Author: terry.katz

Hells Angels and the Alleged Pump-And-Dump Scam: Unraveling the Intricacies of a High-Stakes Legal Battle
By Rishitha Boddu Marker Realist Nov 2, 2023

https://marketrealist.com/what-are-the-allegations-faced-by-motorcycle-club-hells-angels/

Motorcycle Club Hells Angels is once again in the spotlight
The Hells Angels Motorcycle Club (HAMC), one of the world’s most infamous motorcycle clubs, has long been associated with a dark and shadowy reputation. Known for their imposing presence and alleged involvement in organized crime, the Hells Angels are once again in the spotlight, this time for their alleged participation in a complex financial scam. Let’s delve into the heart of the ongoing legal battle that has left members of the Hells Angels facing serious charges related to securities fraud, wire fraud, and stock manipulation schemes. We’ll also explore the legal complexities, privacy concerns, and the broader implications of this high-stakes case.
Who are The Hells Angels?
Founded in the 1940s, The Hells Angels motorcycle club has garnered a notorious reputation for its involvement in criminal activities. With a presence spanning the globe and over 6,000 members organized into 467 chapters across 59 countries, the Hells Angels stands as the largest outlaw motorcycle club in the world.
The alleged Hells Angels scam
At the center of this legal storm are allegations that members of the Hells Angels, including Courtney Vasseur, a full-patch member of the Nomads chapter, were part of an international stock manipulation scheme that generated illicit profits of around $35 million, per Vancouver Sun. The scheme involved orchestrating multiple pump-and-dump stock manipulation schemes over several years. The accused allegedly amassed control of the majority of stock in publicly traded companies and artificially inflated share prices, ultimately selling their positions at the expense of the investing public.
The legal battle involving Hells Angels
The legal battle that has unfolded revolves around whether the accused Hells Angels members should be extradited to the United States to face these charges. The process kicked off with a five-day extradition hearing in Canada where defense attorney Paul McMurray raised a significant issue: the use of a photograph of Courtney Vasseur in the case. McMurray argued that the photo was improperly used as evidence because it was taken in Canada.
Privacy concerns
The defense’s argument hinges on the expectation of privacy, even in public spaces. They contend that despite being in a public area on the Hells Angels’ clubhouse property, Vasseur had a residual expectation of privacy. The defense suggests that law enforcement, particularly the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), views the Hells Angels as a criminal organization involved in transnational criminal activities. Law enforcement routinely attends Hells Angels events and takes photographs for investigative and intelligence purposes.
The Extradition Act
The relevance of the Extradition Act comes into play. This act dictates that evidence gathered in Canada must adhere to Canadian rules of evidence for it to be admitted in extradition proceedings. This forms a critical part of the defense’s argument regarding the admissibility of the photograph as evidence in the U.S. investigation.
This legal requirement serves as a safeguard to ensure that individuals facing extradition have their rights protected and that evidence is collected and presented fairly and lawfully. In a high-profile case like this, where international borders come into play, adherence to these legal requirements becomes a critical element. It ensures that the accused individuals receive a fair hearing while also addressing the complexities of transnational criminal investigations.
Broader Implications for the Hells Angels
Beyond the legal intricacies, the outcome of this case could have far-reaching implications for the Hells Angels. If the accused members are extradited and subsequently convicted, it could deal a significant blow to the reputation of the motorcycle club. This case serves as a testament to law enforcement agencies’ determination to combat organized crime, even in the face of powerful and influential groups like the Hells Angels.

Warped Hells Angels’ ‘justice’ revealed: California biker was held down and forcibly TATTOOED for sleeping with rival’s wife, while his spouse was raped in revenge, with others killed and cremated, court documents reveal

• Hells Angels charity organizer Merl Hefferman is jailed for disposing of a murdered rival Joel Silva in a crematorium
• He is one of several Hells Angels members who have recently found themselves in court for how they delivered gang ‘justice’
• Force tattooing, revenge rapes and assaults on members were just some ways the group provided discipline
By DOMINIC YEATMAN FOR DAILYMAIL.COM 1 November 2023 |

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12698371/hells-angels-sonoma-crematorium-hefferman.html

Forced tattooing, rape as revenge and murder are just some ways members of the Hells Angels in California dolled out punishment to others for perceived injustices.

The details were included in the recent court filings as several members have found themselves in court or heading to prison for their role in dealing out biker ‘justice.’

Merl Hefferman of California’s Fresno chapter was well-known for organizing children’s charity events, but prosecutors fear he may have routinely turned victims to ash in a funeral home dubbed the ‘pizza oven.’

He was jailed for four years on Friday after a 10-year racketeering investigation after being convicted of using a crematory to dispose of a member’s body.

The investigation led to the arrest of others members of a California Hells Angels including Raymond Foakes, who raped a member’s wife in revenge, as others forced tattooed the member. Christopher Ranieri was convicted for his role in the murder of a member who had threatened others. Russell Lyles was sentenced to more than 60 months in prison for using his fist to punish members or ‘toughen them up.’

‘The Hells Angels followed a malicious code of conduct, encouraging the beating, maiming, and even killing of anyone who dared to cross their criminal enterprise,’ said US Attorney Ismail Ramsey.

The defendants now face the consequences of their violent racketeering activities.’
The Sonoma, California, chapter of the Hells Angels lived by the motto ‘F*** around and find out,’ prosecutor Nina Peng told an earlier court hearing.

The chapter showed it was prepared to ‘murder its own’ after Sonoma member Joel ‘Doughboy’ Silva fell foul of East Coast members during ‘bike week’ in 2014 by threatening a friend of Salem chapter president Christopher Ranieri.
When Ranieri protested to his California counterparts ‘they agreed that Silva had to be killed’ and lured him to the Fresno clubhouse where he was shot in the back of the head.

Ranieri flew to Fresno for a party celebrating the murder but Hefferman, 54, was tasked with disposing of Silva’s body.
Levi Phipps, crematory manager at the Yost & Webb Funeral Home in Fresno testified that on the day of Silva’s murder Hefferman and his step-son threatened him with a gun and loaded Silva’s body into the incinerator.

Phipps alleged that before Silva’s murder, Hefferman became ‘fascinated with the crematory’ and asked for the keys to the facility so that he could make ‘something disappear’ someday.

Whistleblower Joseph Hardisty told prosecutors that Fresno chapter president Brian Wendt later admitted pulling the trigger on Silva and said ‘he had used the pizza oven for five or six bodies’.

He also gave Hardisty a phone number to call and say he was ‘cooking pizza’ if he ever wanted to use the crematorium himself.
Among those thought to have disappeared in the oven are former Hells Angel Robbie Huff who disappeared in 2015 after allegedly helping cover up Silva’s murder by burning his pickup truck.

Another named by federal prosecutors is fellow member Arthur Carasis of Contra Costa County who disappeared in 2016.
A third was named in court as Juan Guevara who disappeared in September 2015 from Kern County.

Jonathan ‘Jon Jon’ Nelson, 46, and Russell ‘Rusty’ Taylor Ott, 69, of Santa Rosa, were convicted of murder alongside Wendt, 45, in June last year for their roles in Silva’s death and are awaiting sentence.

Foakes was convicted of racketeering charges in May after a jury heard he spent four hours torturing the man who slept with his common-law wife in 2016.

‘Foakes was the main guy. He was Mr. Hells Angel,’ Peng told the jury,
‘He got respect by beating people, including other Hells Angels, down into submission.’

Prosecutors say Foakes was the chapter president and participated in the hours-long beating of a member. The member had an affair and then during an expulsion, Foakes beat the victim, forcibly tattooed him and told others to pistol whip him.

‘He was also convicted of witness intimidation, in connection with his sexual assault of the victim’s wife while the victim was still being beaten at the Sonoma clubhouse and threatening her to comply with his demands and not report to the authorities,’ he added.
Ranieri and Foakes were also convicted of racketeering conspiracy for their agreement to contact the Hells Angels’ affairs through a pattern of activity, including conspiracy to murder, robbery and drug dealing.

Ranieri and Foakes remain to be sentenced.

Fellow gang member Lyles also participated in gang ‘justice’ but was upset by Foakes action. He considered issuing a public statement after the sexual assault, but decided against it, according to the San Jose Mercury News.
Lyles was sentenced to 63 months in prison after pleading to racketeering.

His lawyer noted that he used ‘his fists to punish individuals for the behavior or to “toughen them up,”‘ according to the report.
Sonoma member Jeremy Greer, 43, was sentenced alongside Hefferman to 84 months on Friday after admitting multiple brutal assaults, armed robbery, home invasion robbery, and witness intimidation.

‘Hefferman, Greer, and other members of their criminal enterprise attempted to use fear and intimidation to get away with their crimes,’ Ramsey said.

‘I commend the witnesses who did not succumb to this group’s intimidation tactics and came forward to law enforcement.’
David Cesena was jailed for 52 months for a home invasion robbery.

OK Biker gang pleads not guilty in Whiskey Barrel Saloon shooting

Caroline Sellers/KFOR Oklahoma November 2, 2023 at

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – Several suspects from a deadly biker gang shooting in April pleaded not guilty in court on Wednesday.
Around 9 p.m. on April 1, authorities responded to the Whiskey Barrel Saloon in southwest Oklahoma City regarding a shooting between rival biker gangs.

The shooting left three people dead and three more injured. There’s also been more than a dozen arrests since the incident.
Police say 14 people have been charged so far in this case.
According to officials, eight of the suspects were in Oklahoma County court on Wednesday and are facing complaints ranging from Accessory to Murder, gang related offenses and Conspiracy to Commit a Felony.
All eight pleaded not guilty, according to The Oklahoman. The suspect are expected to be back in court in January for a pretrial conference.

Suspicious fire erupts at Outlaws Motorcycle Clubhouse in Saginaw on Devil’s Night
By Cole_Waterman@mlive.com October 31, 2023,
https://www.mlive.com/news/saginaw-bay-city/2023/10/suspicious-fire-erupts-at-outlaws-motorcycle-clubhouse-in-saginaw-on-devils-night.html

SAGINAW, MI — For the second time in recent months, a biker clubhouse in Saginaw has been the site of a fire.
About 11:24 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 30, Saginaw firefighters received a call for smoke on the city’s West Side. Shortly thereafter, a Michigan State Police helicopter flying overhead reported a heat signature coming from a building on Durand Street, said Saginaw Interim Fire Chief Brandon Hausbeck.
At that, crews quickly upgraded their response to a structure fire. They arrived at 1903 Durand St., a private club of the Outlaws Motorcycle Club, to see smoke emanating from it, Hausbeck said.
Crews entered the building and extinguished the blaze. There were no civilians inside at the time, Hausbeck said.
The building sustained smoke and fire damage but is not a total loss. The estimated cost of damage, both to the structure and its contents, is $45,000, Hausbeck said
Buena Vista Township firefighters provided mutual aid. Crews cleared the scene about 1:30 a.m.
Hausbeck could not elaborate on the fire’s cause, apart from saying it is suspicious. He declined to speculate on if the fire was linked to the date being Devil’s Night, but said it was the only structure fire to occur in the city overnight.
A previous fire at the Durand Street club occurred the morning of June 15. Crews arrived to find a leaf blower was burning and doused its flames.
Shortly afterward, witnesses came forward to say they saw a person pouring some fluid on the clubhouse’s back porch and lightning it. Once ignited, the flames flashed up then went out, the witnesses said.
Investigators found evidence at the scene corroborating the witnesses’ accounts.
The fire itself did not cause much damage to the clubhouse, which the Fraternal Order of Outlaws BC has owned since February 2019.
The next day, police arrested a 32-year-old suspect on a charge of first-degree arson. The man was released from the jail the following afternoon.
On Sept. 13, authorities issued a warrant for the man’s arrest on a charge of third-degree arson, a five-year felony. As of Oct. 31, police have not rearrested the man.
There have been 162 structure fires reported in the city so far this year. The city had 196 such fires throughout 2022.
In hopes of curbing potential fires and Halloween-inspired mischief, volunteers are joining police and firefighters patrolling neighborhoods from dusk to dawn on Oct. 31.
Some will patrol on foot, while others will patrol neighborhoods in vehicles with the program’s flashing yellow lights, looking out for suspicious activity, specifically around abandoned buildings and homes, city officials said.
After 2006, when Saginaw firefighters responded to 17 arson-related fires on Oct. 30-31, the city brought together community members, law enforcement agencies, and the Saginaw Fire Department to create the program designed to address the growing arson problem through community awareness and involvement.
Arson Watch aims to significantly reduce arson rates on Halloween Eve, sometimes known as Devil’s Night, thus reducing overall arson-related firefighter injuries and costly community damages, Saginaw Fire Marshall Derron Suchodolski said.
Reports of arson have decreased in the years since the program began, and no arson was reported during Oct. 30-31, 2022, he said.
he Outlaws Motorcycle Club was established in 1935 in McCook, Illinois. Since then, it has expanded to 41 countries. It has four Michigan chapters, including one in Bay City.
“The Outlaws Motorcycle Club is not a criminal organization,” the club states on its website. ”It is a motorcycle club. … We may not live by the rules of society, but we do live by its laws.

Alfredo Paez Jr. sentenced for role in biker gang shooting
By Natalie Faulkenberry KCBD Lubbock, Texas October 27, 2023
https://www.kcbd.com/2023/10/27/alfredo-paez-jr-sentenced-role-biker-gang-shooting/

LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) – Update 6:09 p.m., Friday, Oct. 27: Paez was sentenced to six years on count one, 180 days in counts two and three, respectively, and six-years probation on count seven with all to run concurrently. He remains out on an appeal bond.
Original story below:
Alfredo Paez Jr. was found guilty of two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon on Thursday, and two counts of the lesser charge of deadly conduct.
Paez was facing seven counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. The jury found him not guilty on three counts.
The jury’s verdict came after a week and a half of testimony. During the trial the state focused on the longtime rivalry between the two motorcycle gangs the Kinfolk and the Bandidos, arguing that Paez went to the 50th Street Caboose that night knowing the Kinfolk were there regularly.
The state called gang experts and multiple LPD officers who confirmed that Paez had multiple altercations with Kinfolk members.
The state also called Max Gould, the former president of the Kinfolk Club, who testified: “When the Bandidos and the Kinfolk run into each other, it usually ends in an altercation – 99% of the time.”
During closing arguments, the state argued that Paez went to the Caboose to start a confrontation, arguing that he knowingly put the Kinfolk and other patrons’ lives at risk.
Previous Coverage
According to the police report, on Nov. 12, 2020, police arrived at the 50th Street Caboose and noticed the front windows were shattered and that there were shell casings on the ground.
Police said the suspects were part of two separate motorcycle gangs, the Banditos and Kinfolk. The Kinfolk were at the northeast corner of the room at the pool tables, drinking and playing pool. One of the suspects from the Banditos walked over to the pool table and picked up a pool ball. This upset both suspects from the Kinfolk, so both members of that club pulled out their guns and presented them.
Police said Paez Jr., who was part of the Banditos, was in the hallway just south of the bar area.
Paez Jr. walked in through the door from the hallway and began to open fire towards the front of the business. Two of the rounds that he fired struck the victim.
After the suspect began to fire, everyone in the room ran to find cover. Most of the people in the restaurant ran outside through either the north main entrance or the emergency door located on the north side of the room to the west.
Paez Jr. immediately ran out of the business after the shooting and fled the scene on a motorcycle.
Copyright 2023 KCBD. All rights reserved.

4 suspects arrested in July biker gang shooting near Citrus Heights

BY BRANDON DOWNS CBS SACRAMENTO OCTOBER 26, 2023

https://www.cbsnews.com/sacramento/news/4-suspects-arrested-in-july-biker-gang-shooting-near-citrus-heights/
SACRAMENTO – Authorities announced they arrested four suspects in a July shooting that sent a man to the hospital in Fair Oaks.
The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office said it arrested Valentino Venezia, Dominic Venezia, Ederic Llarena and William Kibblewhite on Tuesday in connection with a shooting on Laurel Oak Way in the Lincoln Oaks neighborhood on July 8.
Authorities called the incident a motorcycle gang-related shooting and said the victim was targeted. They said the person shot was a gang member wearing a bulletproof vest and was shot three times, with the vest stopping one of the bullets.
On Thursday, authorities said the investigation revealed the suspects are San Francisco Hells Angels Motorcycle Club members.
A search warrant led to authorities to $112,000 in cash, Hells Angels gang indicia and intelligence documents, according to the sheriff’s office.
The search warrant was executed by Gang Suppression Unit Detectives, FBI San Francisco SWAT, FBI Sacramento SWAT, Central County SWAT, Daly City SWAT, FBI Safe-Streets and CDCR Special Services Unit at seven locations related to the shooting.
Valentino and Dominic were booked into the San Francisco County Jail, Llarena was booked into the Contra Costa Jail and Kibblewhite was booked was booked into the San Mateo County Jail.
The four suspects were charged with attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, shooting at an occupied vehicle, gang conspiracy and gang enhancement. They are scheduled to appear in court on Friday.

In warning to public, Keys sheriff says notorious biker gangs behind local toy drives

https://www.local10.com/news/local/2023/10/24/in-warning-to-public-keys-sheriff-says-notorious-biker-gangs-behind-local-toy-drives/
Ryan Mackey, Digital Journalist Local 10 News WPLG in South Florida October 24, 2023

MONROE COUNTY, Fla. – Monroe County Sheriff Rick Ramsay is urging to public to be aware of holiday toy drives that are being hosted by the Pagans Outlaw Motorcycle Club, one of South Florida’s most notorious outlaw motorcycle gangs.

In a video posted to social media Tuesday morning, Ramsay said he was reading a Florida Keys newspaper last weekend when he noticed the “End of the Line” toy drive was being hosted next month by PMC, which stands for Pagan Motorcycle Club, and LMC, which stands for the Led Motorcycle Club, a “feeder club” for the PMC.

Viewers can watch the video at the top of the page.
Ramsey said that both clubs are criminal, outlaw motorcycle gangs that are involved in crime involving drugs, guns and violence in the community.

Authorities said they have had several encounters with PMC over the years.
MCSO spokesperson Adam Linhardt announced the arrests of several suspected gang members who were facing several firearm, DUI and drug charges.

Marie Fortier, 45, of Spring Hill, was arrested on Feb. 21 for possession of methamphetamine, possession of a concealed weapon without a permit and possession of drug paraphernalia following a traffic stop on U.S. 1 near 17th Court in Marathon, according to Linhardt.
The driver of the vehicle, Nicholas Joseph La Bella, 69, also of Spring Hill, was cited for traveling 60 mph in a 35 mph zone and for not wearing a seat belt, authorities said.
According to Linhardt, La Bella also admitted to speeding in order to keep up with a group of motorcyclists also affiliated with the Pagans.

Deputies said 29-year-old Ryan Alan St. Clair of DeLand, who was arrested on February, 7, 2022, on firearms and drug-related violations.

St. Clair is affiliated with the Pagan’s motorcycle gang. Authorities said it is unclear if he is still associated with the gang.

Linhardt said St. Clair was charged with carrying a concealed weapon without a license, possession of cocaine, possession of marijuana and possession of a controlled substance without a prescription.

Deputies also said they arrested Pagan’s member Austin Christopher Reynolds, 26, of Key West, on February, 3, 2022, after fleeing from a MCSO deputy on U.S. 1 on Stock Island. Reynolds was arrested on charges of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of a weapon (a large knife) by a convicted felon, possession of cocaine, fleeing and eluding, evidence tampering, reckless driving and knowingly driving with a suspended license, according to Linhardt.

Deputies previously arrested Pagan’s member Justin August Meyer, 31, of Key West, on Jan. 27 following a search warrant of his Staples Avenue home. Meyer was arrested on charges of possession of cocaine, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of ammunition by a convicted felon and possession of drug paraphernalia. About 12 grams of cocaine, an AR-15 pistol, a 9mm pistol, 140 rounds of ammunition, $3,310 in suspected drug sales and a digital scale were found in the residence, authorities said.

In 2019, the Sheriff’s Office arrested another Pagan’s member, Adam Matthew Miller, 42, of Big Pine Key, for allegedly making threats on Facebook, authorities said Miller posted a picture of himself holding a knife that was captioned: “Support Pagan’s MC or else! Support or life support! Sons of the Fire God coming to a neighborhood near you!”

Ramsay ended the video by saying “there are great organizations that people can team up with, but PMC is not one of them.”
Copyright 2023 by WPLG Local10.com – All rights reserved.

Vikings Motorcycle Club members receive prison sentences for drug convictions

Justice Daniel M. Boone released the trio’s sentencing Thursday, which also includes fines

Elizabeth Whitten · CBC News · October 21, 2023

After being arrested seven years ago, three recently convicted members of the Vikings Motorcycle Club were given their sentences this week, and all of them will be spending time in prison.
Vince Leonard, Wayne Johnson and James Curran were first arrested in 2016, with the criminal case trickling through the courts since then.
In 2019, their lawyers submitted an application to the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador, arguing the accused hadn’t gotten a speedy trial, but it was dismissed.
In a St. John’s courtroom in May, the trio were found guilty on several charges, including selling drugs to undercover cops — even handing over the drugs in Tim Hortons cups and boxes.
All three were convicted of charges related to drug trafficking and possession of the proceeds of crime, with Leonard and Johnson also found guilty of organized crime offences.
Prison time for all 3 men
The judgment was released Thursday by Supreme Court Justice Daniel M. Boone, who revealed all three would be going to prison.
Leonard was sentenced to five-and-a-half years imprisonment, whereas Johnson was allotted five years. Curran was given the shortest prison sentence — three and a half years.
All three got credit for time already spent in jail before the trial, though in each case it amounted to less than a month.
Justice Boone explained his reasoning behind the sentencing, including the types of drugs that were being trafficked.
“The consequences of oxycodone abuse in this community, and particularly on some of its most vulnerable members, have been the subject of extensive reporting in the media and the subject of investigation and commentary by public health officials,” he wrote.
He also noted the court’s approach to fentanyl is “still evolving” and that the province’s medical examiner recently highlighted the “alarming” number of fentanyl overdoses and that some had resulted in deaths.
Fines and bans
Boone also wrote that the Crown had established the men received proceeds from a crime, but the Crown didn’t seize money from them. As a result, Boone determined that Leonard, Johnson and Curran will have to pay fines imposed by the court.
Leonard will have to pay $33,500, whereas Johnson has to pay $49,800 and Curran will pay $48,100.
In addition, all three won’t be allowed to own firearms for 10 years.
The men’s lawyers have previously said they were going to apply for a stay of charges, arguing entrapment, which would have seen the court case end.
The Crown’s case centred around testimony and audio recordings from undercover police officers and agents.
During an investigation, the three men sold drugs to undercover officers several times, but a successful entrapment case would need to establish that police induced the three men to commit crimes.
As part of the investigation, in 2014 the RCMP hired an agent to go get close to the Viking Motorcycle Club. When it came to trial, he didn’t take the stand.

Hells Angels member charged after search warrant
https://www.policenews.act.gov.au/news/media-releases/hells-angels-member-charged-after-search-warrant

Australian Federal Police New Release 21 October 2023,

A 22-year-old Franklin man police believe is a member of the Hells Angels criminal motorcycle gang has been charged following a search warrant at his home earlier this month.
Investigators from ACT Policing’s Organised Crime team and AFP Specialist Operations attended the home in Franklin on 13 October (2023) and executed search warrants on the man’s home and two vehicles. During the search warrant a mobile phone was seized and the man was required to provide passwords under a 3LA order issued by a magistrate.

The man refused to do so.

A subsequent examination of the phone identified use of an encrypted messaging application. As the man refused to provide appropriate access to this application police will allege he breached the 3LA order. A 3LA order requires a person to provide any information or assistance that is reasonable and necessary to allow police to access data, including account based data, held in or accessible from a computer or data storage device found on the premises where a search warrant is being executed.

The man was arrested yesterday (Friday 20 October 2023) and was charged with contravening a 3LA order. As a result of being charged with this offence, he was found to be in breach of an existing Intensive Corrections Order issued in NSW in 2022.

The 22-year-old man is expected to face the ACT Magistrates Court today (Saturday, 21 October 2023).

Detective Inspector Mark Steel said ACT Policing is continuing to target anyone who associates with criminal gangs in the ACT and the surrounding district.

“We will continue our pursuit of criminal motorcycle gang members,” said Detective Inspector Steel.

“Our dedicated investigators will use all lawful means to make the ACT a hostile environment for gang members.”

Anyone with any information about criminal motorcycle gang activity is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000, or via the Crime Stoppers ACT website. Information can be provided anonymously.

MEDIA ENQUIRIES 
POLICE MEDIA — (02) 5126 9070,  act-police-media@afp.gov.au 

Restaurant frequented by Hells Angels and people tied to Mafia shut down for 25 days
Once during the pandemic, when restaurants were closed, police found Montreal Mafia leader Francesco Del Balso among a group of 35 inside Prima Luna.
Author of the article: Paul Cherry • Montreal Gazette
Published Oct 04, 2023 • Last updated Oct 05, 2023

A restaurant in the Rivière-des-Prairies—Pointe-aux-Trembles borough was ordered to shut its doors for 25 days because it was frequented by members of the Hells Angels and people tied to the Mafia during the worst parts of the COVID-19 pandemic, when all establishments were supposed to be closed.
During a hearing on the matter, the liquor board was informed that police officers saw several organized crime figures in the restaurant at times when all restaurants were ordered closed as part of health measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19. At other times, the city’s restaurants were only allowed to deliver food.
Included among the people the police took issue with were Francesco Del Balso, the Montreal Mafia leader who was killed in the West Island in June, as well as Martin Robert and Stéphane Plouffe, two members of the Hells Angels whose homes were recently searched as part of a drug trafficking investigation led by the Sûreté du Québec.
According to the Régie’s decision, the first significant event occurred on Dec. 20, 2020, when all restaurants in Montreal were supposed to be closed. Police officers noticed several vehicles parked outside Prima Luna.
“When the police arrived, the vehicles left the parking lot, but three of them were intercepted. The police identified the people behind the wheels and recognized one of them as being criminalized,” the liquor board wrote in its lengthy decision.