Category: Gangs in the news…

You joined it’: Ex-Sin City Deciples member, teacher gets 3 years in prison

MEREDITH COLIAS-PETE | mcolias@post-trib.com | Post-Tribune
UPDATED: January 31, 2025 at 5:26 PM CST

‘You joined it’: Ex-Sin City Deciples member, teacher gets 3 years in prison

Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Toth said he was at a loss to explain how pieces of Brandon “Baywatch” Parks’ life fit together.

After a tough and unstable upbringing in Chicago, Parks, now 46, joined the Marine Corps in 2005, then was deployed to Iraq. Years later, he joined the Sin City Deciples, serving for a couple years as a right-hand man to notorious founder Kenneth “Angel” McGhee.

Then, Parks got “fired” from the violent motorcycle gang, severed ties with the group and talked his way into becoming a volunteer, then a respected teacher at a Southside Chicago high school.

Toth acknowledged there was no evidence Parks dealt drugs. He didn’t personally kill anyone, but he traveled with McGhee and knew what was going on around him.

Ultimately, despite his denials, Parks knew who they were, what they did, was swept up and convicted after an 18-day trial in the gang’s massive RICO case, U.S. District Court Judge Philip Simon noted.
“You joined it,” he said.

These are “bad” people, Simon later said.

He sentenced Parks to three years in federal prison, with the last year possibly in a halfway house, then one year on supervised release. Parks had faced about 4-5 years from the case in the U.S. District Court in Hammond.
Toth, with Assistant U.S. Attorney David Nozick, said Parks joined the gang around 2013 and was the “longest serving” national president, second in command, before he left in 2017.

They showed transcripts of recorded phone calls with Michael “Puerto Rican Mike” Rivera, a high-ranking member, who testified during Parks’ trial. Parks took Rivera’s role as president after he was jailed.

Among other allegations, Toth said Rivera got into a “weird standoff” with a man in East St. Louis in 2014, took Parks’ gun, then shot the man twice in the leg.

Earlier in the hearing, Simon rejected a trio of allegations that would have added more time to Parks’ sentence — including that he extorted “cuts” in Las Vegas in 2017 from the affiliate, all-female Sin City Angels motorcycle gang. It was alluded to in recorded jail calls with Rivera.

“That’s it? That’s the evidence,” Simon asked. “That just doesn’t cut it.”

Prosecutors asked for seven years, documents show.

Defense lawyers Brandon Brown and Andre Grant presented a half-dozen people who testified on Parks’ behalf, including a retired teacher, school program administrator, and former student.

Phylydia Hudson, Corliss High School’s STEM program manager, said she brought Parks on as a “vendor” around 2018 to teach computer-assisted design in IT classes. He helped create a maker space and develop their drone program. He eventually got an alternative teacher’s license and joined the staff. His arrest left a “void,” she said.

Vincent Smith, 19, a computer engineering college student, said Parks was an “amazing teacher.”

Toth noted all of those who testified met Parks after he left the gang. Parks was one of 16 men indicted in the case.

The 57-page superseding indictment reads like a television drama, weaving a tale of influence, obedience, intimidation, an internal power struggle, drugs, guns and murder spanning multiple states and including local, regional and national chapters of the Sin City Deciples.

The club’s leadership ran the group with an iron fist, enforcing a strict code of respect and obedience, where offenders could be disciplined with beatings and death, according to court documents. The documents outline how the Sin City Deciples would intimidate other motorcycle clubs into become their support clubs, extorting dues and support.

Federal prosecutors say high-ranking Sin City Deciples member Ronnie Major paid his brother-in-law Antoine Gates to kill Jocelyn “Pie Face” Blair, 31, on Dec. 19, 2010, as she ate breakfast at the counter inside Coney Island Restaurant in Gary. Blair was a witness against him in an upcoming county trial.

Rivera, with them, was shot in the leg.

Months earlier in February 2010, Gates shot a second man, the other county witness, a dozen times. He survived.
McGhee was sentenced to 30 years in September.

Post-Tribune archives contributed.

Cops descend on Hells Angels bikies during cross-border crackdown
• Hells Angels bikies stopped in their tracks

By MATT JONES FOR DAILY MAIL AUSTRALIA 4 February 2025

Two men have been charged and dozens of fines have been issued after police descended on one of Australia’s biggest outlaw motorcycle gangs.

Raptor Squad officers stopped the Hells Angles as the gang descended on the nation’s capital for its national run between January 30 and February 2.

Officers pulled over about 40 bikies on motorcycles and four other vehicles and executed 18 car searches during the weekend operation.

Police charged two men, issued 50 traffic fines, conducted 35 personal searches, charged two men and seized weapons and alleged drugs during the crackdown.

Officers found knuckle dusters, a lock picking kit and small quantities of substances believed to be illegal drugs during gun compliance checks at homes in Goulburn and Queanbeyan on January 30.

A 36-year-old man was charged with possessing prohibited drugs and a 43-year-old man was charged with driving without a license.

They were both issued notices to attend court in Queanbeyan on March 17.

A 30-year-old man was also grilled by police over the alleged discovery of a knife.
Investigations into the seized items remain ongoing, police said.

Detective Acting Superintendent Virginia Gorman, Raptor Squad Commander, said bikie gangs should always expect a strong police presence at their gatherings.

‘Outlaw motorcycle gangs and their associates should know that they cannot gather in large numbers for a national run without attracting the attention of the Raptor Squad,’ Detective Acting Superintendent Gorman said.

With a membership of more than 6,000, and 592 charters in 66 countries, the Hells Angles are the largest outlaw motorcycle club in the world.

The Rebels Motorcycle Club is considered the largest outlaw motorcycle club in Australia.

Suspects in 2022 Hells Angels I-11 shooting could face additional sentencing
By Justine Verastigue Fox 5 Published: Jan. 30, 2025

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – Suspects accused of a shooting on I-11 back in 2022 involving Hells Angles could receive additional sentencing.

In May 2022, police say a shooting on the I-11 in Henderson was between the Hells Angels and a rival gang, the Vagos. Seven people were injured.

In December, the Nevada Supreme Court ruled that the motorcycle club is a “criminal gang” under state law.
Documents filed Wednesday adds a gang enhancement to an indictment. This means the suspects accused could receive additional sentencing if convicted.

The indictment lists the following suspects: Stephen Alo, Richard Devries, Russell Smith, Cameron Treich, Taylor Rodriguez, Aaron Chun and Rayann Mollasgo.

Copyright 2025 KVVU. All rights reserved.

Biker gang member pleads guilty to 2023 murder at SW OKC bar
by: Xavier Richardson/ KFOR Posted: Jan 30, 2025 / 07:18 PM CST

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — A member of an Oklahoma biker gang has pleaded guilty to murder in connection to a deadly shooting at the Whiskey Barrel Saloon in 2023.

Douglas Jacobs was charged on several counts, including first degree murder, for his alleged role in the shooting death of Eric Oberholtzer at the southwest Oklahoma City bar in April 2023. The state later amended the first degree murder charge to second degree murder.

According to the Oklahoma County District Attorney’s Office, Jacobs shot and killed Oberholtzer during a fight between rival biker gangs. Two others were also killed as a result of the shooting.

Jacobs entered a blind plea of guilty to all charges on January 24, and was sentenced to 15 years in the Department of Corrections in addition to 20 years suspended on Wednesday.

Mongols OMCG member charged following two road rage incidents

https://www.police.vic.gov.au/mongols-omcg-member-charged-following-two-road-rage-incidents
Wednesday 29 January 2025

Detectives from the Echo Taskforce charged a patched member of the Mongols Outlaw Motorcycle Gang (OMCG) overnight following two separate incidents, one where a firearm was produced.

The first incident occurred around 12.15pm on Saturday, 19 October, 2024 when a number of members of the Mongols OMCG were travelling inbound on the Monash Freeway near the Wellington Road exit.

One member allegedly targets an L-plate bike rider by attempting to punch and kick him as they ride past.

All OMCG members are travelling at a high rate of speed along the freeway and the rider was forced to take evasive action to avoid being assaulted and forced off his motorcycle.

The second alleged incident on Saturday 11 January when a member of the public was travelling along Victoria Avenue in Springvale on his motorbike. He was overtaken by a rider on a black Harley Davidson, who also made a rude hand gesture.

The rider then dismounted his bike, walked towards the member of the public and produced a sawn off shotgun.
No threats or demands were made and nobody was physically injured during the incident.

With the assistance of the Special Operations Group, a 30-year-old Mulgrave man was arrested in Mulgrave on Tuesday morning.

He was charged with prohibited person carry firearm, possess firearm when Firearm Prohibition Order applies, three counts of unlicensed driving, possess methylamphetamine, possess heroin, reckless conduct endanger serious injury, common law assault, drive in manner dangerous, fail to stop on police direction and drive vehicle without number plates affixed front/rear.

The man will appear at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court today.

With the assistance of the VIPER Taskforce, Dog Squad and the Australian Federal Police, search warrants were subsequently executed at a residential address in Mulgrave and a clubhouse in Port Melbourne.

Anyone with information on outlaw motorcycle gang activity is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential report online at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au

Quotes attributable to Detective Inspector Mick Daly, Echo Taskforce:

“Some outlaw motorcycle gang members seem to think they are above the law and attempt to intimidate innocent members of our community and put their lives at risk.

“It is completely unacceptable and reckless conduct, and we will be relentless in pursuing and disrupting those who choose to engage in this kind of criminal behaviour.

“The consequences of these actions on the roads could have resulted in a death or serious injury to members of the public.

“This arrest sends a clear message to those who engage in criminal activity: you will be caught and you will be held accountable.”

Maddy McDermott
Media Unit
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Mullins convicted of second-degree murder in September 2022 killing of Henry Silver

• By Esteban Fernandez | Times West Virginian
https://www.timeswv.com/news/tuesday_news/mullins-convicted-of-second-degree-murder-in-september-2022-killing-of-henry-silver/article_9d001416-dcf6-11ef-98c5-37f0203889c9.html

FAIRMONT — Marion County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Sean Murphy got a murder conviction for Austin Mullins, but maybe not the one he wanted.

Monday afternoon, a jury handed down a second-degree murder conviction against Austin Mullins for his role in the September 2022 shooting death of Henry Silver that took place at the Carolina Arbors Apartments in Carolina. Jurors also convicted Mullins for use of a firearm during felony but found him not guilty of conspiracy.

Mullins’ membership in the Pagan’s Motorcycle Club introduced an additional element for the prosecution to build its case around. However, despite the prosecution’s attempts to argue the case about the characteristics of an outlaw motorcycle club case, Mullins’ defense successfully disconnected Mullins from that portion of the state’s narrative.

The seeds of Monday’s conviction took root on Friday, after Mullins admitted to killing Henry Silver while on the witness stand. Mullins is one of six men the state accuses of murdering Silver in 2022. Mullins took the stand after the state presented the jury with three letters where Mullins admitted to killing Henry Silver to one of his co-defendants. From there, the defense went into damage control mode. Mullins would be convicted for killing Silver. The only question was, to which degree.

“It’s a tragedy, but it’s not a first-degree murder,” Kevin Tipton, Mullins’ attorney, said in closing. “You have other options, the jury instruction lists second-degree murder and manslaughter.”

The defense shifted their strategy from building reasonable doubt Mullins pulled the trigger to litigating why Mullins shot Silver. It didn’t go unnoticed by Murphy, who called the shift out during closing arguments Monday morning. However, by having Mullins testify, the defense went offensive and undermined Murphy’s goal of having Mullins convicted for first-degree murder. The standard for first-degree murder involves facts that show an individual planned another person’s death.

One courtroom observer said Mullins cried on the stand, which made an impression on the jury. A caustic cross examination from Murphy ended in several bench conferences with Marion County Circuit Court Judge Matthew Delligatti. Cursing could be heard as far as the backrow of the courtroom.

“The bailiff had to get in between both of the attorneys during that time to kind of separate them and they had to order the jury out as well,” one observer said. “But, both people apologized for that today. That’s definitely a professional move on their part.”

Mullins testified he took Silver’s life out of self defense. He told the jury he was scared for his life and was the only person in the parking lot with Silver. Mullins said the other individuals charged with Silver’s killing were upstairs with another co-defendant when the shooting happened.

Mullins claimed none of the other men charged with the crime knew Mullins was going to fire a gun and that he was the sole decision maker.

That contradicts the state’s case, which used eyewitness testimony from a 13-year-old boy to argue Mullins was not alone in the parking lot when he shot Silver. The witness said he saw two men leave the truck they arrived in and come up to the apartment he shared with his father, John Wolfe. Wolfe pointed Silver out and the men rushed back downstairs and shot Silver, according to previous testimony.

Also indicted for Silver’s murder are John Wolfe, Derek Clem, Dane Hull, Ryan Lane and Jonathan Biller. Wolfe and Clem have been convicted for the murder. A jury found Hull not guilty of the murder but still connected to the crime.

The state’s case is built on proving that the murder was a retaliation against Silver for committing adultery with the girlfriend of John Wolfe, secretary of the Central Chapter of the Pagan’s Motorcycle Club. From there, Murphy presented a grand unifying theory of the murder, arguing the intent which fueled the men’s actions was dictated by the creed laid out by the Pagan’s Motorcycle Club, itself considered a violent criminal organization by the U.S. Department of Justice.

The creed called for retribution for anyone who crossed the Pagans, Murphy said, brandishing copies of the creed found during the course of investigation to the jury.

Murphy assailed how Pagans view masculinity, calling it cowardly and weak for resorting to violence to solve problems and treating their romantic partners like property.

“What is the mark of a man,” Murphy said during his closing. “A man is someone who gives those who have less and carries burdens without recrimination. A man is not someone who uses violence and steals another man from his family and leaves them with a lifetime of grief.”

However, the complex, interconnected nature of the case presented a variety of links for Mullins’ defense to cut. Tipton drilled down into the inconsistencies in the testimony provided by several of the prosecution’s witnesses. Tipton pointed out Wolfe’s ex-girlfriend was a serial adulterer, one with several former partners who didn’t meet a violent end at the hands of the Pagans.

Key testimony from the 13 year old boy, Wolfe’s son, didn’t match up with a statement he made to the Child Advocacy Center in the initial stages of the investigation back in 2022. It was an inconsistency Tipton exploited to question how accurate the boy’s recollection was.

Instead, Tipton pointed to Silver’s own behavior that night, arguing his behavior of drunkenly pounding on Wolfe’s door to see the ex-girlfriend and refusing to leave is what led Wolfe to call his fellow club members for help and how Mullins ended up in a scuffle with Silver leading to Silver’s death. Tipton argued there was no intention to retaliate for having trespassed against the Pagans.

“Austin is not asking you to take the cuff’s off,” Tipton said. “He understands there are consequences for his actions. All I’m asking is you find him for a lesser offense.”

Both attorney’s battled around what frame of reference the jury would evaluate the case through. The jury decided against giving Murphy the first-degree murder conviction he sought, convicting Mullins of second-degree murder. The difference — the state considers second-degree murders crimes of passion, not premeditation, with the attendant consequences for the sentencing phase. The jury also cleared Mullins of the conspiracy charge.

It’s not clear what Mullins’ admission will have on the upcoming trials of Ryan Lane and Jonathan Biller. Mullins cleared Lane of any wrongdoing in the letters he wrote to Lane. The letters were entered into evidence for Mullins’ trial, perhaps opening a road to their use in the next two trials. The ruling and Mullins’ testimony may also have consequences for the three other convictions Murphy already secured.

“It’s a tough line of work,” Murphy said.

Mallorca hosts massive Hells Angels convention

Hundreds of members attend from all over Spain

Humphrey CarterJulio Bastida Palma January 27, 2025
https://www.majorcadailybulletin.com/news/local/2025/01/27/130731/mallorca-tourism-mallorca-hosts-massive-hells-angels-convention-hundreds-members-attend-from-all-over-spain.html

Hundreds of members of the infamous Hells Angels gang spent the weekend enjoying the delights of Palma wearing their characteristic ‘uniforms’. According to information that the Bulletin sister media outlet Ultima Hora has been able to access, just over a hundred members of this organisation gathered in Mallorca to hold one of their annual conventions.

The different chapters of the organisation spread out to different areas of the island in order to avoid attracting attention and to go as unnoticed as possible. It is known that most of the convention participants are located in hotels in the northern part of Mallorca. There are also some in the Playa de Palma.

For the time being, the only recorded incident on record was a minor altercation between several Hells Angels and security staff at one venue, which ended amicably between the two parties. In other venues, security staff refused access to the establishments as all members were wearing identification waistcoats accrediting them as members of the band.

On Sunday morning, many residents and tourists found a group of members of the Barcelona chapter of the gang strolling through the streets of Playa de Palma. Representatives from European countries are also known to have arrived. The last two incidents in which members of the Hells Angels have been involved on the island date back to March and August 2024.

At the beginning of August, the Guardia Civil arrested four members of ‘Los Angeles del Infierno’ for extorting money from a businessman in Llucmajor. The arrested men, who also stole a car from him, forced him to sign a debt document for 37,000 euros to one of the members of the organisation. They are accused of extortion, threats and belonging to a criminal group. The four ‘Hells Angels’, according to the Guardia Civil in a press release, offered themselves to a businessman from Llucmajor to intercede for him in a debt he had contracted with a man from another town.

The complainant agreed to go to a house alone with the arrested men and the other party. When the businessman arrived at the house, he was met by the four members of the biker group, who forced him to draw up and sign a debt obligation document towards one of the arrested men for 37,000 euros. 37,000. The arrested men then took his vehicle, which is valued at 45,000 euros.

A few months earlier, specifically, in March 2024, agents from the National Police Robbery Group arrested the leader of the Hells Angels of the Balearics and his lieutenant for the beating of a restaurateur in Playa de Palma. They are also accused of extortion for demanding 10,000 euros for letting him keep the premises open and operate normally. After the arrest, the accused were brought before the courts of Vía Alemania in Palma. The two detainees were released and a restraining order was issued against the victim and the premises in question.

Confessional letters admitted as evidence in Pagan’s murder trial in Marion County Circuit Court

Esteban Fernandez, Times West Virginian, Fairmont
Fri, January 24, 2025 at 9:48 AM EST

Jan. 24—FAIRMONT — Defense Attorney Kevin Tipton drilled into the state’s witnesses Thursday morning in the Austin Mullins murder trial in Marion County Circuit Court.

Tipton worked to disarm Marion County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Sean Murphy’s grand unifying theory of Henry Silver’s murder. But around 4 p.m., Murphy cut Tipton off from the illusion of hope when he introduced three letters Mullins wrote in which he admits the Sept. 2022 murder that took place at Carolina Arbors Apartments in Carolina.

I was watching the jury’s face during the testimony,” one courtroom observer said. “Their faces went from not guilty to guilty.

The state accuses Mullins of playing a role in the murder of Henry Silver. The trial is one of six trials seeking accountability for Silver’s killing. The state alleges Silver’s murder is a Pagan’s Motorcycle Club sanctioned hit that stemmed from infidelity between Silver and one of the club member’s girlfriends.

The state’s strategy in pursuing accountability for the murder has been to craft one grand unifying theory of why and how the murder took place, and then connect each of the six men to the greater narrative. However, the strategy has the downside of elevating the principles behind the crime, namely John Wolfe — who was convicted of Silver’s murder last year — while obscuring the other men the state accuses of participating in the murder.

That strategy leaves plenty of openings for a determined defense, which paid off in a previous trial for one of the co-defendants. Tipton hoped to deploy the same tactic while he searched inconsistencies and plot holes in testimony delivered by the prosecution’s witnesses.

Mullins himself was barely mentioned by the prosecution during day two of the trial, his most prominent mention being when Murphy asked a witness if Mullins had been at a meeting in which the state alleges the murder was planned by the motorcycle club.

Tipton’s strategy focused on damaging the credibility of the state’s witnesses. The strategy was especially punishing on one of the state’s witnesses, Wolfe’s ex-girlfriend. Tipton’s questioning reduced the woman to yes or no answers. Tipton asked questions about Silver’s drug use, and where and from whom he got the drugs. He also drew contrast between Wolfe and Silver.

Tipton framed Wolfe as calm and collected during his initial encounter with Silver on the night of the murder, while Silver was the violent, intoxicated individual the night of the murder.

An important element to the state’s case is Pagan’s customs and traditions, especially in how they treat their romantic partners. Murphy had two witnesses, Wolfe’s ex-girlfriend and a federal Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agent who specializes in motorcycle gangs, explain to the jury how women are considered property by members of the motorcycle club, and how anyone who interferes with said property will face violence from the club.

However, Tipton used the ex-girlfriend’s history of infidelity, not just with Silver but with others, against the prosecution’s case. He pointed out none of the other lovers the ex-girlfriend had were targeted for killing, attempting to cast doubt on the state’s assertion that this case had anything to do with the Pagan’s Motorcycle Club. When it came to the ATF witness, Tipton pointed out the expert had no information about the Pagan’s specific to the Fairmont chapter, only to the group as a national entity.

Tipton did whatever he could to put daylight between Mullins and any association with the Pagan’s, pointing out the state didn’t have Mullins’ club vest, only Wolfe’s. All of the physical evidence Murphy had shown the jury was connected to Wolfe.

What could have been most damaging to the prosecution’s case was cross-examination of Wolfe’s son. The son’s testimony was an, if not the most, important element of the prosecution’s case, because he could establish motive and was a witness to the act itself. The son testified he had overheard a meeting of Club members in Pleasant Valley where they agreed to “take care” of Silver.

He also saw two men flee from the parking lot outside the apartment he peered out during the crime, and saw Silver’s dead body on the pavement. Those men met with his father prior to shooting Silver.

However, testimony from the son’s cousin, Shane Arnold, cast doubt on whether the son had been able to overhear the club members’ conversation at all. The conversation took place in a garage with an apartment overhead. The son testified he overheard the conversation while in an upstairs bathroom upstairs that had poor insulation.

Arnold testified that not only were two televisions in the room with sound coming out of one, but that the son had been playing the game Fortnite with his headphones around his neck. The son was using the mic on the headphones to coordinate with his friends in the game. It’s not clear how the son was doing so if the headphones were broken like Arnold claimed.

Another ding to the son’s testimony was that he spent time playing outside while the meeting took place. Both of these elements cast doubt on whether the son actually heard what happened. Tipton also asked if the son had prepped his testimony before coming in, and the son replied that he had with the help of the prosecutor’s office. Tipton interrogated the child’s chain of events, finding enough inconsistencies to cast doubt on how clear a view the boy had of the shooting.

However, it was all for naught. Even Tipton knew it, telling the judge at an admissibility hearing earlier this week that if the letters come in, it’s over for his client. Murphy brought out Eric Swihart, Lane’s cellmate and messenger boy, to testify. Swihart delivered the letters Mullins wrote to Lane, and even discussed their contents with Mullins’ co-defendant.

Swihart was a reluctant witness, but said one sentence in particular stood out in the letters.

“They know who did it,” Swihart said, mumbling his recollection of what Mullins wrote. “They know I am the shooter.”

Tipton chose not to cross examine. If the case gets appealed to the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals, Tipton has a better chance of not getting overruled on something he argued during the trial if he stays silent.
Tipton chose a novel strategy for the defense portion of the trial, reserving his opening statement until after the prosecution rests their case. It’s not likely Mullins will have any witnesses to testify on his behalf, leading to closing arguments after Tipton delivers his opening. The strategy will then place Tipton with the most speaking time in front of the jury before they depart for deliberations.

The trial is scheduled to continue Friday.

Smith County jury sentences man to life for leading gang that murdered biker

By KLTV Digital Media Staff
Published: Jan. 21, 2025 at 5:46 PM ES

https://www.kltv.com/2025/01/21/kemp-man-sentenced-life-leading-gang-that-murdered-biker/
TYLER, Texas (KLTV) – A Kemp man who was found guilty on Friday has been sentenced to life in prison for directing a biker club in a way that resulted in murder.

Kevin Dale Higgins, 58, has been sentenced for his role as the national president of a gang, which links him to a string of criminal activities including aggravated assault and murder. Higgins’ original trial ended in December with a hung jury, and his retrial began Jan. 14.

On Tuesday, Jan. 21, he was sentenced to life in prison.

Jurors find undercover Pittsburgh cops used execessive force in 2018 brawl with Pagans

MEGAN GUZA Pittsburgh Post-Gazette January 15, 2025

https://www.post-gazette.com/news/crime-courts/2025/01/15/pittsburgh-pagans-kopys-police-lawsuit/stories/202501150066

A jury on Wednesday found that several Pittsburgh police officers used excessive force when they fought with and arrested a member of the Pagans motorcycle club during a 2018 bar brawl on the city’s South Side.

The jurors — five women and two men — awarded Frank DeLuca $70,000 in punitive damages, finding that his arrest more than six years ago amounted to malicious prosecution, and that two of the three officers named in his lawsuit used excessive force.

“I was happy with everything except the amounts,” James DePasquale, Mr. DeLuca’s attorney, said after the verdict.
He said the city of Pittsburgh offered to settle Mr. DeLuca’s lawsuit earlier this month, first for $400,000 and later $500,000 over two years. He said his client “instructed me to turn that down.”

He just wanted to go to trial,” Mr. DePasquale said. “He didn’t care about the money. I cared about the money.”
Jurors deliberated for about three hours.

The lawsuit stemmed from an Oct. 12, 2018, bar brawl that stemmed from an argument between four undercover narcotics detectives and four Pagans, including Mr. DeLuca, at Kopy’s bar on South 12th Street. The officers involved were: Detectives David Honick, Brian Burgunder, David Lincoln and Brian Martin. Detective Martin was not named in Mr. DeLuca’s lawsuit.

The city settled lawsuits brought by the three other men ahead of the trial, which began Monday.
While the jury found that Detectives Honick and Lincoln used excessive force against Mr. DeLuca, they awarded only nominal damages in terms of compensation for lost wages and medical bills. Nominal damages are awarded when a jury believes a plaintiff’s rights were violated but that no real monetary harm was suffered.

In this case, the jurors awarded nominal damages of $3 — one dollar for each officer.

In terms of punitive damages — money awarded to Mr. DeLuca to punish the officers — the jury ordered Detectives Honick and Lincoln to pay $20,000 each and Detective Burgunder to pay $30,000. Those damages are covered by the city.

“I was socially profiled by dirty cops. They’ve been getting away with it for years,” Mr. DeLuca said. “Now anyone can see that they’re dirty.”

Attorneys for the three officers declined to comment after the verdict was read.

Earlier this week, U.S. District Judge Cathy Bissoon dismissed Mr. DeLuca’s claims against the city, which took aim at the fact the city had no policy prohibiting undercover officers from drinking to excess while on duty. The city, Mr. DePasquale argued, should have known that such a policy was necessary.

The judge dismissed that claim at the request of the officers’ attorneys after former Public Safety Director Wendell Hissrich testified Tuesday that he knew of no other incidents involving undercover officers drinking to excess. Judge Bissoon said that because there were no prior incidents, the city couldn’t have known such a policy would be necessary.

Video footage from inside Kopy’s showed the officers drinking for hours before the Pagans arrived at the bar late on Oct. 11, 2018. The footage showed the men consuming what appeared to be copious amounts of alcohol: Detective Honick around 20 shots of Jack Daniels, Detective Burgunder around 17 vodka sodas in pint glasses, a shot, and a beer and Detective Lincoln about six liquor drinks and a beer.

“Outrageous — it is outrageous that those four police officers got so drunk using taxpayer money and then, like they were a gang, looked for a fight with people minding their own business,” Mr. DePasquale said in his closing arguments to the jury Wednesday morning.

Mr. DeLuca and the three other Pagans — Michael Zokaites, Bruce Thomas and Erik Heitzenrater — were arrested in the aftermath of the fight that Mr. DeLuca contended the undercover officers started when they began arguing and jawing with the Pagans. The brawl broke out when Mr. DeLuca pushed Detective Honick — just as uniformed officers, responding to calls from the undercover officers, walked into the bar.

The Pagans were charged with five counts of aggravated assault on police officers, conspiracy, and riot. The affidavit of probable cause was signed by Detective Burgunder. All charges were later dropped.

Attorneys for the officers stressed to jurors that the hour leading up to the brawl doesn’t matter. The only actions in question are those that came after Mr. DeLuca shoved the detective. That the officers were drinking, attorneys said, doesn’t matter.

“This case is about those two minutes [after the shove] and, for Detective Honick, 10 seconds,” said Michael Comber, Detective Honick’s attorney. He said his client’s actions — a few attempted strikes to Mr. DeLuca’s head of the course of a few seconds — were minimal and, given the circumstances, reasonable.

Albert Veverka, attorney for Detective Lincoln, said the force couldn’t be excessive because it wasn’t even effective — Mr. DeLuca, he alleged, continued to resist arrest for several minutes after he was hit by Detective Lincoln. Mr. DeLuca previously testified he did not know the plainclothes men were police officers; rather, he said, he believed he was “fighting for [his] life.”