Outlaws Motorcycle Club member pleads guilty to gun charge
Buffalo News December 27, 2024
https://buffalonews.com › news › local › crime-courts
An Outlaws Motorcycle Club member who pleaded guilty Friday to a gun charge has already been in jail for a good portion of what federal guidelines suggest for a sentence. Scott Barnes, 56, a union electrician whom prosecutors have described as a national enforcer for the Outlaws, has been in jail since December 2023.
Nevada Supreme Court files ruling in 2022 Hells Angels I-11 shooting
By FOX5 Staff
Published: Dec. 27, 2024 at 12:58 PM EST|Updated: 1 hour ago
https://www.fox5vegas.com/2024/12/27/nevada-supreme-court-files-ruling-2022-hells-angels-i-11-shooting/
LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – The Nevada Supreme Court ruled Thursday that the Hells Angels motorcycle club is a “criminal gang” under state law.
The ruling stems from a freeway shooting back in 2022.
It now allows a Clark County District Court case involving the shooting to move forward.
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.
Prosecutors have said the shooting may have been in retaliation for a previous murder in California involving the two groups.
Copyright 2024 KVVU. All rights reserved.
Forfeited B.C. Hells Angels clubhouse sold to City of Kelowna
The Kelowna property, located at 837 Ellis St., is assessed at $1.25 million. The property was built in 1996 and listed as a one-bedroom, two-bathroom detached house, measuring approximately 2,000 square feet.
Stephanie Ip Vancouver Sun Dec 19, 2024
https://vancouversun.com/news/forfeited-bc-hells-angels-clubhouse-sold-kelowna-ellis-street
A former Hells Angels clubhouse seized by the province has been sold to the City of Kelowna.
The sale was finalized on Thursday, according to a statement issued by Public Safety Minister and Solicitor General Gary Begg.
“In February 2023, three Hells Angels clubhouses in Vancouver, Kelowna and Nanaimo were forfeited to the province — a major victory — following more than a decade of legal proceedings,” said Begg.
“Today, the government has finalized the sale of the former Hells Angels Kelowna clubhouse to the City of Kelowna, marking the next step in addressing organized crime in British Columbia.”
The Kelowna property, at 837 Ellis St., is assessed at $1.25 million. The property was built in 1996 and listed as a one-bedroom, two bathroom detached house, measuring about 2,000 square feet.
A City of Kelowna spokesperson declined to share the purchase price when reached by Postmedia News but said the city used funds from the land sales reserve for the purchase.
“The city strategically acquires lands as they become available to meet the evolving needs and priorities of the community,” the spokesperson said in an emailed statement. “We’re working to determine the best use for this land in the future.”
In an emailed statement to Postmedia, a spokesperson with the Ministry of Public Safety said the procedure for selling off seized assets is “dependent on the unique circumstances of each case.” They could not share the sale price, as the sale had not yet been registered with the land titles office.
It was one of three properties B.C.’s Court of Appeal had ordered handed over to the province’s Civil Forfeiture Office in 2023, after a 2020 B.C. Supreme Court ruling allowed the organized crime group to keep the clubhouses.
The other two properties are at 805 Victoria Rd. in Nanaimo and 3598 East Georgia St. in Vancouver. The clubhouses were used for meetings and special events, some attended by hundreds of Hells Angels members.
The B.C. Civil Forfeiture Office is tasked with ensuring people can’t profit from criminal activity, and seizing the proceeds of such activity. Since the office was established in 2006, it has collected about $155 million worth of seizures, much of it given to crime prevention initiatives. A total of $82 million has been disbursed to crime prevention and community safety grants, while $1.6 million has gone to compensate victims.
The agency first went after the group’s Nanaimo clubhouse in 2007. The government agency later turned their attention in 2012 to also include the Kelowna and east Vancouver clubhouses. It argued that the venues would likely be used for more crime in the future, as they had in the past.
In late 2023, the Nanaimo clubhouse was demolished. The east Vancouver clubhouse was listed for sale in late 2023 but has since been taken off the market, according to online listings.
In a statement, a ministry spokesperson said “the sale of the other two forfeited Hells Angels clubhouse properties will be made public when details are available.” They did not confirm whether that meant the other two clubhouses had already been sold and not yet announced or if it meant the two properties remain on the market.
In announcing the sale of the Kelowna clubhouse, Begg said the province retains what’s called “right of entry, a new tool that means the Civil Forfeiture Office will be able to take the property back if it is ever acquired and used by organized crime in the future.”
Begg said the sale of the property “puts organized crime on notice” and was an opportunity for the City of Kelowna to convert the “problematic property … into an asset for the community.”
Hells Angels-linked Canadian gangster killed in targeted Mexico hit
Mathieu ‘Barbu’ Bélanger, 39, was on the run from a Canada-wide warrant
Brad Hunter Toronto Sun December 23, 2024
https://torontosun.com/news/world/hells-angels-linked-canadian-gangster-killed-in-targeted-mexico-hit
Death came calling under the warm Mexican sun for a man wanted for drug trafficking and links to the Hells Angels.
Cops say Mathieu “Barbu” Bélanger, 39, of Repentigny, Quebec, who was on the run from a Canada-wide warrant, was killed in a targeted hit in Playa del Carmen on Saturday.
Belanger was shot to death by two gun-wielding motorcyclists as he climbed into his new luxury Jeep SUV at a shopping plaza in the middle of the day.
Journal de Montreal reports that Belanger was part of a cartel that exported massive quantities of cocaine to Quebec and the rest of Canada. The paper said he was a high-ranking member of the gang.
He had been wanted by the SQ for unauthorized possession of a firearm, negligent use of a firearm and improper storage.
Belanger then fled Canada with his partner, Andrée-Anne Vignola Sullivan, 33, and their three children. She is also wanted in connection with the investigation.
The family had been living in Playa del Carmen using bogus Mexican documents for the past two years. South of the Rio Grande, he continued to be a major player in the cocaine trade, police sources told JDM.
Now, cops in Mexico are attempting to piece together the connection between Belanger, the Hells Angels and the hyper-violent Mexican drug cartels.
He was found dead in the driver’s seat of his black Jeep, which did not have licence plates.
Detectives said Belanger had been shot five times in the head. He had just left a local gym and was alone at the time of the hit.
Forensics officers found more than a dozen empty shell casings at the crime scene.
According to cops, both Belanger and his wife were considered fugitives and determined to be part of the criminal organization supplying cocaine to the Hells Angels.
Local investigators were reportedly onto the couple and he was arrested by Playa del Carmen police in April.
Belanger was stopped by the SSC of Solidaridad in a federal highway roadblock and arrested after police found a revolver, ammunition and what appeared to be a large quantity of methamphetamines in his vehicle.
He was later released.
In recent years, Canadian criminals have found sun-kissed Mexico a dangerous place.
Last December, another Canadian criminal with tight ties to the Angels was murdered at a Cancun gym. Samy Tamouro, 37, had earlier been busted in a massive narcotics sweep in Montreal.
In 2022, two Canadian gangsters were gunned down in the Hotel Xcaret south of Playa del Carmen. The targeted men were Robert James Dinh, also known as Cong Dinh, and Thomas Cheruka, both aged 34.
Mob hitman Michael Graham Cudmore, 39, of Hamilton, was killed in 2020.
Cops say Cudmore was the triggerman in the murder of Mob scion Angelo Musitano, 39, in 2017. The murder triggered three years of bloodshed in the southern Ontario underworld.
Two months earlier, he allegedly shot to death Mila Barberi, 28, in Vaughan. The bullets were intended for a boyfriend with organized crime connections.
Cudmore died of a suspected drug overdose.
Another suspect in the bloodshed was Cudmore’s mentor, Daniele Ranieri, 34, a volatile Toronto enforcer. The pair reportedly hooked up in Mexico.
Ranieri’s body was found trussed up, executed and dumped in a ditch in Mexico in 2018.
President Biden grants clemency to Levelland gang leader Bobby Froman
By KCBD Staff
Published: Dec. 18, 2024 at 11:52 PM EST
https://www.kcbd.com/2024/12/19/president-biden-grants-clemency-levelland-gang-leader-bobby-froman/
LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) – Bobby Duwayne Froman, former leader of a Levelland motorcycle gang and admitted meth trafficker, has been granted clemency by President Biden.
Froman pleaded guilty in 2009 for his role in bringing meth from California to West Texas.
He admitted to recruiting his gang to transport cash from Lubbock and Levelland to California, pick up pounds of the drug and bring it back to Texas.
Froman was arrested along with 28 co-defendants, including two former Hockley County sheriff’s deputies.
He was sentenced to 20 years in prison and was set to be released in December of 2026.
Copyright 2024 KCBD. All rights reserved.
Date set for retrial of motorcycle gang leader accused in connection to ETX biker’s death
Lauren Tear KLTV Dec. 16, 2024
https://www.kltv.com/2024/12/16/date-set-retrial-motorcycle-gang-leader-accused-connection-etx-bikers-death/
TYLER, Texas (KLTV) – The re-trial date for a Kemp man accused of ordering the murder of an East Texas motorcyclist has been set.
Kevin Dale Higgins, 58, will be back in a Smith County courtroom in January 13, 2025, one month after the jury failed to reach a verdict in Higgins original trial.
Higgins is alleged to be the national president of the Ugly Man Cossacks motorcycle club. He was arrested in April in connection with the murder of rival club member Brandon Edwards, of Ben Wheeler, who was shot to death in Arp on May 2, 2020.
Higgins first trial began December 10 before ending in a hung jury on December 13.
U
Alleged Grim Reapers Motorcycle Club member arrested after Evansville stabbing
Houston Harwood, Evansville Courier & Press December 16, 2024
https://www.yahoo.com/news/alleged-grim-reapers-motorcycle-club-182150445.html
EVANSVILLE — Sheriff’s deputies arrested an alleged member of Evansville’s notorious Grim Reapers Motorcycle Club Friday night, accusing him of an assault and a stabbing.
The Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office identified the alleged member as 59-year-old Everett Julian Wade Jr., of Dixie, Kentucky. Wade Jr., who reportedly goes by the nickname “Dunner,” faces one preliminary count of attempted murder, a Level 1 felony.
Superior Court Judge Robert Pigman ordered Wade Jr. to be held at the Vanderburgh County jail on a $1 million bond, according to court records.
Deputies began their investigation Friday night after the victim contacted emergency dispatchers to report the stabbing, according to a sheriff’s office news release.
Detectives described the scene of the incident as a property in the 3500 block of North St. Joseph Avenue that appeared to be a Grim Reapers clubhouse. Deputies also travelled to Deaconess Midtown to speak with the victim.
As of last month, the federal government was listed as the owner of the Grim Reapers’ former headquarters along East Diamond Avenue. The government seized the property after a federal investigation determined the group ran a large-scale methamphetamine trafficking ring out of the building.
After a 2019 raid and a slew of indictments in 2020, 15 people were sentenced on felony charges ranging from conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine to various firearm offenses.
Friday night, deputies secured the North St. Joseph Avenue property and located several people who were present during the stabbing. None were cooperative and all denied having witnessed anything untoward, according to the sheriff’s office.
“A potential suspect, Everett Julian Wade Jr., also known as ‘Dunner,’ was located and transported to the Sheriff’s Operations Center for an interview,” the release states. “It is believed that Wade is a member of the Grim Reapers, although the victim is not associated with the club.”
The victim suffered an apparent stab wound to their chest and reportedly told detectives he was jumped and beaten by several men before the stabbing. Deputies said they observed blood on Wade Jr.’s clothing and hands.
“A search of the clubhouse resulted in the seizure of several knives,” the release goes on to state. “It appeared that the scene had been cleaned prior to deputies’ arrival and the securing of the property.”
Wade Jr. reportedly declined to speak with investigators about the alleged incident. He appeared in Vanderburgh County Superior Court for an initial hearing Monday morning.
Houston Harwood can be contacted at houston.harwood@courierpress.com
This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Alleged ‘Grim Reapers’ member arrested after Evansville stabbing
Jury dismissed, unable to reach verdict in Cossacks motorcycle murder trial
By Lauren Tear
Published: Dec. 12, 2024 at 12:49 PM EST| Updated: Dec. 13, 2024 at 8:06 PM EST
https://www.kltv.com/2024/12/12/biker-gang-former-second-command-testifies-murder-trial-national-club-president/
TYLER, Texas (KLTV) – The trial for a biker club president accused of ordering the murder of an East Texas motorcyclist continued Friday, but had an unexpected ending.
At 6:30 p.m., the jury was dismissed after being unable to reach a verdict. The defense attorney calling it a hung jury. No word yet on when or if the trial may be begun again with a new jury.
Kevin Dale Higgins, 58, is reported to be the national president of the Ugly Man Cossacks motorcycle club. He was arrested in April in connection with the murder of rival club member Brandon Edwards, of Ben Wheeler, who was shot and killed in Arp on May 2, 2020.
Previous court hearings have established that Edwards was a member of the 1%er Cossacks, a rival club that split from the original Ugly Man Cossacks after a 2015 shooting in Waco. Three men have been convicted in Edwards’ shooting death, and Higgins now faces up to life in prison if convicted of giving the “smash on site” order to his members. The defense has been alluding towards shifting the blame from Higgins, the national president of the club, to his second in command, national sergeant-at-arms Chad Michael Crowell, of Eustace. Crowell has also been charged with directing street gang activities.
The state began day three of the trial by calling Crowell to the stand. He confirmed that he was a close confidant of Higgins’ who as the national president chose Crowell to assume the role of national sergeant of
arms.
Crowell said Joshua Tibbits, of Waco, would have been the one most likely to have shot Edwards.
Tibbits has been convicted of engaging in organized criminal activity in Edwards’ murder and is serving a sentence of 45 years. He testified in Higgins trial Wednesday, confirming the groups chain of command but making it clear he would not be a compliant witness.
Crowell joined the Ugly Man Cossacks in 2015 when he was living and working in West Texas, introduced to the club by a friend. He began as a probate, immediately awarded patches and quickly climbed to ranks of the sergeant of arms positions until reaching the national level.
In his time as Higgins’ national sergeant of arms, he testified every command was either given or authorized by the National President.
“That was one of his biggest things is you didn’t do anything without him knowing it,” he said.
Crowell compared himself to a light switch, controlled by the commands of his superior, Higgins.
“Pretty much the way it was explained to me is ‘I turn you on, I turn you off. As a SA, you have no, you have no authority, and I come to you and say, hey, I need you to do this, I’m turning you on, and as soon as I tell you not to, I turn you off, and that’s all you are.’ That was Doc’s motto.”
After the Edwards murder, Crowell said he began to distance himself and stopped responding to requests from Higgins. He was contemplating leaving for months before the murder but feared the threat of violence and even death.
“What I knew, what was going on, [Higgins] would’ve never let me leave.”
To get out without serious repercussions, Higgins said he started a relationship with a woman in law enforcement and made it public knowledge to those in the club. According to Crowell, this was against the bylaws of the club and he therefore was able to get out.
He said he leads a different lifestyle now after leaving group five years before his arrest. He said he has since committed himself to Christ and wants to tell the truth.
Previous testimony from the other former club members claimed that Crowell used his repo business to track license plate numbers of suspected 1%ers. Crowell denied this.
The defense said that all Crowell has as proof of Higgins’ guilt is his word.
The next witness for the state was Texas DPS Special Agent Clay Stillman, who is based in Longview. Stillman specialized in organized crime, gangs and large-scale conspiracy. Stillman said he is very familiar with organized crime conspirators. He testified on his work with the Edwards investigation, recalling a string of violent surveillance operations prior to the murder.
4 men plead not guilty to charges in deadly Portland biker gang clash
by CBS 13 Bangor Maine December 13, 2024
4 men plead not guilty to charges in deadly Portland biker gang clash
Four men accused of being involved in a deadly confrontation involving two rival biker gangs were back in court on Thursday.
Jason Keenan, 45, of Bath; James Moody, 30, of Bowdoin; Caleb Pelkey, 33, of Portland; and Nathan Walsh, 48, of Lewiston pleaded not guilty to elevated aggravated assault and conspiracy to commit elevated aggravated assault charges, according to the Portland Press Herald.
Kaleb Cidre, 22, of Windham also pleaded not guilty to those charges last week, the Press Herald reported.
Over the summer, what started a disagreement between two rival biker gangs turned deadly. That stemmed from a fight at a Westbrook bar earlier in the day, the Press Herald reported.
The shooting happened about 8:45 p.m. on July 30 on Forest Avenue, near Morrill’s Corner.
Witnesses reported hearing as many as seven gunshots.
The shooting left four people wounded, one of whom — 54-year-old Susan McHugh of Gray — succumbed to her injuries the next day. Her death has been ruled a homicide.
A 45-year-old man from New Hampshire, a 48-year-old man from Yarmouth and a 51-year-old from Gray were all treated and released from the hospital over subsequent days.
Aaron Karp, 47, was taken into custody on Aug. 8 at the Portland police station, where he surrendered after learning an arrest warrant was issued for him. He faces a murder charge in the death of McHugh.
The other men were involved in the confrontation before the gunfire, according to police. They are due back in court in April.
BDN writer Christopher Burns contributed to this report.
Witness says biker club leader accused of ETX murder sought to avoid conflict
https://www.kltv.com/2024/12/13/trial-club-president-accused-east-texas-biker-death-starts-with-attorney-found-contempt/
By Colten Sneed KLTV Published: Dec. 13, 2024
TYLER, Texas (KLTV) – The defense began their arguments Friday in the trial for a biker club president accused of ordering the murder of an East Texas motorcyclist.
Kevin Dale Higgins, 58, is reported to be the national president of the Ugly Man Cossacks motorcycle club. He was arrested in April in connection with the murder of rival club member Brandon Edwards, of Ben Wheeler, who was shot to death in Arp on May 2, 2020.
The defense began their counter argument in the case, strongly emphasizing the possibility that the club’s second in command, sergeant at arms, Chad Michael Crowell, of Eustace, is responsible.
Crowell has been charged with directing street gang activities.
he defense first called former Cossack member Tiger Goldens to the stand.
Goldens said he has known Higgins since joining the group nearly twenty years ago. Goldens said he served as the club’s national secretary before retiring in April.
He testified Higgins did not murder or harm anyone. Instead, Goldens said Higgins was fair and tried to avoid conflict, even stopping a gathering of manpower Edwards tried to organize.
He said Higgins did not order the “smash on sight,” testifying Crowell acted on his own.
He also mentioned Higgins was later removed from presidency by a hostile takeover and most presidents were removed by force.
During cross examination, Goldens told the defense a ‘smash on sight’ order was never made during a meeting, but agreed the order can be made outside of meetings, saying, “anything is possible.”
Goldens also said the sergeant of arms can do whatever he wants without reprimand, responsible only for the people who rank underneath him.
If Higgins is convicted, he will face a sentence up to life in prison.
Earlier Friday, before testimony could begin, Attorney Erick Platten stepped out to talk to a witness in the hall. Judge Reeve Jackson came into the court and started yelling at Platten in what Platten said was a misunderstanding.
“Mr. Platten don’t say anything else,” Jackson said. “During voir dire, you began with obnoxious, demeaning and disrespectful comments towards this court’s rulings. And I let them go because we weren’t going to deal with moving 90 people in and out to address your behavior. Now I am done. I am Mr. Platten. I am done. I’m going to give you instructions. You’re going to follow them. You can say and think whatever you like about them as soon as you leave. But while you are in here, you will do no more and no less than exactly what you were ordered to do. Is that understood?”
Jackson warned Platten to stop talking but Platten kept responding to Jackson.
“I need to know your orders,” Platten said.
My order is sit down,” Jackson said. “Stop talking to witnesses who are represented by counsel. That’s three times.”
“You asked me to get them,” Platten said.
Jackson then told Platten he was finding Platten in contempt and he would have to see a judge to address the finding.
“Mr. Platten this court is going to find that you are in contempt,” Jackson said. “This case will be sent over to the presiding judge for appointment of a mutual magistrate to review that contempt proceeding. I suggest you say nothing else.”
Jackson then walked out of the courtroom before later returning to proceed with the trial.