Vagos president pleads not guilty to felony charges
By Mike Cruz, The (San Bernardino County) Sun
Posted: 12/08/2011 09:51:17 AM PST
The international president of the Vagos motorcycle club pleaded not guilty to felony charges Thursday in connection with an earlier statewide sweep.
Pastor Fausto Palafox appeared for arraignment before Judge Michael Dest in San Bernardino Superior Court. He is out of custody in lieu of bail.
Palafox, 47, entered a not guilty plea to felony charges of vehicle theft involving a Harley-Davidson motorcycle, possession of a stolen motorcycle and street terrorism.
Los Angeles-based defense lawyer Joseph Yanny said his client, Palafox, denied all charges and “righteously so.”
“He is a decent man, and he’s a God-fearing man,” Yanny said later, by telephone. “But he fears no man, not even `the man.”‘
Palafox is one of a handful of local defendants who was charged in connection with an 18-month, seven-county investigation involving the “upper echelon” of Vagos members, state and local authorities announced at a news conference in October in San Bernardino.
Hundreds of handguns and other weapons, including an anti-tank weapon and a rocket launcher, as well as body armor, cocaine, methamphetamine and Vagos clothing were seized by law enforcement officers, they said.
Deputy District Attorney Steven Sanchez, who is prosecuting the case, could not be reached at his office for comment.
District Attorney Michael A. Ramos has called the Vagos “a ruthless, criminal motorcycle gang” that has terrorized local communities since the 1960s.
But Yanny said the Vagos is a fraternal organization, not a street gang as alleged by authorities. Its members are hard-working, blue-collar contributors to society, such as doctors, lawyers, dentists, contractors and business owners, he said.
The Vagos are not thugs, but they do defend themselves, Yanny added.
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