Category: Gangs in the news…
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OMG Case Law
For the good of the order, this is a running document of OMG specific case law.
Officer Dan Michener
St Paul Police, Criminal Proceeds Unit/US Secret Service Task Force.
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Australia: Push for national laws to tackle gangs
LAWS to smash outlaw motorcycle gangs, based on Strike Force Raptor, could be introduced across the country in an unprecedented show of unity by national police leaders.
After years on the drawing board, a submission calling for every state and territory to have the same anti-bikie laws is expected to be made to state attorneys-general next year.
The plan, to be modelled on operations such as Raptor in NSW and Task Force Maxima in Queensland, will highlight the most effective laws that have helped to curtail bikie activity.
The move is partly in response to bikies moving into Tasmania and the ACT, where laws are more lax than their neighbours, after crackdowns in other states.
“Recent events in Tasmania and Victoria have provided the impetus for a submission to be made,” one law enforcement official said.
The plan is still in its infancy and there was work to be done to get every police agency on board, another source said.
Strike Force Raptor broke the bikies in NSW by creating a hostile environment in which officers used everything, from minor vehicle defects to restricted premises legislation, to keep the pressure on the bikies’ way of life. It forced many club members to hang up their colours or take their business to more comfortable jurisdictions.
But inconsistencies between organised crime laws across the country have unwittingly created havens for outlaw gangs.
While bikies can be charged for associating with criminals in NSW and Queensland, they can mingle with whomever they please in Tasmania. As a result, the state is facing increasing gang activity, with the Bandidos trying to establish a foothold in Devonport.
About 200 club members will descend on Tasmania in a fortnight for the club’s national run.
Last month, more than 400 Rebels members held a ride in Tasmania, finishing up in Hobart to mark the chapter’s 20th anniversary.
Police, with help from interstate gang squad officers, greeted the bikies as the Spirit of Tasmania sailed into Devonport. Even the Australian Taxation Office turned up to hand assessment notices to 12 bikies.
“We had the Outlaws in October last year, the Rebels in October this year and Bandidos coming later this month,” Serious Organised Crime division Detective Inspector Greg Ball said.
“We haven’t had this number of national-type runs this close together before.”
Insp Ball said Tasmanian police were looking at what organised crime laws had worked elsewhere to build their own case to the State Government for tougher legislation.
Without states and territories referring their powers to the Commonwealth, the Federal Government cannot legislate criminal organisation laws, such as consorting or firearm prohibition orders.
A “nationally consistent approach” may mean governments can implement the same anti-gang laws.
Justice Minister Michael Keenan said the Government supported any effort to develop stronger legislative responses to the bikie gang threat.
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Seeking Info on Banditos
from: WhiteFace, Lisa (USMS) Lisa.WhiteFace@usdoj.gov to: Ramona Moretta <ramona.moretta@iomgia.net>
date: Fri, Sep 1, 2017 at 9:07 AM subject: RE: OMG Intel for Bikes, Blues, and BBQ mailed-by: usdoj.gov I’m seeking assistance with information on the Banditos. We are located in Rapid City, SD. Sturgis Rally went well in terms of nothing big happened with any OMG’s. There were a few small incidents where the HA’s and Banditos were seen chest bumping on the streets in front of LE presence.
I just received info this morning that there will be 200-300 arriving in Rapid City this weekend. I’ve asked other agencies in the area about their intel and they haven’t heard of this happening. Do you have anyone who may know about this? Thank you.
Respectfully,
Lisa Whiteface
United States Marshal Service
Warrant Supervisor
District of South Dakota Main Office: (605) 342-6331
Cell: (605) 222-2389 -
Chosen Few Arrest
Police: Gang leader arrested in death of rival at Phoenix fish fry
Bennie Dansby Jr., 40, was arrested Aug. 15, 2017, in connection with the death of a man during an April gunfight near Chase Field.
Story on azcentral.com: http://azc.cc/2x65nm7
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Patrick Eberhardt: Tribue to an Angel
A request to post the following article was sent in by a member: (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/candy-chand/patrick-eberhardt-tribute-to-an-angel_b_9396568.html)
Patrick Eberhardt: Tribute to an Angel
“Goodnight, Sweet Prince, may flights of angels sing thee to thy sleep.” — William Shakespeare
As early as the third grade — while his friends were imagining futures as firefighters, pilots, and race car drivers — young Patrick Eberhardt never once wavered: “I’m going to be a Hells Angel, just like my dad.”
Patrick grew up around the club. His father became a member when his son was only five. Over the years, Patrick was intrigued by more than adventure, and emulation of his dad, but by the loyalty, courage, and respect he saw transpire among the brotherhood.
From a young age, his character remained consistent: He was brave, determined, accountable, and passionate about doing the right thing. When someone dared him to bungee jump, 12-year-old Patrick took a fearless leap, without hesitation. In Jr. High, he spent hours at a skating party — not hanging out with friends — but helping handicapped kids encounter the rink, so they wouldn’t feel left out. At 16, Patrick abandoned sports to take on the responsibilities of a job. And he had a special place in his heart for under-privileged kids, as well as the homeless.
But most of all, Patrick was committed to a dream. When he was 12, his best friend, Stephen, showed off a prize possession: a used, non-working, orange, mini-bike. When Stephen suggested that with this bike, they were, now, on track to become Hells Angels, Patrick explained the rules— the best way a 12-year-old can: “No, Stephen. It doesn’t work like that. We have to be way older. And we’ll need real motorcycles — the kind that goes fast. But someday, I’m gonna do it.”
And just as he’d vowed, by age 20, Patrick was voted-in as a full patched member. As the son of Bob Eberhardt — the Cave Creek Charter’s President — he’d fulfilled his life-long dream: officially becoming a second generation Hells Angel.
I met Patrick, for the first time, when Sonny took me to see him in the hospital. It was January of 2014, and Patrick had just endured a near fatal motorcycle accident. Doctors expected a long and difficult recovery. Yet, true to his nature, that Angel was back on a bike by August.
But on February 7, 2015 — just a month after his 23rd birthday — Patrick was riding down Bell Road with his childhood pal, Stephen, and several club brothers, when shots fired by a hidden coward struck two best friends.
Stephen survived. Patrick did not.
The following morning, I attended church, grabbed some coffee, and headed for Sonny and Zorana’s ranch. I knew nothing. I hadn’t read the paper, hadn’t received a text, or a call. I was virtually clueless.
So, just moments after I arrived, Sonny took me aside to break the news. Unable to grasp the loss of such a young soul, I had difficulty comprehending he was referring to Patrick.
And it wasn’t easy for Sonny. Patrick was more than his club brother. Sonny had loved this young man since he was a toddler.
In reality: I don’t know anyone who’s fully come to terms with Patrick’s death. The magnitude of such dark and sudden shockwaves never seemed to settle.
But despite the grief, hundreds gathered in loving memory, as bike after bike followed the hearse to the cemetery — for Patrick’s last ride.
To memorialize his son, Bob commissioned the powerful words of Shakespeare — painted in red on Patrick’s gleaming, white casket: “Cowards die many times before their deaths. The valiant never taste of death but once.”
For those who knew Patrick, and for those who did not, his legacy continues: He’ll always be remembered as a good and courageous individual, filled with passion, determination, and loyalty — a young man destined for honor.
It’s often said: Angels never die. And, in this case, I’m certain it’s true.
