection with no reference back to the club, constituting a breach of natural justice.
The lengthy police objection was quoted verbatim to the club in the secretary’s decision, leading the club’s counsel Paul Mabey QC to say: “There can be no other interpretation of the secretary’s refusal other than that he accepted the police objections verbatim without inquiry – he has rubber stamped them.”
The Gambling Commission says the secretary didn’t just rubber stamp the police objection, and that in spite of the Filthy Few’s ‘relatively unblemished history in running raffles’ the secretary was faced with an applicant which created legitimate concerns about its suitability based on information provided by police.
Chief gambling commissioner Graeme Reeves notes the Gambling Act provides no avenues of communication between applicants and the secretary.
A society cannot make written submission over a refusal to grant a raffle licence, and there is no provision for the secretary to consider additional submissions. The process available under other parts of the Act of negotiation and reconsideration were unavailable to both parties.
The club claimed costs of $10,000, which it says serves to address misconduct by the secretary deserving of a reprimand from the commission in the form of the awarding of costs.
The commission fell back on its history of not paying costs, and said that even if it did, $10,000 was too much and $1000 was better.
That was subjective and speculative, says Paul Mabey in submissions, who stated that at counsel’s rate of $600 plus GST per hour, $10,000 in costs was more than justified.
He went on to say ten per cent would not be realistic, and would not provide a deterrent to the secretary of internal affairs from future actions where decision making powers were delegated to third parties, in breach of the statutory duty of inquiry and responsible decision making.
The commission says the secretary’s default position is a licence will not be granted because the secretary is required to be satisfied about the suitability of the applicant. He must refuse a licence if his investigations, which include a police report, do not cause him to be satisfied.
It’s the fifth unsuccessful application for costs to the Gambling Commission.
The Gambling Commission is an independent statutory decision-making body established under the Gambling Act 2003. It hears casino licensing applications, and appeals on licensing and enforcement decisions made by the Secretary of Internal Affairs in relation to gaming machines and other non-casino gambling activities. The Gambling Commission has the powers of a Commission of Inquiry.
http://www.sunlive.co.nz/news/29183-club-filthy-on-raffle-appeal.html
DEA Agents Pretended to Be Hells Angels to Bust Phoenix Bath Salts Manufacturers
OFFF THE WIRE
USA - The Drug Enforcement Administration's nationwide "synthetic drug takedown" led to the arrest of five Valley men this week.
Two of the men were uncovered by DEA sources, two were busted by DEA agents pretending to be members of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club, and the fifth man was caught because NBC's Chris Hansen had already caught him before.
Seventeen search warrants were reportedly served in Arizona, but the U.S. Attorney's Office says just five people in the Phoenix area have been arrested -- all for manufacturing and selling the chemicals known as "bath salts."
According to federal court documents, the five men were not dealing in chemicals that are explicitly illegal, but the feds are going after them with the Federal Analog Act, since the chemicals are "substantially similar" to drugs that are actually illegal.
Even an affidavit submitted by a Phoenix DEA agent in the case explains that at least two of the five men "...discussed, in substance and among other things, the fact that their distribution of the various products is purportedly legal, that they do not allegedly ship or send such products to states where they believe their products to be illegal, and that they have purported to have received legal counsel and advice indicating that their activities are legal."
USA - The Drug Enforcement Administration's nationwide "synthetic drug takedown" led to the arrest of five Valley men this week.
Two of the men were uncovered by DEA sources, two were busted by DEA agents pretending to be members of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club, and the fifth man was caught because NBC's Chris Hansen had already caught him before.
Seventeen search warrants were reportedly served in Arizona, but the U.S. Attorney's Office says just five people in the Phoenix area have been arrested -- all for manufacturing and selling the chemicals known as "bath salts."
According to federal court documents, the five men were not dealing in chemicals that are explicitly illegal, but the feds are going after them with the Federal Analog Act, since the chemicals are "substantially similar" to drugs that are actually illegal.
Even an affidavit submitted by a Phoenix DEA agent in the case explains that at least two of the five men "...discussed, in substance and among other things, the fact that their distribution of the various products is purportedly legal, that they do not allegedly ship or send such products to states where they believe their products to be illegal, and that they have purported to have received legal counsel and advice indicating that their activities are legal."
Too bad. Clinton Strunk, 42, of Mesa; Michael Lane, 51, of Cave Creek; Andrew Freeman, 25, of Tempe; Nicholas Zizzo, 25, of Phoenix; and Joshua Lowenstein, 25, of Phoenix could each spend years behind bars.
According to the DEA agent's affidavit, the agency started investigating an unidentified person for drug trafficking through a New Hampshire port at some point in 2011.
The two DEA agents posing as Hells Angels gangsters had numerous meetings with this person, who eventually revealed he was a partner in a Phoenix bath salts operation with Zizzo, manufacturing a product called "Eight Ballz."
This story was confirmed by another person, according to the affidavit, and both of the unnamed partners agreed to go into business with the fake Angels, under the guise that they were going to help sell it under the Angels' protection at New Hampshire's Loconia Motorcycle Week -- which just happened last month.
Arizona Corporation Commission documents list only Zizzo and an accountant on filing documents for the company, Consortium Distribution LLC.
The investigation then shifted to Phoenix, where the DEA agents -- still going along with the Hells Angels plot -- were introduced to Zizzo and Lowenstein.
According to the feds, Lowenstein agreed to ship 20 kilograms to New Hampshire for the biker rally.
Again, the DEA agent's affidavit says Lowenstein believed they were "utilizing chemicals or substances that weren't scheduled or analogues." In other words, he believed what he was doing was legal.
The affidavit also says Lowenstein was describing the effects of the chemicals on the human mind, so the DEA makes it sound like that throws the "not for human consumption" argument out the window.
When the agents met up with Zizzo, he said essentially the same things.
"[E]veryone who works for me, every day they show up to work they put themselves on the line, cause any day the government, the DEA, could come in, they could arrest every single one of us, they can drag us out, put us in a cell, and hold us there," the feds quote Zizzo as saying. "God knows we aren't doing a damn thing illegal."
The agents posing as Hells Angels continued to follow Zizzo and Lowenstein around, meeting with them, trying to make deals with them, and watching what they do.
On July 12, they allegedly completed the deal.
The agents negotiated to buy chemicals totaling 133.2 kilograms of chemicals, and sold the recipe for "Eight Ballz Ultra-Premium Glass Cleaner -- for which the "Hells Angels" would have to pay royalties to Zizzo and Lowenstein for their sales.
In another Phoenix-area case, Andrew Freeman had already been busted by NBC's Chris Hansen -- and not on the pedophile-busting show.
Yep, the TV gotcha-guy already got Freeman during an NBC show on bath salts.
The DEA affidavit claims agents saw Freeman and Michael Lane -- who owns a Tempe company called Dynamic Distribution -- drive large boxes from their warehouse and drive it to drop them off at a FedEx location.
The DEA got a search warrant for those boxes, and they were filled with bath salts of a very similar mixture (same active ingredient) to Zizzo and Lowenstein's.
Clinton Strunk, the other man arrested, is accused of being somewhat of a middle-man between manufactures and retailers of bath salts.
While the DEA's "confidential sources" were carrying audio recorders with them during some of Strunk's deals, he pretty much explained how he operates his business and makes money, as described in the federal court documents.
Strunk was allegedly a buyer of Dynamic Distribution's products.
In the DEA agent's affidavit, he notes yet again that the "DEA has opined" the main chemical in all the bath salts in these arrests, alpha-Pyrrolidinopentiophenone, is an analog of a controlled substance.
The five men, if convicted, face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, a $1 million fine, or both.
http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/valleyfever/2012/07/dea_agents_pretended_to_be_hel.php
According to the DEA agent's affidavit, the agency started investigating an unidentified person for drug trafficking through a New Hampshire port at some point in 2011.
The two DEA agents posing as Hells Angels gangsters had numerous meetings with this person, who eventually revealed he was a partner in a Phoenix bath salts operation with Zizzo, manufacturing a product called "Eight Ballz."
This story was confirmed by another person, according to the affidavit, and both of the unnamed partners agreed to go into business with the fake Angels, under the guise that they were going to help sell it under the Angels' protection at New Hampshire's Loconia Motorcycle Week -- which just happened last month.
Arizona Corporation Commission documents list only Zizzo and an accountant on filing documents for the company, Consortium Distribution LLC.
The investigation then shifted to Phoenix, where the DEA agents -- still going along with the Hells Angels plot -- were introduced to Zizzo and Lowenstein.
According to the feds, Lowenstein agreed to ship 20 kilograms to New Hampshire for the biker rally.
Again, the DEA agent's affidavit says Lowenstein believed they were "utilizing chemicals or substances that weren't scheduled or analogues." In other words, he believed what he was doing was legal.
The affidavit also says Lowenstein was describing the effects of the chemicals on the human mind, so the DEA makes it sound like that throws the "not for human consumption" argument out the window.
When the agents met up with Zizzo, he said essentially the same things.
"[E]veryone who works for me, every day they show up to work they put themselves on the line, cause any day the government, the DEA, could come in, they could arrest every single one of us, they can drag us out, put us in a cell, and hold us there," the feds quote Zizzo as saying. "God knows we aren't doing a damn thing illegal."
The agents posing as Hells Angels continued to follow Zizzo and Lowenstein around, meeting with them, trying to make deals with them, and watching what they do.
On July 12, they allegedly completed the deal.
The agents negotiated to buy chemicals totaling 133.2 kilograms of chemicals, and sold the recipe for "Eight Ballz Ultra-Premium Glass Cleaner -- for which the "Hells Angels" would have to pay royalties to Zizzo and Lowenstein for their sales.
In another Phoenix-area case, Andrew Freeman had already been busted by NBC's Chris Hansen -- and not on the pedophile-busting show.
Yep, the TV gotcha-guy already got Freeman during an NBC show on bath salts.
The DEA affidavit claims agents saw Freeman and Michael Lane -- who owns a Tempe company called Dynamic Distribution -- drive large boxes from their warehouse and drive it to drop them off at a FedEx location.
The DEA got a search warrant for those boxes, and they were filled with bath salts of a very similar mixture (same active ingredient) to Zizzo and Lowenstein's.
Clinton Strunk, the other man arrested, is accused of being somewhat of a middle-man between manufactures and retailers of bath salts.
While the DEA's "confidential sources" were carrying audio recorders with them during some of Strunk's deals, he pretty much explained how he operates his business and makes money, as described in the federal court documents.
Strunk was allegedly a buyer of Dynamic Distribution's products.
In the DEA agent's affidavit, he notes yet again that the "DEA has opined" the main chemical in all the bath salts in these arrests, alpha-Pyrrolidinopentiophenone, is an analog of a controlled substance.
The five men, if convicted, face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, a $1 million fine, or both.
http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/valleyfever/2012/07/dea_agents_pretended_to_be_hel.php
UN fails to reach deal on global arms trade treaty, as US asks for more time
OFF THE WIRE
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/07/27/un-fails-to-reach-deal-on-global-arms-trade-treaty-as-us-asks-for-more-time/?test=latestnews
UNITED NATIONS – U.N. member states have failed to reach agreement on a new treaty to regulate the multibillion-dollar global arms trade.
Some diplomats and treaty supporters blamed the United States for triggering the unraveling of the month-long negotiating conference.Hopes had been raised that agreement could be reached on a revised treaty text that closed some key loopholes by Friday's deadline for action. But the United States announced Friday morning that it needed more time to consider the proposed treaty -- and Russia and China then also asked for more time.
A bipartisan group of 51 U.S. senators on Thursday had threatened to oppose the global treaty regulating international weapons trade if it falls short in protecting the constitutional right to bear arms.
In a letter to President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the senators expressed serious concerns with the draft treaty that has circulated at the United Nations, saying that it signals an expansion of gun control that would be unacceptable.
The Constitution's Second Amendment offers broad protection for weapons ownership by civilians. As recently as 2008, the Supreme Court affirmed it when it struck down a ban on handguns in the District of Columbia, ruling that individuals have a constitutional right to keep guns for self-defense and other purposes.
The court also has ruled separately that treaty obligations may not infringe on individual constitutional protections and rights within U.S. borders. This goes back at least to a 1920 ruling that a migratory bird treaty with Canada, which prohibited the hunting or capturing of certain birds, was an unconstitutional interference with states' rights under the 10th Amendment.
Treaties are government-to-government agreements and do not subject citizens of one nation to laws of another or to those of an outside body.
Also, the U.N. resolution that authorized drafting of the small arms treaty recognizes the clear-cut right of nations "to regulate internal transfers of arms" and says nothing in the treaty that emerges will affect "constitutional protections on private ownership" of firearms.
Beyond that, there are many court rulings spelling out the limits of treaties. And if an act of Congress is inconsistent with a treaty obligation, the law passed by Congress prevails. Legal scholars say this has been well established.
The U.N. General Assembly voted in December 2006 to work toward a treaty regulating the growing arms trade, with the U.S. casting a "no" vote. In October 2009, the Obama administration reversed the Bush administration's position and supported an assembly resolution to hold four preparatory meetings and a four-week U.N. conference in 2012 to draft an arms trade treaty.
The United States insisted that a treaty had to be approved by the consensus of all 193 U.N. member states.
Ambassador Roberto Garcia Moritan, the conference chairman, said treaty supporters knew "this was going to be difficult to achieve" and there were some delegations that didn't like the draft though "the overwhelming majority in the room did." He added that some countries from the beginning of negotiations had "different views" on a treaty, including Syria, Iran and North Korea.
Despite the failure to reach agreement, Moritan predicted that "we certainly are going to have a treaty in 2012."
He said there are several options for moving forward in the General Assembly which will be considered over the summer, before the world body's new session begins in September.
Britain has taken the lead in pushing for a treaty to reduce the impact of the illicit arms trade.
Ahead of Friday's meeting, Britain's Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg discussed treaty prospects with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in London and told reporters and both urged the treaty's adoption.
"Global rules govern the sale of everything from bananas to endangered species to weapons of mass destruction, but not guns or grenades," Clegg said. "This anomaly causes untold suffering in conflicts around the world. 1,000 people are killed daily by small arms wielded by terrorists, insurgents and criminal gangs."
The secretary-general said he was disappointed at the failure to agree on a treaty, calling it "a setback." But he said he was encouraged that states have agreed to continue pursuing a treaty and pledged his "robust" support.
At the end of the negotiating session, Mexico read a joint statement from more than 90 countries saying they "are determined to secure an Arms Trade Treaty as soon as possible."
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/07/27/un-fails-to-reach-deal-on-global-arms-trade-treaty-as-us-asks-for-more-time/?test=latestnews#ixzz21z1mmBMN
http://www.foxnews.com/
UNITED NATIONS – U.N. member states have failed to reach agreement on a new treaty to regulate the multibillion-dollar global arms trade.
Some diplomats and treaty supporters blamed the United States for triggering the unraveling of the month-long negotiating conference.Hopes had been raised that agreement could be reached on a revised treaty text that closed some key loopholes by Friday's deadline for action. But the United States announced Friday morning that it needed more time to consider the proposed treaty -- and Russia and China then also asked for more time.
A bipartisan group of 51 U.S. senators on Thursday had threatened to oppose the global treaty regulating international weapons trade if it falls short in protecting the constitutional right to bear arms.
In a letter to President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the senators expressed serious concerns with the draft treaty that has circulated at the United Nations, saying that it signals an expansion of gun control that would be unacceptable.
The Constitution's Second Amendment offers broad protection for weapons ownership by civilians. As recently as 2008, the Supreme Court affirmed it when it struck down a ban on handguns in the District of Columbia, ruling that individuals have a constitutional right to keep guns for self-defense and other purposes.
The court also has ruled separately that treaty obligations may not infringe on individual constitutional protections and rights within U.S. borders. This goes back at least to a 1920 ruling that a migratory bird treaty with Canada, which prohibited the hunting or capturing of certain birds, was an unconstitutional interference with states' rights under the 10th Amendment.
Treaties are government-to-government agreements and do not subject citizens of one nation to laws of another or to those of an outside body.
Also, the U.N. resolution that authorized drafting of the small arms treaty recognizes the clear-cut right of nations "to regulate internal transfers of arms" and says nothing in the treaty that emerges will affect "constitutional protections on private ownership" of firearms.
Beyond that, there are many court rulings spelling out the limits of treaties. And if an act of Congress is inconsistent with a treaty obligation, the law passed by Congress prevails. Legal scholars say this has been well established.
The U.N. General Assembly voted in December 2006 to work toward a treaty regulating the growing arms trade, with the U.S. casting a "no" vote. In October 2009, the Obama administration reversed the Bush administration's position and supported an assembly resolution to hold four preparatory meetings and a four-week U.N. conference in 2012 to draft an arms trade treaty.
The United States insisted that a treaty had to be approved by the consensus of all 193 U.N. member states.
Ambassador Roberto Garcia Moritan, the conference chairman, said treaty supporters knew "this was going to be difficult to achieve" and there were some delegations that didn't like the draft though "the overwhelming majority in the room did." He added that some countries from the beginning of negotiations had "different views" on a treaty, including Syria, Iran and North Korea.
Despite the failure to reach agreement, Moritan predicted that "we certainly are going to have a treaty in 2012."
He said there are several options for moving forward in the General Assembly which will be considered over the summer, before the world body's new session begins in September.
Britain has taken the lead in pushing for a treaty to reduce the impact of the illicit arms trade.
Ahead of Friday's meeting, Britain's Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg discussed treaty prospects with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in London and told reporters and both urged the treaty's adoption.
"Global rules govern the sale of everything from bananas to endangered species to weapons of mass destruction, but not guns or grenades," Clegg said. "This anomaly causes untold suffering in conflicts around the world. 1,000 people are killed daily by small arms wielded by terrorists, insurgents and criminal gangs."
The secretary-general said he was disappointed at the failure to agree on a treaty, calling it "a setback." But he said he was encouraged that states have agreed to continue pursuing a treaty and pledged his "robust" support.
At the end of the negotiating session, Mexico read a joint statement from more than 90 countries saying they "are determined to secure an Arms Trade Treaty as soon as possible."
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/
Barons Motorcycle Club proves stereotypes can be wrong
OFF THE WIRE
GAINES (WJRT) -
GAINES (WJRT) -
(07/26/12) - If a motorcycle club moved into your neighborhood, you might be upset. That's what happened in the Genesee County community of Gaines. But the Barons Motorcycle Club showed preconceived notions can be misleading.
In 1997, the Barons bought a former Citizens Bank building. There were some bad vibes at first.
"Yeah, but it's understandable. What little town wants a motorcycle club to buy up half the town?" said Scott Griffin, Barons Motorcycle Club treasurer.
But the Barons aren't like the stereotypical motorcycle club.
"We attended all the village meetings. We told the people why we were here, what our purpose was. We're a family organization," Griffin said.
The Barons began to transform the clubhouse.
"This place was pretty much a heap. We had to replace the roof and the floor. Most of the walls needed work," Griffin said.
Club members built a large addition, laid new sidewalk and began to win the hearts and minds of their neighbors.
"They give everything they have. They'd give you the shirt off their backs to help you," said Donna Archambault, Gaines Village president.
Peace Park sets just across the street from Baron headquarters. Through the years the club has contributed financially and with manpower to park improvements.
"Ever since we've been in this town, we've bought maple trees and helped with pavilion building," Griffin said.
"They've helped extremely with the memorial park that we're putting in now," Archambault said.
"Some families have horrible things happen to them. We try to step in with a benefit or whatever is needed," Griffin said.
The Barons are best known in town for organizing the annual Summerfest, which is this Saturday and Sunday. The event attracts thousands.
"It's the Barons that bring the village together," Archambault said.
The Barons Motorcycle Club Summerfest in Gaines starts this Saturday at 10 a.m. There are many family-related activities. Sunday is Motorcycle Mania where the streets will be filled with motorcycles. The steak dinner starts at 1 p.m.
NEVEDA - Blood, Drugs, and Guns at Chapel After Biker Fight
OFF THE WIRE
lasvegas.cbslocal.com/
The State presented witnesses this week in its prosecution of 8 men associated with the Hells Angels, on charges stemming from a rumble with the Mongols motorcycle club at a Las Vegas wedding chapel in 2008.
The fight involved 13 members and friends of the Hells Angels attending a wedding where Mongol members arrived for a different wedding scheduled for later the same day.
On Friday, Metro police officer Joel Albert took the stand to guide the jury through photos of the fight scene taken by police at A Special Memory wedding chapel. Dozens of photos showed blood on the floor and doorways, broken and blood-stained items, and a small zipper pouch containing drugs that was left near a chapel pew.
Testimony revealed guns were also impounded from the scene. Except for decorative items belonging to the chapel, the ownership of the impounded items isn’t clear.
Two members of the Mongols wedding party testified about the events leading up to the fight and the ensuing melee, which they claim was an unprovoked attack by the Hells Angels and friends.
The defense claims the Hells Angels and friends were fending off an attack, fearful of the Mongols after the murder several months earlier of San Francisco Hells Angels President Mark “Papa” Guardado by a Mongol.
Former Mongol Eugene Formica was stabbed in the chest during the fight. He testified that he was treasurer and sergeant-at-arms of his Mongols club, but quit the club when he was released from the hospital, because being a Mongol no longer seemed worth it.
Formica also filed a civil lawsuit against the entity that owns wedding chapel, claiming management should have engaged security on the day of the wedding because the Hells Angels presented a threat. An employee of the chapel testified earlier in the week that she was not aware that it was a ”Hells Angels” wedding, according to an attorney who was present during the testimony.
Another witness, Tim Jameson, is a Harley Davidson employee who became friendly through his job with the groom in the Mongols wedding party. He testified that he attended the “black-and-white” wedding wearing Mongols colors because a member of the club asked him to, although he was not a member or a “prospect,” that is, a friend who is interested in becoming a member.
Jameson described the fight, including having seen Hells Angels lunging at Formica with a knife. Jameson did not see any guns, he said, and did not see any of the Mongols party using any weapons.
The prosecution is exected to continue its case through next week.
lasvegas.cbslocal.com/
The State presented witnesses this week in its prosecution of 8 men associated with the Hells Angels, on charges stemming from a rumble with the Mongols motorcycle club at a Las Vegas wedding chapel in 2008.
The fight involved 13 members and friends of the Hells Angels attending a wedding where Mongol members arrived for a different wedding scheduled for later the same day.
On Friday, Metro police officer Joel Albert took the stand to guide the jury through photos of the fight scene taken by police at A Special Memory wedding chapel. Dozens of photos showed blood on the floor and doorways, broken and blood-stained items, and a small zipper pouch containing drugs that was left near a chapel pew.
Testimony revealed guns were also impounded from the scene. Except for decorative items belonging to the chapel, the ownership of the impounded items isn’t clear.
Two members of the Mongols wedding party testified about the events leading up to the fight and the ensuing melee, which they claim was an unprovoked attack by the Hells Angels and friends.
The defense claims the Hells Angels and friends were fending off an attack, fearful of the Mongols after the murder several months earlier of San Francisco Hells Angels President Mark “Papa” Guardado by a Mongol.
Former Mongol Eugene Formica was stabbed in the chest during the fight. He testified that he was treasurer and sergeant-at-arms of his Mongols club, but quit the club when he was released from the hospital, because being a Mongol no longer seemed worth it.
Formica also filed a civil lawsuit against the entity that owns wedding chapel, claiming management should have engaged security on the day of the wedding because the Hells Angels presented a threat. An employee of the chapel testified earlier in the week that she was not aware that it was a ”Hells Angels” wedding, according to an attorney who was present during the testimony.
Another witness, Tim Jameson, is a Harley Davidson employee who became friendly through his job with the groom in the Mongols wedding party. He testified that he attended the “black-and-white” wedding wearing Mongols colors because a member of the club asked him to, although he was not a member or a “prospect,” that is, a friend who is interested in becoming a member.
Jameson described the fight, including having seen Hells Angels lunging at Formica with a knife. Jameson did not see any guns, he said, and did not see any of the Mongols party using any weapons.
The prosecution is exected to continue its case through next week.
Saturday, July 28, 2012
South Dakota - No problems with Hells Angels so far, police say
OFF THE WIRE
Aaron Orlowski
rapidcityjournal.com/
A sign at the Spearfish Quality Inn welcomes
bikers in town for the
Hells Angels USA Run, which continues through Sunday.
Aaron Orlowski
rapidcityjournal.com/
A sign at the Spearfish Quality Inn welcomes
bikers in town for the
Hells Angels USA Run, which continues through Sunday.
Law enforcement have run into little trouble so far with the hundreds of Hells Angels spending most of the week in Spearfish.
Between 400 and 600 members of the motorcycle club are staying in Spearfish through Sunday for the the club's annual USA Run. Local law enforcement has described the run as a sort of annual business meeting and say another 400 to 600 family members and members of support groups are with the Hells Angels.
Though extra law enforcement officers are patrolling the streets during the five-day run, their work so far has been relatively light.
"Overall, it's just business as usual. Obviously, we've had some dealings with the Hells Angels," Lt. Curt Jacobs of the Spearfish Police Department said Thursday.
Jacobs reported there had been no incidents or arrests made.
"We've had some minor traffic infractions, speeding, that's pretty much it," he said.
Spearfish police and officers from the Lawrence County Sheriff's Office are working longer shifts. Additional South Dakota Highway Patrol troopers are in the area, as are U.S. marshals.
Last year, the Hells Angels held their World Run in Laconia, N.H. Reports at the time showed the Hells Angels caused little ruckus during their stay there.
Though local law enforcement has prepared for the worst, they are hoping for a peaceful stay by the bikers. Jacobs acknowledges that rival clubs sometimes stir conflicts, something police must prepare for.
"There have been incidents in the United States and other countries where the Hells Angels and other outlaw motorcycle clubs have butted heads," he said.
Jacobs does not expect other motorcycle gangs to show up, though members of some, such as the Bandidos, are in the area all of the time.
Two Hells Angels were convicted in January of assault in relation to a stabbing that took place last August at the Sturgis motorcycle rally. In that incident, two people were stabbed, a member of the Hells Angels and a member of the Mongols, a rival motorcycle club.
Between 400 and 600 members of the motorcycle club are staying in Spearfish through Sunday for the the club's annual USA Run. Local law enforcement has described the run as a sort of annual business meeting and say another 400 to 600 family members and members of support groups are with the Hells Angels.
Though extra law enforcement officers are patrolling the streets during the five-day run, their work so far has been relatively light.
"Overall, it's just business as usual. Obviously, we've had some dealings with the Hells Angels," Lt. Curt Jacobs of the Spearfish Police Department said Thursday.
Jacobs reported there had been no incidents or arrests made.
"We've had some minor traffic infractions, speeding, that's pretty much it," he said.
Spearfish police and officers from the Lawrence County Sheriff's Office are working longer shifts. Additional South Dakota Highway Patrol troopers are in the area, as are U.S. marshals.
Last year, the Hells Angels held their World Run in Laconia, N.H. Reports at the time showed the Hells Angels caused little ruckus during their stay there.
Though local law enforcement has prepared for the worst, they are hoping for a peaceful stay by the bikers. Jacobs acknowledges that rival clubs sometimes stir conflicts, something police must prepare for.
"There have been incidents in the United States and other countries where the Hells Angels and other outlaw motorcycle clubs have butted heads," he said.
Jacobs does not expect other motorcycle gangs to show up, though members of some, such as the Bandidos, are in the area all of the time.
Two Hells Angels were convicted in January of assault in relation to a stabbing that took place last August at the Sturgis motorcycle rally. In that incident, two people were stabbed, a member of the Hells Angels and a member of the Mongols, a rival motorcycle club.
AUSTRAILIA - Bandidos member arrested by Qld police
OFF THE WIRE
A member of the Bandidos bikie gxxg has been arrested in far north Queensland over a large cigarette heist, police say.Operation Kilo-Entourage had been probing the theft of a large amount of cigarettes from a Cairns-based transport company 18 months ago, officers say.
Over time the investigation came to focus on the Cairns chapter of the Bandidos and turned up evidence of "a range of criminality", Acting Inspector Ed Kinbacher told reporters on Friday.
The operation found evidence of fraud, property theft, home invasions and drug-related activity, he said.
Ten people have now been charged, and more arrests are likely over the weekend.
The man arrested on Friday will be charged in relation to the cigarette theft and would probably face court on Saturday, he said.
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/8506738/bandidos-member-arrested-by-qld-police
A member of the Bandidos bikie gxxg has been arrested in far north Queensland over a large cigarette heist, police say.Operation Kilo-Entourage had been probing the theft of a large amount of cigarettes from a Cairns-based transport company 18 months ago, officers say.
Over time the investigation came to focus on the Cairns chapter of the Bandidos and turned up evidence of "a range of criminality", Acting Inspector Ed Kinbacher told reporters on Friday.
The operation found evidence of fraud, property theft, home invasions and drug-related activity, he said.
Ten people have now been charged, and more arrests are likely over the weekend.
The man arrested on Friday will be charged in relation to the cigarette theft and would probably face court on Saturday, he said.
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/8506738/bandidos-member-arrested-by-qld-police
WISCONSIN - Lovelace pleads not guilty to double fatal crash on Highway 151
OFF THE WIRE
FOND DU LAC, WI (WTAQ) - The suspect accused of driving into the path of a group of motorcyclists, killing two, has pled not guilty.
25-year-old Clinton Lovelace appeared in Fond du Lac County court Friday, facing 12 charges from the May 31 crash on Highway 151.
The crash claimed the lives of 59-year-old Daniel Winsemius of Twin Lakes, Michigan and 43-year-old Douglas Yonkers of Muskegon, Michigan. Seven other motorcyclists were injured in the crash.
The motorcyclists, members of a group calling itself the “Muskegon Motorcycle Gang,” were on their way back to Michigan.
Lovelace’s attorney requested a competency evaluation, saying Lovelace was suffering from amnesia because of head injuries suffered in the crash. The judge granted the request.
http://wtaq.com/news/articles/2012/jul/27/lovelace-pleads-not-guilty-to-double-fatal-crash-on-highway-151/
CANADA - Biker boss pleads guilty to manslaughter
OFF THE WIRE
A Maritime biker boss pleaded guilty Thursday to manslaughter in connection with a shooting in Saint John, N.B.
Fifty-three-year-old Matthew Thomas Foley will be sentenced next month in the killing of 31-year-old Michael Schimpf earlier this month.
The shooting occurred near the Bacchus Motorcycle Club headquarters, but police say the incident wasn’t biker gxxg related.
It appears there were a number of confrontations between the two men in the weeks before the shooting.
In a statement to police, Foley said on the night of the shooting Schimpf came toward him on the street outside the clubhouse. Foley said he felt threatened, grabbed a handgun and started firing, but he didn’t intend to kill the victim.
A sentencing hearing has been scheduled for August 15.
http://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/biker-boss-pleads-guilty-to-manslaughter-1.895286
"Hog Wash - Pilot" ~Hosted by Comedian Gilbert Esquivel
OFF THE WIRE
Sunday July 29, 2012 – 10:00am
Come ride and be on a Reality Show, "Hog Wash" will be filming our first pilot episode hosted by Comedian Gilbert Esquivel. He will be conducting interviews with bikers as they get their bikes washed by our models. Cast also includes Espinoza Leather Family, Martin R esendez, & Paul Renteria Due Date.
Come ride and be on a Reality Show, "Hog Wash" will be filming our first pilot episode hosted by Comedian Gilbert Esquivel. He will be conducting interviews with bikers as they get their bikes washed by our models. Cast also includes Espinoza Leather Family, Martin R esendez, & Paul Renteria Due Date.
Espinoza's Leather
8730 E. Garvey Ave
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Man with world's largest penis frisked by TSA at Calif. airport
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Man with world's largest penis frisked by TSA at Calif. airport
Friday, July 27, 2012
Man Accused Of 186 MPH or 300 KM/H Motorcycle Ride On Trans-Canada Highway Turns Self In
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Published by
Published by
A British Columbia man named Randy George Scott, 25, turned himself in Tuesday night charged in connection to a YouTube video of a motorcycle speeding at 186 mph (300 km/h) on a Vancouver Island highway. The video posted in April 2012 sparked a manhunt for the rider of a blue Yamaha spotted weaving a dangerously high speeds in-and-out of traffic on the Trans-Canada Highway. Initially, a woman who owned the motorcycle was investigated by police and reportedly fined. On July 10, police announced an arrest warrant for Scott. He is now going to be charged with one count of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle.
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WASH, DC police chief announces shockingly reasonable cell camera policy
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Timothy B. Lee
Ars technica
Timothy B. Lee
Ars technica
Washington DC - DC police chief announces shockingly reasonable cell camera policy She bans DC cops from confiscating cell cameras or harrassing their owners. by Timothy B. Lee - July 24 2012, 2:34pm EDT
We've written a number of stories about police officers interfering with citizens who are trying to record the actions of police in public places. In some cases, cops have arrested citizens for making recordings in public. In others, they've seized cell phones and deleted the recordings.
The courts and the Obama administration have both said that these activities violate the Constitution. And at least one police department has gotten the message loud and clear.
In a new legal directive first noticed by DCist, Washington DC Police Chief Cathy Lanier explains the constitutional rights of DC citizens and gives her officers detailed instructions for respecting them. She addresses a number of scenarios that have led to controversy in recent years. Don't interfere with recordings
"A bystander has the same right to take photographs or make recordings as a member of the media," Chief Lanier writes. The First Amendment protects the right to record the activities of police officers, not only in public places such as parks and sidewalks, but also in "an individual's home or business, common areas of public and private facilities and buildings, and any other public or private facility at which the individual has a legal right to be present."
Lanier says that if an officer sees an individual recording his or her actions, the officer may not use that as a basis to ask the citizen for ID, demand an explanation for the recording, deliberately obstruct the camera, or arrest the citizen. And she stresses that under no circumstances should the citizen be asked to stop recording.
That applies even in cases where the citizen is recording "from a position that impedes or interferes with the safety of members or their ability to perform their duties." In that situation, she says, the officer may ask the person to move out of the way, but the officer "shall not order the person to stop photographing or recording."
She also notes that "a person has the right to express criticism of the police activity being observed." No seizing cameras or deleting recordings
Lanier's directive addresses another scenario that is becoming increasingly common: a civilian takes a photograph or recording that a police officer believes could constitute evidence of a crime. Under Lanier's directive, an individual cop cannot take a recording device away from a citizen without his or her consent. "Consent to take possession of a recording device or medium must be given voluntarily," she writes.
In the event that the cop believes the recording is needed for evidence but its owner isn't willing to part with it, the officer is required to call his supervisor. The device or recording media can be seized only if the supervisor is present, only if "there is probable cause to believe that the property holds contraband or evidence of a crime," and only if "the exigencies of the circumstances demand it or some other recognized exception to the warrant requirement is present."
In non-emergency situations, Lanier directs her subordinates to obtain a search warrant before accessing any information on a seized device. And, she writes, "photographs or recordings that have been seized as evidence and are not directly related to the exigent purpose shall not be reviewed" by the police.
Finally, she emphasizes that police officers "shall not, under any circumstances, erase or delete, or instruct or require any other person to erase or delete, any recorded images or sounds from any camera or other recording device. [Officers] shall maintain cameras and other recording devices that are in Department custody so that they can be returned to the owner intact with all images or recordings undisturbed."
If Chief Lanier's subordinates follow her instructions, it will not only help to avoid the expensive lawsuits that other cities have faced, it will also make for a more accountable police force. We hope that police chiefs around the country follow Chief Lanier's excellent example.
Update: The order was part of a settlement with Jerome Vorus, who sued the city after he was told to stop taking pictures of a traffic stop in Georgetown two years ago. The lawsuit was filed with the help of the American Civil Liberties Union.
NOTE: Video Recording, Photographing, and Audio Recording of Metropolitan Police Department Members by the Public
PDF 6 pages: https://go.mpdconline.com/GO/GO_304_19.pdf
We've written a number of stories about police officers interfering with citizens who are trying to record the actions of police in public places. In some cases, cops have arrested citizens for making recordings in public. In others, they've seized cell phones and deleted the recordings.
The courts and the Obama administration have both said that these activities violate the Constitution. And at least one police department has gotten the message loud and clear.
In a new legal directive first noticed by DCist, Washington DC Police Chief Cathy Lanier explains the constitutional rights of DC citizens and gives her officers detailed instructions for respecting them. She addresses a number of scenarios that have led to controversy in recent years. Don't interfere with recordings
"A bystander has the same right to take photographs or make recordings as a member of the media," Chief Lanier writes. The First Amendment protects the right to record the activities of police officers, not only in public places such as parks and sidewalks, but also in "an individual's home or business, common areas of public and private facilities and buildings, and any other public or private facility at which the individual has a legal right to be present."
Lanier says that if an officer sees an individual recording his or her actions, the officer may not use that as a basis to ask the citizen for ID, demand an explanation for the recording, deliberately obstruct the camera, or arrest the citizen. And she stresses that under no circumstances should the citizen be asked to stop recording.
That applies even in cases where the citizen is recording "from a position that impedes or interferes with the safety of members or their ability to perform their duties." In that situation, she says, the officer may ask the person to move out of the way, but the officer "shall not order the person to stop photographing or recording."
She also notes that "a person has the right to express criticism of the police activity being observed." No seizing cameras or deleting recordings
Lanier's directive addresses another scenario that is becoming increasingly common: a civilian takes a photograph or recording that a police officer believes could constitute evidence of a crime. Under Lanier's directive, an individual cop cannot take a recording device away from a citizen without his or her consent. "Consent to take possession of a recording device or medium must be given voluntarily," she writes.
In the event that the cop believes the recording is needed for evidence but its owner isn't willing to part with it, the officer is required to call his supervisor. The device or recording media can be seized only if the supervisor is present, only if "there is probable cause to believe that the property holds contraband or evidence of a crime," and only if "the exigencies of the circumstances demand it or some other recognized exception to the warrant requirement is present."
In non-emergency situations, Lanier directs her subordinates to obtain a search warrant before accessing any information on a seized device. And, she writes, "photographs or recordings that have been seized as evidence and are not directly related to the exigent purpose shall not be reviewed" by the police.
Finally, she emphasizes that police officers "shall not, under any circumstances, erase or delete, or instruct or require any other person to erase or delete, any recorded images or sounds from any camera or other recording device. [Officers] shall maintain cameras and other recording devices that are in Department custody so that they can be returned to the owner intact with all images or recordings undisturbed."
If Chief Lanier's subordinates follow her instructions, it will not only help to avoid the expensive lawsuits that other cities have faced, it will also make for a more accountable police force. We hope that police chiefs around the country follow Chief Lanier's excellent example.
Update: The order was part of a settlement with Jerome Vorus, who sued the city after he was told to stop taking pictures of a traffic stop in Georgetown two years ago. The lawsuit was filed with the help of the American Civil Liberties Union.
NOTE: Video Recording, Photographing, and Audio Recording of Metropolitan Police Department Members by the Public
PDF 6 pages: https://go.mpdconline.com/GO/GO_304_19.pdf
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