Author: terry.katz

Records: National president of Ugly Man Cossacks arrested in connection to murder

By Mack Shaw KLTV Tyler, Texas April 24, 20243Published: Apr. 24, 2024 at 11:37 AM EDT|Updated: 22 hours
https://www.kltv.com/2024/04/24/records-national-president-ugly-man-cossacks-arrested-connection-murder/

SMITH COUNTY, Texas (KLTV) – A Kemp man was arrested Tuesday in suspicion of leading an outlaw motorcycle club in the murder of an East Texas motorcyclist.

Kevin Dale Higgins, 57, was charged with direct street gang activities, a first degree felony, in connection with the motorcycle club Ugly Man Cossacks. The Cossacks have been reported on for the murder of Brandon Edwards, of Ben Wheeler, who was shot to death in Arp on May 2, 2022, for his membership in a rival club. According to an affidavit for Chad Michael Crowell, 38, of Eustace, Higgins is believed to be the national president of the Ugly Man Cossacks, and ultimately gave the order that resulted in Edwards’ death.

Edwards was a member of the 1%er Cossacks, a gang that Crowell’s affidavit said was believed by the Ugly Man Cossacks to be stealing the name of the “original” club. Due to this disagreement, a “smash on site” order was allegedly given to Crowell, the “national sergeant at arms” for the club, by Higgins for any member of the rival gang. Higgins is quoted in Crowell’s affidavit as saying, “They’re [expletives]. Make em’ look like [expletives],” in the autumn of 2019 in reference to the 1%ers. This information was reportedly given to an investigator in 2021 by Jeffery Ryan Griffin, 34, of Robinson, who was convicted in Edwards’ murder and is serving a 22-year sentence.
Crowell, who was reportedly given the “smash on site” order by Higgins, is quoted as saying:

“If you see one of these (expletive), you are to put him down. You are to hurt him… you are to take his cut (biker vest). If you can’t handle him one on one, watch him and call another brother and get him over there. Tell your members the same thing. If I catch one of y’all around one of them and not putting them down… then you’re going to have to talk to me about it.”

According to the document, Higgins would give direct orders to Crowell, who would then pass them on to the regional members of the club. The document said that Higgins ordered the “regionals” to “hurt em’ (1%ers) until they change their names.”

Following the investigation into Edwards’ murder, Joshua Ray Tibbits, 33, of Waco, Jose Antonio Valenzuela, 35, of Longview, and Griffin were convicted of executing the orders given by Higgins and Crowell. Tibbits is serving 45 years after a late 2023 trial, and Valenzuela is serving 22 years. Crowell was arrested on April 16 for the same charge as Higgins, and is still being held in the Smith County Jail on a $2.5 million bond.

Higgins was booked into the Smith County Jail on Tuesday on a $2.5 million bond.

San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputy used alias in double life as alleged outlaw biker

‘We believe he had direct ties to the Mongols,’ a sheriff’s detective testified at the preliminary hearing for Deputy Christopher Bingham

JOE NELSON | | San Bernardino Sun (California) April 21, 2024

San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputy used alias in double life as alleged outlaw biker

In his professional life, Christopher Bingham worked as a correctional deputy for the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department. But in his secret life, he used the alias “Charles Tate” to communicate with members of the Mongols outlaw motorcycle gang, in which sheriff’s investigators believe he was deeply immersed.

During Bingham’s preliminary hearing at the San Bernardino Justice Center, which began on Thursday, April 18, and is expected to wrap up Monday, prosecutor Alberto Juan presented evidence seized from Bingham’s home in Twentynine Palms during a March 23 raid that followed his arrest in Riverside County earlier that day during a traffic stop. Bingham was riding Harley-Davidson motorcycles with two Mongols members wearing fully patched vests, according to the Sheriff’s Department.

Investigators seized about 160 firearms, firearms accessories and explosive devices from Bingham’s home, along with a multitude of Mongols paraphernalia, including a fully patched leather vest and Mongols T-shirts, stickers, literature and other memorabilia. The search culminated a nearly four-month investigation.

Bingham posted bail, only to be arrested again on April 4 after he was charged with 10 felony counts, including the theft of a Remington 870 less-than-lethal shotgun — reportedly stolen from the Sheriff’s Department’s Morongo Basin station in Joshua Tree — and possession of a machine gun, a short-barreled AR-15 assault rifle, two explosive projectile devices and four gun silencers.

On April 16, the District Attorney’s Office filed an amended complaint against Bingham, adding three additional felony counts of possession of destructive devices. Bingham has denied membership in the Mongols and has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Among the items seized from Bingham’s home during his second arrest were two cellphones, from which investigators were able to extract two separate Instagram accounts he used, according to testimony during Friday’s proceedings before Judge Alexander R. Martinez.

Detective Jeremy Spinney testified that on one of Bingham’s Instagram accounts he used the handle “Dirtycadyna,” went by the name Charles Tate and discussed Mongols tattoos, rallies and motorcycle runs with Mongols members from other chapters.

Bingham, according to Spinney, sent one woman a flier for a March 23 Mongols rally. He inquired about where to purchase Mongols apparel and discussed the meaning of “omerta,” a term used by outlaw bikers and other organized crime syndicates that refers to a code of silence when witnessing criminal activity and not cooperating with law enforcement.

“Omerta” was emblazoned in black on Bingham’s white motorcycle helmet at the time of his March 23 arrest. The Mongols colors are black and white. Bingham also was wearing a belt buckle with the letter “M” and other Mongols attire at the time.

“We believe he had direct ties to the Mongols,” said Detective Joshua Gile of the sheriff’s gangs and narcotics division during his testimony Friday.

In one text conversation with a Mongols member who went by the screen name “Nightmare Berdoo” — with whom Bingham had been riding with on the day of his first arrest — Bingham disparaged his own professional brethren, calling law enforcement the “biggest gang in California,” Gile said.

On Bingham’s motorcycle helmet, just below the word omerta, was the number 1312, a code meaning “all cops are bastards.”

At the Central Detention Center in San Bernardino where he worked, Bingham plastered Mongols-related stickers on his locker, including one that read “RFKNSIDE,” which is a business operated by the Mongols that sells T-shirts, hats and other apparel, and another that said Victimville, referring to the Mongols’ Victorville chapter, according to court testimony and evidence presented in the case.

During the raid at Bingham’s home, his wife told Spinney her husband made the Mongols vest, called a “cut,” himself and ordered the patches online. She said the vest was for “training purposes,” and that in her 11 years living with Bingham, no Mongols gang member had ever visited their home, Spinney said during Friday’s proceedings.

During an April 10 interview at the West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga, where he is being held on $240,000 bail, Bingham told investigators, “One-hundred percent I am not a Mongols gang member.

“Things are not as they seem,” he added.

His attorney, Jeff G. Moore, is challenging the integrity of Bingham’s March 23 arrest, and also revealed Friday that the 9mm Glock Bingham was carrying at the time of his first arrest was not unregistered, as the Sheriff’s Department has stated.

CHP Sgt. Scott Beauchene testified Friday that the gun came up unregistered through the state Department of Justice when he ran the serial number, which included the letters “U” and “S” at the end of the number. But when sheriff’s investigators ran the serial number through the DOJ system after the gun was booked into evidence, this time without the two letters at the end, it came back registered to Bingham.

As a sworn deputy, Bingham — even when off duty — does not need a concealed weapons permit to carry a firearm, Moore said. Yet he was arrested on suspicion of being a gang member carrying a loaded firearm.

Beauchene acknowledged Friday that he would have been uncomfortable arresting Bingham on the gun offense had a sheriff’s deputy not been on scene who was more familiar with his alleged background. The CHP sergeant said he would have just given Bingham a ticket for speeding.

During a break from court proceedings Friday, Moore said of his client: “His arrest was illegitimate. It was an invalid arrest.”

Fatal shooting near Tenino followed clash between suspect, members of motorcycle club, court documents allege
Thurston County judge orders Curtis Gilbert Gibson to be jailed without bail during preliminary appearance

By Martín Bilbao /The Olympian (Olympia, Washington) April 18, 2024
https://www.chronline.com/stories/fatal-shooting-near-tenino-followed-clash-between-suspect-members-of-motorcycle-club-court,338665

A 68-year-old Tenino man accused of fatally shooting a person at a Tenino area bar Tuesday is being held in the Thurston County jail without bail.

Curtis Gilbert Gibson attended his preliminary appearance in Thurston County Superior Court on Wednesday.
The shooting occurred before 5:45 p.m. Tuesday at Old Highway 99 Company Bar and Grill near Offut Lake. Deputies arrested Gibson at the scene on suspicion of first-degree murder. Bar patrons at Old Highway 99 Company Bar and Grill near Tenino restrained Gibson immediately after the shooting.

Patrons told law enforcement that Gibson shot the victim during an altercation with members of a motorcycle club, according to court records. The victim died at the scene.

Deputies also arrested Gibson’s wife in connection with the altercation. However, her hearing was stricken from the preliminary appearance calendar and she is no longer listed on the jail roster as of Wednesday afternoon.
Judge Christopher Lanese ordered Gibson be held without bail until further order after finding probable cause for the alleged crime. Prosecutors have until the end of the day Friday to file charges against Gibson or else the order expires, according to court records.

In a motion to the court, Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Andrew Filak asked for Gibson to be denied bail because his alleged actions showed he’s a threat to public safety.

Filak alleged Gibson shot the victim from his vehicle and then shot the victim again after the victim fell to the ground.
William Starnes, Gibson’s public defense attorney, sat next to his client in a jail booth. He opposed Filak’s motion and asked the court to set bail. The left side of Gibson’s face appeared injured with a black eye.
Gibson’s criminal history includes convictions for reckless driving and hit-and-run stemming from a 2015 Thurston County District Court case.

The investigation

A probable cause statement describes the investigation into the fatal shooting from the perspective of law enforcement.

The Thurston County Sheriff’s Office responded to the shooting at 5:45 p.m. along with the Tenino Police Department and Tenino Fire Department. The statement says they found Gibson with blood all over his face and an injury to his left eye.

The victim had a gunshot wound on his right side and one in the center of his abdomen, according to the statement. Another bullet fragment was reportedly found stuck in the victim’s keys in his pocket.
Witnesses told law enforcement they observed a Red Kia arrive at the scene at a high rate of speed just prior to the altercation. The driver, later identified to be Gibson, allegedly stopped suddenly in front of some motorcycles.

Several motorcyclists emerged from the bar and approached the driver’s side door of the Kia. The witnesses said the motorcyclists reached into the car and one of them smashed a cellphone on the ground, according to the statement.
Witnesses reportedly observed one of the motorcyclists enter the backseat of the Kia before getting on a motorcycle and leaving the area toward Offut Lake. The statement indicates they saw Gibson’s wife exit the front passenger seat and stumble around.

At that point, the witnesses turned away from the altercation and heard gunshots.

The statement says the Kia was parked in front of four black motorcycles at the scene and a black folding knife on one of them. Deputies suspect this knife may have been used to slash the tires of the Kia.

One of the motorcyclists told law enforcement Gibson and his wife got into the confrontation with the same group of people two hours before the shooting. The pair reportedly left the scene in the same Kia they arrived in later.
The motorcyclist alleged Gibson returned, got out of his vehicle and acted like he was going to push the club’s motorcycles down. The club members reportedly confronted Gibson to stop him from damaging their motorcycles.

Some club members pushed Gibson into the driver seat right before he allegedly opened fire on the victim, according to the statement.

Another motorcyclist corroborated the story, per the statement, adding Gibson allegedly fired at the victim one more time after he fell to the ground.

The statement indicates one of the motorcyclists was an ex-partner of Gibson’s wife.

Law enforcement found four spent casings and one live round in a revolver that was recovered from the scene, according to the statement.

Eustace man accused of leading gang members to murder Arp motorcyclist in 2020
https://www.kltv.com/2024/04/17/eustace-man-accused-leading-gang-members-murder-arp-motorcyclist-2020/
By Mack Shaw KLTV in Tyler, Texas April 17, 2024

SMITH COUNTY, Texas (KLTV) – A man from Eustace was arrested Tuesday in connection with acts of violence committed by a gang he is alleged to lead.

Chad Michael Crowell, 38, is accused of giving directives from a position of leadership to members of an “outlaw motorcycle gang” called the Ugly Man Cossacks. According to his arrest affidavit, Crowell is believed to have ordered the murder of Brandon Edwards, of Arp, a member of the rival club 1%er Cossacks, on May 2, 2020. Crowell is accused of involvement in the following incidents:

Jan. 24, 2020 – aggravated assault with a motor vehicle (Hubbard).
Feb. 1, 2020 – aggravated assault with brass knuckles and a handgun (Gilmer).
Feb. 1, 2020 – aggravated robbery with a knife (Upshur County).
Feb. 2, 2020 – robbery (Tyler).
March 7, 2020 – aggravated assault with a handgun (Tyler).
May 2, 2020 – murder (Tyler).

For these offenses, Crowell was arrested by Texas DPS and charged with directing activities of a street gang, a first degree felony, on Tuesday.

According to the arrest affidavit, Crowell is the “national sergeant at arms” for the Ugly Man Cossacks, who were previously reported on for Edwards’ murder in 2020. In 2023, Joshua Ray Tibbits, 33, of Waco, was sentenced to 45 years in prison on a charge of engaging in organized criminal activity for his involvement in the death of the Arp motorcyclist. Jeffery Ryan Griffin, 34, of Robinson, was sentenced to 22 years for the same charge. Crowell’s affidavit claims that he gave the order for the murder, along with numerous other violent crimes against members of the rival club, by issuing a “smash on site” targeting the 1%er Cossacks.

This order was allegedly given during a closed “sergeant at arms” meeting of the Ugly Man Cossacks in the fall of 2019, which the affidavit said included only “ranked” members of the group, including Tibbits and Griffin. According to Griffin, Crowell made the following statement in this closed meeting.

If you see one of these (expletive), you are to put him down. You are to hurt him… you are to take his cut (biker vest). If you can’t handle him one on one, watch him and call another brother and get him over there. Tell your members the same thing. If I catch one of y’all around one of them and not putting them down… then you’re going to have to talk to me about it.”

According to the affidavit, Griffin noted that while Crowell gave the order directly, he believed the decision was ultimately made by the “national president” of the group, a Kevin Dale Higgins. Higgins has no listings in the Smith County Jail.

The affidavit states that Tibbits recalled the orders from leadership in the months prior to Edwards’ murder during a courthouse interview on Oct. 16, 2023. Tibbits reportedly stated that Crowell continued to give orders for violent crimes in monthly regional meetings, quoting him as saying “keep your head on a swivel,” and “smash on site, no matter what.” According to the document, Tibbits said that the goal of the violence was to force the 1%ers to change their name, which the Ugly Man gang believed was derivative of theirs. Tibbits allegedly said that Higgins would tell the “national president” of the rival gang over the phone, “change your (expletive) name and it won’t happen no more.”

The affidavit goes on the describe the offenses listed above, which it states Crowell had either orchestrated or was involved in directly. In the Feb. 2 robbery in Tyler, Crowell is believed to have been caught in surveillance footage at the scene, and another photo pulled from social media appears to depict Crowell in a biker “cut” with Ugly Man Cossacks patches.

Due to the claims made by Crowell’s alleged subordinates along with photo evidence of his involvement in the group, the affidavit said there is probable cause to believe the man is in national leadership in a street gang and rewarded criminal acts of violence which he issued orders for. As a result, the affidavit for his arrest was issued on April 12, 2024, by Judge Taylor B. Heaton.

Crowell is being held in the Smith County Jail on a $2.5 million bond.

Blood-soaked world of UK’s Mafia-style Hells Angels who stash rocket launchers & battle in deadly road wars with rivals

Watch our interview exposing the deadly tricks and sinister characters of the infamous biker club
Grant Rollings James Liveris The Sun 14 Apr 2024

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/27139974/hells-angels-uk-rivals-war-murder-deaths/

HELLS Angels have long been dismissed as harmless eccentrics in Britain – but there are gun-toting, drug dealing killers among the thousands of members in this country.

Recent attacks have brought to light the brutal turf wars between rival biker gangs, with a near-deadly deadly knife attack and a murder in recent years.

Last month three Hells Angels bikers from the Watford area were jailed for attacking members of the Vikings Motorcycle Club in October 2022.

Callum Shaw, 27, was sent to prison for 17 years after admitting grievous bodily harm and violent disorder.
He had chased a Viking in West Sussex and stabbed him before pals Barry Brown, 41, and Daniel Kent, 28, kicked, stamped and hit the helpless man with a baton.

Brown and Kent were each jailed for three years for the attack.

The court heard that it was revenge for Hells Angels jackets being stolen from a service station earlier in the day.

In the past the Harley Davidson-riding mobsters have been caught with rocket launchers and linked to international drug trafficking operations.

That is at odds with the image they often try to present of being charity fundraising motorcycle enthusiasts.
Author Tony Thompson, who has investigated the British biker scene, tells The Sun: “There have been a few cases in the past decades where there have been murders.

“There is hand to hand combat and guns but a lot of it is stabbings and really brutal beatings. They are not afraid to hurt people.”

In May 2022 three bikers from the Bandidos clan in Plymouth, Devon, drove a van into 59-year-old David Crawford on the A38 in the city.

They dragged his body under the vehicle for almost a mile, killing him.

Crawford was a member of Red Chiefs in Cornwall, who are affiliated with the Hells Angels, and the trio had taken offence that he’d crossed over onto their “turf”.

Benjamin Parry, 43, who drove the van, was jailed for 15 years for manslaughter, while Thomas Pawley, 33, and Chad Brading, 37, received four year prison sentences for the same offence.

Jay Dobyns, a retired undercover US federal agent with the ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives) infiltrated the Amercian Hells Angels for three years and was instrumental in the arrest of 50 members.
“The Hells Angels have a PHD in violence and intimidation,” he tells The Sun.

“They’ve been going about 75 years, made their name and established themselves through extreme violence.

“They say they are not a criminal organisation, they admit they may have criminals within their club… but how many clubs reserve seats of honour for when someone is convicted for murder, rape, gun running, drugs?”
Perpetual state of war

At the heart of the long-running feuds is the is the question of whether a biker is a Hells Angel or not.

Members of other biker clubs – such as Outlaws, Bandidos or the Vikings – are in a constant state of war with the Hells Angels.

Tony explains: “In the biker world you have two sides, the Hells Angels and everybody else.

“The Hells Angels think there should be no other biker gangs in the world because they think they are the best.
“All the people who don’t want to be Hells Angels think otherwise and don’t think the Hells Angels should exist.
“You have this perpetual state of war.”

The Hells Angels started in California in 1948 and first formed a ‘chapter’ in London in 1969.
International gangs are expected to pay fees to the US one, but in return any member can expect to be looked after by fellow Hells Angels anywhere in the world.

Tony says: “You can go to any other chapter in the world and they will give you a place to live and something to eat and a bike to ride. It is a brotherhood.”

Being a gang member does not mean you have to get involved with any criminal enterprises and many are law abiding citizens.

But some do choose to use their membership of this secretive organisation in a similar way to mobsters.
Tony, who is the author of Gangs: A Journey into the Heart of the British Underworld, says: “There is some drug dealing, some extortion. They are big into their parties, so there are a lot of drugs that go with that.”

Assassination
Then in 2007 Hells Angel Gerry Tobin was shot through the head on the M40 in Nottinghamshire on his way back from the famous Bulldog Bash biker festival in the West Midlands.

Seven men, four connected to the Outlaws gang, were convicted in connection to his murder the following year.
It doesn’t take much to cause offence to a biker.

Tony says: “You can’t tap a Hells Angel on the back because you are insulting his colours. Big mistake.”
The insignia of each gang and chapter are sacred.

If a Hells Angel dies, fellow gang members will do everything to make sure the patches on his leather jacket don’t fall into the hands of rivals.

Tony continues: “If you die they will come to your house and take all your stuff away so it is not available to anyone else. They will take your patches from your jacket.”

Global links
The British Hells Angels are able to use their connections with chapters in Holland, South Africa, Canada, New Zealand, the US and Australia to buy and sell cocaine and ecstasy.

In New Zealand, bikers have been linked to a methamphetamine ring and in Australia laws were introduced to restrict the activities of biker gangs.

Last month it was reported that a German Hells Angel had brought terror to Brits on the Spanish island of Majorca with a drugs and prostitution racket.

Frank Hanebuth, a 6ft 5in tall man mountain, was arrested and accused of beating a local restaurant owner in part of an alleged extortion operation.

British bikers have been known to have access to major firepower.

In 1998 a police raid on the Dorset home of the sergeant-at-arms of the Outcasts, Richard Anderton, found a rocket launcher, Uzi sub machine gun and an AK-47 assault rifle.

He claimed the weapons were just being stored at his property.

In the same year Hells Angel Ronald Wait took part in a 40 strong mob assault on Outcasts members Malcolm St Clair and David Armstrong in Battersea, South London.

He was jailed for 15 years for plotting grievous bodily harm, but acquitted of murder.

Omerta
Police investigations into biker related crimes have struggled in the face of a “vow of silence.”
Infiltrating such organisations is very difficult because it can take three years to be allowed in.

Wannabe members have to perform mundane tasks such as cleaning bikes before being promoted to a “prospect”.
These prospects are often asked to go out to the front line when there is a rumble with rivals in order to prove their allegiance.

Tony reveals: “Often you will see a prospect being sent first into a fight to prove themselves and they often get hurt more.”

Once you are in, you are in. Even being found guilty of a serious crime won’t get you kicked out.
But the level of commitment required, which includes forsaking family birthdays, means there are only a couple of thousand Hells Angels in the UK.

Tony points out: “None of these organisations are criminal organisations. Within the Hells Angels there are criminals but no one has ever been kicked out for being a criminal.

“You have people who have been convicted of murder and been promoted in the club.

“Crime is not the sole purpose of the club. Ostensibly it is a social club for people who like Harley Davidson bikes.”

Canadian investigative journalist Julian Sher has been writing about the Hells Angels for 20 years and is the author of Angels of Death and the upcoming Hitman.

He believes that Britain’s police are too soft on Hells Angels.

“I think that what save the Hells Angels in England is you have a
very lackadaisical attitude by the public by politicians and even by police, h says.

“I think they’ve seriously underestimated the Hells Angels. I don’t know of almost any other country where the Hells Angels get as much a free pass as in the UK.”

Former undercover agent recalls infiltrating the Hells Angels: ‘A dangerous game to play’
Retired ATF Special Agent Jay “Jaybird” Dobyns is speaking out in ‘Secrets of the Hells Angels’
By Stephanie Nolasco Fox News Published April 14, 2024 4:00am EDT

https://www.foxnews.com/us/former-undercover-agent-recalls-infiltrating-hells-angels-dangerous-game-play

Jay Dobyns lived a double life for two years, and it nearly cost him his life.

Now retired, Dobyns worked for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), which enforces the nation’s gun laws. From 2001 to 2003, he went undercover as he infiltrated the Hells Angels in Arizona.
He is now sharing his account in a new A&E series, “Secrets of The Hells Angels,” which examines the history of the notorious biker club. It features new interviews with former chapter presidents, as well as law enforcement officials, undercover agents and victims.

“This infiltration had never been done before by law enforcement,” Dobyns told Fox News Digital. “Cops had never gotten under the wire of the Hells Angels in the past. All the other outlaw motorcycle gangs had been infiltrated, but the Hells Angels prided themselves on being impenetrable.

“Their mantra was that a law enforcement officer would never be able to keep up with their pace,” Dobyns shared. “A cop couldn’t run as long and as hard and as fast as their world demanded before they were able to sniff out who that infiltrator might be and then get rid of them. So, the fact that we did get inside has stood the test of time.”

The organization has a long history in California, dating to its founding in 1948 by returning World War II veterans in the dusty town of Fontana. It includes a notorious incident during a Rolling Stones show in Altamont in 1969 in which a spectator was stabbed by a Hells Angel working security. A jury later acquitted the killer, finding he acted in self-defense.

In 2011, the U.S. Department of Justice said the Hells Angels had as many as 2,500 members in 230 chapters in 26 countries. According to the FBI, the Hells Angels are still listed as an outlaw motorcycle gang involved in various criminal activity, including drug trafficking.

Federal, state and local police have pursued the club for decades, infiltrating it with undercover agents, prosecuting suspects with harsh charges once reserved for the Mafia and indicting members on charges ranging from drug trafficking to mortgage fraud.

Still, the club has flourished over the years. It has gone on to open chapters worldwide and aggressively enforce its trademarks in court. It has also won high-profile acquittals and other legal battles with law enforcement.
Dobyns already had 15 years of undercover street experience when he was assigned to Operation Black Biscuit. In preparation for the assignment, Dobyns shaved his head and became “fully sleeved” with tattoos from shoulder to wrist. He also bulked himself up.

The former star football player and family man had transformed into “Jaybird” Davis, a chain-smoking, Harley-riding renegade.

“I never tried to convince the Hells Angels that I was some experienced biker because I would’ve been sniffed out immediately,” Dobyns explained. “I portrayed myself as this gangster who was trying to be part of their world. It kept my story very close to the truth. I portrayed myself as a gun runner and a debt collector, not as a biker.”
Dobyns was convincing. And it didn’t take long for him to be welcomed with open arms.

“For a group that portrays themselves to be these fun-loving rascals . . . they had massive amounts of internal rules and laws about what the organization’s policies are,” he recalled. “They don’t want to live by society’s rules and laws, but they have more of their own internal rules and laws than we carry as common citizens.”

The Angels have always maintained they are a club of motorcycle enthusiasts who are unfairly regarded as an organized crime syndicate because of the crimes of a few members acting independently. The club participates in charity events, such as “Toys for Tots,” motorcycle runs and blood drives.

Dobyns was invited to join the group only after “killing” the leader of a rival gang, the Mongols. The shooting death was staged, complete with a Hollywood makeup artist and a dead cow used to splatter the victims’ clothing with blood and brain matter.

Dobyns admitted there were moments when he feared for his life.

“You’re pretending to be someone that you’re not,” he said. “And the Hells Angels are uniquely paranoid. They’re paranoid for a very valid reason. That paranoia keeps them out of jail. It keeps them out of prison. It keeps them from being infiltrated. Because of that paranoia, every single thing about you is being scrutinized. How you walk, how you talk, the clothes you wear, the motorcycle you ride, how you ride it, the car you drive, where you live, the condition of where you live. Is it real?

You can’t make a mistake in that world because a mistake means life or death.”

As Dobyns moved up, his home life was deteriorating. He recalled signing a personal check using his alter ego’s name. His wife was beginning to not recognize her spouse, who was losing himself.

“I put a massive amount of battle damage on my wife and kids,” Dobyns admitted. “My regret, my failure, the shame that I continue to carry today is that I put my job in front of my family. At the time, I tried to justify it to myself, saying anybody who does undercover work and treats it like a hobby, treats it like a gimmick, ends up hurt or dead. You have to be all in. You have to allow that world to consume you because you’re never off.

“I had lived that role for so long that it inherited my personal life,” he added. “Putting my undercover assignment in front of my wife and kids is now probably my greatest life regret. I know I should be trying to flatter myself … but if I’m not transparent, if I’m not honest, then none of this has credibility.”

Operation Black Biscuit came to an end in 2003. According to Dobyns, the case at that point had become “almost too dangerous to survive in.” It brought 16 indictments, including charges of murder and racketeering.

Dobyns said several Angels wasted no time in seeking retribution once his identity was uncovered. “Threats poured in” to gang-rape his wife, murder his family and infect him with HIV, he said.

His house was burned down in 2008 with Dobyns’ wife and children still sleeping inside. They escaped unharmed, but the arsonist was never caught.

“The Hells Angels will kill their own when they feel like they’ve been betrayed,” said Dobyns. “When you show up as a newcomer, as a new person in their world, the Hells Angels view you as two things. They view you initially as a threat, because you’re an outsider. Then they view you as a victim, someone who can be manipulated or taken advantage of. I had to prove to them that I was neither. I wasn’t a threat, and I wasn’t a victim. Ultimately, that was the challenge for two years.

I may have signed on for this assignment, but my wife and kids didn’t,” he reflected. “They were becoming the victim of these threats, but it was too late at that point. . . . The Hells Angels have their Ph.D. in violence and intimidation. They’re very good at it. . . . They don’t forgive, and they don’t forget.”

“Those threats, although not necessarily as prevalent today as they were a few years back, I’m still cautious,” he continued. “I don’t live my life in fear. I’m not trying to hide. . . . I’m telling the truth. I’m not going to run or hide from the truth either.”

With more than 500 undercover investigations under his belt spanning 20 years on the job, Dobyns retired from the ATF in 2014. In 2009, he co-wrote a memoir, “No Angel.”

Looking back at his experience, Dobyns said there’s good reason why Americans continue to be fascinated by the Hells Angels.

“They’re all likable,” he chuckled. “Those guys, in my personal experience, were pleasant to be in the presence of. . . . They’re dangerous and violent men, but they’re also very charming.”

“Secrets of the Hells Angels” premieres Sunday at 10 p.m. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Guilty plea ends four-year investigation into biker gang shootout
Three people were shot and several others were also hurt in the July 2020 shootout.

Author: Nate Lynn 9 News in Denver, Colorado April 12, 2024
https://www.9news.com/article/news/crime/guilty-plea-motorcycle-gang-shootout/73-edd8dcd0-f26a-468e-88bd-345938055d3f

ARVADA, Colo. — The last of nine members of a dangerous motorcycle gang pleaded guilty last week in connection with a 2020 shootout in Arvada that killed one person and injured many others.

The Arvada Police Department said in a release that a “significant disturbance” happened between the Mongols and Hells Angels outlaw motorcycle gangs in July 2020. Arvada Police called them two of the largest and most violent outlaw motorcycle gangs in the world.

The incident near North Lamar Street and West 60th Avenue involved a blocks-long shootout that resulted in at least three people suffering gunshot wounds and several others physically assaulted, police said.

Hells Angel member and Arvada resident William Kelly Henderson was shot and killed. An Arvada resident who came out to help the injured was beaten and suffered permanent injuries, according to police.

“This was a case of pure evil, and our community will not tolerate it,” said Arvada Police Chief Ed Brady in a statement. “I am incredibly proud of our entire department’s efforts and perseverance to seek justice, and the assistance from several professional law enforcement agencies.”

Searches of the gang members’ homes resulted in the seizure of valuable evidence, a “multitude” of firearms, and cell phones, according to police.

“The culmination of this 4-year investigation that involved three innocent community members caught up in rival biker gang violence would not go unsolved despite all the challenges this case presented,” said Colorado Bureau of Investigation Director Chris Schaefer. “We might not have been able to prove who fired the fatal bullet, but in going after the Mongols as a criminal enterprise, we were able to hold nine criminals accountable for engaging in a senseless murder and group violence that put the community at risk.”

The release said in January 2021, nine defendants were arrested simultaneously in four states through a coordinated effort between state and federal agencies. They were all extradited back to Jefferson County to face charges including first-degree felony murder and violations of the Colorado Organized Crime Control Act (COCCA).
The final defendant, Gregory Moore, pleaded guilty on April 5.

The release said all nine defendants pleaded guilty to some felony crime, which caused “significant disruption” to the Mongols’ organization. They have since left their clubhouse in Arvada and relocated it to Denver.
These are the defendants who pleaded guilty:

• Gregory Lawrence Moore: pleaded guilty to COCCA and was sentenced to 27 years in the Department of Corrections (DOC).
• Leon Matthew Dennis: Pleaded guilty to COCCA and was sentenced to 24 years in DOC.
• Jared Chadwick: Pleaded guilty to tampering with physical evidence. He was also charged federally for being a felon in possession of a firearm and sentenced in Utah Federal Court to 28 months in federal prison. His Colorado sentence is running concurrently.
• Saint George Michael Gonzales: Pleaded guilty to tampering with physical evidence. Sentenced to two years’ probation.
• Kenneth Wayne Tischler: Pleaded guilty to tampering with physical evidence. Sentenced to two years’ probation.
• Vincent James Dominguez: Pleaded guilty to second-degree assault. Sentenced to five years in DOC.
• Phillip Raymond Garcia: Pleaded guilty to tampering with physical evidence. Sentenced to 3.5 years’ probation.
• Daniel Ruben Goint: Pleaded guilty to second-degree assault causing serious bodily injury and crime of violence. Sentenced to eight years in DOC.
• Rafael Vargas Lozano: Pleaded guilty to tampering with physical evidence. Sentenced to three years’ probation.

Arvada Police said the defendants who pleaded guilty to COCCA charges had to admit on a factual basis that the Mongols OMG (outlaw motorcycle gang) is a criminal enterprises and engages in a pattern of organized criminal racketeering activity that they were a part of.

Whiskey River Murderer was Enforcing Biker Gang Justice

BY YANTIS GREEN San Angelo Live.com April 10, 2024

https://sanangelolive.com/news/crime/2024-04-11/whiskey-river-murderer-was-enforcing-biker-gang-justice
SAN ANGELO, Texas – The punishment phase of the Whiskey River Murder Trial painted a much different picture of the events of the night of Oct. 2, 2022 when two Marines were stabbed and others were beaten severely leaving one dead at the hands of an outlaw motorcycle gang enforcer.

But just how did the jury get to a sentence of life in prison?
Testimony began with District Attorney John Best telling the jury, “You found him guilty of murder. What do we do with it?”

Defense Attorney Jason Sosa told jurors, “Your decision will resonate with you the rest of your lives.”
Best called San Angelo Police Detective Jason Chegwidden back to the stand to ask about items found during the search of homes belonging to Vera and Raymond Scott who both were involved in the deadly fight.

Best showed the jury pictures of Vera’s motorcycle helmet which was covered in Jinetes and Bandito Motorcycle Gang stickers. He also showed them an image of a dark T-shirt with the SYLB logo for Support Your Local Banditos. Vera was wearing that shirt under another one when the fight happened. More on that later.

At Raymond Scott’s house on Hassell St., investigators found diamond 13 gear which also represented the outlaw motorcycle gangs.

During cross examination, Chegwidden explained that one article all gang members have is a vest or ‘cut’ with the Banditos or Jinetes name and home town and logo.

Best then called Detective Charles Barker. Best asked him about photos of a cell phone screen saver which belonged to gang member Anthony Geise which showed him and his girlfriend and Vera and his wife.

Best then called Agent Jeremiah Torrez with the Abilene Police Department. Torrez schooled the jury on how motorcycle gangs work. He mentioned the Banditos, Hell’s Angels, Sons of Anarchy, the Mongols and others.
Torrez basically said law enforcement have a database of all known gang affiliates and had surveilled Ray Vera. Torrez said all outlaw motorcycle gangs work basically the same with a President, Vice President, Secretary, Sergeant at Arms and Road Chief.

Ray Vera was confirmed as the Sergeant at Arms of the San Angelo Jinetes motorcycle club. His job was to protect the President of that club with his life. The President was Anthony Geise who threw the first punch in the fight inside Whiskey River. More on that later.

Torrez explained that the Jinetes was basically a support club for the Banditos much like a triple A baseball team was for a major league team.
Torrez said the Banditos are con
firmed to be an outlaw motorcycle gang involved in trafficking drugs and guns, and also involved in prostitution and human trafficking. The Banditos are notorious for the Twin Peaks shootout in Waco in 2016 the left several people dead including law enforcement officers.

Best then called Andrew Cauwell to the stand. Cauwell is now a Green Beret in the Army. He said it was hard to talk about that night. He still has nightmares about seeing bikes and he doesn’t socialize much anymore because that night took all the fun out of it. He said he doesn’t celebrate his birthday anymore because it is now Bryce “Rudy” Rudisell’s day.

After Cauwell, Best called ‘Rudy’s mother, Tiffany Strickland to the stand.

Strickland cried on the stand while telling the jury that Bryce’s murder was earth shattering. “He was part of us. Now he is gone.” She said he loved the Marine Corps and has three younger siblings and that the loss to them is devastating, ridiculous, and awful. “We don’t get to have him anymore.” She cried.

Best then entered certified copies of the five times Vera has been Judged for crimes including possession of marijuana, theft and DWLI. Best then rested the state’s case.

After the lunch break, Sosa called Serena Morales to the witness stand. Morales is Vera’s stepdaughter.
She testified that the family had a good relationship and she considered Vera her dad. She cried while telling the jury he was a good dad and he worked hard to provide for the family.

After she finished, Sosa called Ray Vera as his final witness.

Sosa told the jury that he had discussed with Vera the danger of him taking the stand in his own defense but Vera decided to testify anyway, acknowledging that he was waiving his 5th amendment right not to testify.

Vera said he didn’t start the fight that night but he jumped in when he saw his wife was involved. He said he didn’t know why he went outside when he could have just gone home. “You took somebody’s life; do you understand that?” Sosa asked. “Yes, sir.” Vera answered. Then he hung his head and appeared to cry.

“I’m very sorry. It’s very tragic. I’m sorry I overreacted.” Vera said. “It wasn’t intentional. Everything happened so fast. I have to live with this. I’m deeply sorry.”

Under cross examination, Best asked why he had a switchblade knife. “I completely forgot I had it. I use it for work.” Best asked if he stabbed Rudisell, and Hunsberger and kicked Cauwell. “Yes sir.” was the answer to each question.

Best asked why he told police in his interview that he didn’t have a knife, didn’t stab anyone and didn’t remember anything. “I was still in shock.” “Everything was going so fast. It was a blur. I went home.”
The trial recessed so Judge Dusek could finish writing instructions for the jury.
When the trial reconvened, Judge Dusek read the charge to the jury which said the punishment options for murder were: 1. five to 99 years or life in prison or 2. five to 99 years or life in prison with a fine of up to $10,000.00.

The range of punishment for the two Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon charges were: 1. two to 20 years in prison or 2. two to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.00.

Then it was time for closing arguments. The prosecution goes first, then the defense, then the prosecution gets the final closing statement.

In his first statement, Best thanked the jury for their service and said, “We don’t recommend probation.”
Sosa said that Vera is a real human being. Vera’s actions were not an act of a gang and that Vera said he was sorry.
Sosa asked the jury for Justice and Mercy.

Then it was District Attorney John Best’s chance to close out his case. And what a close out!
Best said you can’t believe Ray Vera. He lied repeatedly to authorities about being in a gang, said he didn’t remember then he did, and that he didn’t have a knife then he did.

And then Best went for it: “He was wearing the shirt!” Video showed Vera took off an outer shirt to reveal his Banditos T-shirt in an attempt to intimidate the Marines just before the fight inside.

Best said Vera did that because the President of the Jinetes Gang was there celebrating his birthday, Anthony Giese! Giese threw the first punch and got beat down by the Marines. Best said Vera was acting as Sergeant at Arms of the gang and protecting Suarez. And nobody pushes a biker gang president on the dance floor and gets away with it.

Best said the bikers were getting beat by the Marines inside and had to back off. They could have just left. But Vera couldn’t stand that and neither could Suarez who took a beer mug, ran outside and struck one of them over the head in a sneak attack. Then Vera followed, pulled out his switchblade and stabbed Rudisell to death.

Best told jurors to send a message to the Banditos, the Jinetes, and all outlaw biker gangs that if you do this in Tom Green County, you’re’ going to pay a price.

John Best asked the jury for the maximum punishment; life in prison for the murder and 20 years on each of the other two counts.

The jury then retired to begin deliberations.

The beautiful, elegant and functional courtroom of the 1920s hasn’t adapted well to 21st century technology. The refined wooden bench in courtroom A on the second floor of the Tom Green County Courthouse is over shadowed by the backs of unsightly flat screen monitors. A printer and large flat screen TV obscure the simple elegance of the original design. And according to the judge, the single pane windows so recognizable between the great concrete columns seen from the outside of the front of the building are inefficient and all the sounds from the streets penetrate into the courtroom and interrupt court proceedings. The mishmash of the old and new is both ungainly and dysfunctional. But the wheels of justice must keep turning.

The jury returned to the hushed courtroom after about three hours. The were fed Chick-fil-a sandwiches for supper. They returned the verdict of punishment.

Life in prison for murder.

20 years in prison for each of the two Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon charges.

Ray Vera will be credited with 556 days he has already spent in the Tom Green County Jail.

Denmark wants court to dissolve Danish arm of Bandidos motorcycle club, citing criminal activities
Denmark’s government says it wants a court of law to dissolve the Danish arm of the Bandidos motorcycle club
Associated Press April 10, 2024,

https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/denmark-court-dissolve-danish-arm-bandidos-motorcycle-club-109077810
COPENHAGEN, Denmark —

Denmark’s government said Wednesday it wants a court of law to dissolve the Danish arm of the Bandidos motorcycle club.

Justice Minister Peter Hummelgaard said the group’s “brutal behavior leaves bloody traces.”
Under Denmark’s Constitution, organizations that promote or incite violence can be dissolved by court order.
The Danish chapter of Bandidos MC was created in 1993. Three years later, a feud between them and the rivals Hells Angels broke out in Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark, ending with 11 dead and nearly 100 wounded.
In recent years, members of Bandidos in Denmark have been jailed for murder, attempted murder, assault and drug-related crimes.

The lawyer representing Bandidos, Michael Juul Eriksen, told broadcaster TV 2 that he was not surprised by the move after the government said in June that a specialized police unit was looking into disbanding the group.
“The freedom of association was not created to protect mean criminals,” Hummelgaard said, adding that other organized gangs in Denmark could also face dissolution. “I would like to have them all banned if it is legally possible,” he told a press conference.
In September 2018, Danish police issued a temporary nationwide ban against the Loyal to Familia organized criminal group. In 2021, Denmark’s Supreme Court agreed with a lower court’s conclusion that the group was a threat to public order, and the group has since been dissolved.

N.B. man makes first court appearance after 125 kg meth seizure on Ontario

Robin Moulton, 54, of Minto was charged after traffic stop led to discovery of drugs
Hadeel Ibrahim · CBC News · Posted: Apr 04, 2024
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/minto-man-pembroke-court-meth-hells-angels-1.7163666

A New Brunswick man police have described as a full-patch member of the Hells Angels made his first appearance in an Ontario court Thursday after a traffic stop led to the seizure of 125 kilograms of crystal meth.

Robin Moulton, 54, of Minto was arrested after a “traffic hazard complaint” in eastern Ontario in the early hours of March 27, according to an Ontario Provincial Police news release.

The release said Moulton was the only person in the vehicle.

At some point after his arrest and “as a result of the initial investigation,” police executed a search warrant at a location not specified in the news release. Police said they seized about 125 kilograms of crystal meth, a prohibited firearm, suppressor, Canadian currency and a motor vehicle.

Moulton was charged with impaired operation of a motor vehicle, possession of a Schedule 1 substance for the purpose of trafficking as well as with trafficking.

At a brief appearance in Ontario Court in Pembroke on Thursday, Moulton’s lawyer T.J. Burke asked for more time before discussing bail.

“We want [the matter] remitted to regular court so that we can review the disclosure and act accordingly from that point on,” Burke said.

The case was set over to April 18.

Moulton was convicted of drug trafficking offences in New Brunswick in 2018.

According to Parole Board of Canada decisions, police believe Moulton returned to his home province of New Brunswick in 2016 with the purpose of setting up a chapter for Hells Angels.

The Hells Angels have had a Nomads chapter in New Brunswick since 2016, as part of an eastern expansion for Canada’s largest and most powerful outlaw motorcycle gang.

Moulton previously told the parole board that he saw the Hells Angels as more of a “social club” and noted that membership wasn’t illegal.

He also told the board there was “no evidence of any connection” between his club and the crimes he committed in 2018.

The Ontario police news release did not mention a link between Moulton and the Hells Angels, nor was his membership discussed at the short hearing Thursday.