LOS . The Clarksville Mongols terrorized communities in Tennessee and Kentucky for far too long, said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. The U.S. Attorney's office asked him whether he is - or ever was - any sort of informant for the ATF or for any state or federal agency. We've received your submission. Millions of high-quality images, video, and music options are waiting for you. The club is headquartered in Southern California and was originally formed in Montebello, California, in 1969. [23], Operation Black Rain was an operation by the ATF in 2008 to stop alleged criminal activity within the Mongols. [21] Martinez faces the death penalty if convicted. [26][27] The club president Ruben Cavazos and others pleaded guilty to the racketeering charge, and Cavazos was sentenced to serve 14 years in the penitentiary. "I wanted him to feel kind of what I was feeling, the shame and embarrassment and betrayal. All rights reserved. Stubbs described Mongol ideals: "It goes to some core beliefs. During the call, Santillan is heard talking about John Cicconne, the lead ATF agent on the case. Current estimates put its ranks at around 2,000 full-patched members. The Mongols Motorcycle Club was established on December 5, 1969 in Montebello, California, a city just east of East Los Angeles. The Vietnam vets that made up the majority of its ranks quickly turned the Mongols from a ragtag collection of riders into a tightly organized unit run with the same regimented nature and discipline theyd experienced in Vietnam. Within just five years of its creation, chapters had sprung up in Los Angeles, San Diego, Bakersfield, Long Beach, San Gabriel Valley, and San Fernando Valley. The sheriff categorized the group as an organized crime syndicate with national reach. Ben's been focusing on the auto and motorcycle sector since 2005. Racketeering conspiracy; conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine; money laundering conspiracy; assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering; firearm offenses; conspiracy to tamper with a witness and witness tampering; and kidnapping. Life in prison with a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years for the drug offense and seven years for the firearms offense to be served consecutive to all other sentences. Judge M. L. Villar, at the preliminary hearing, added a special gang allegation to the capital murder charges after the prosecution connected him to a Mongols chapter in Montebello, California. In addition, the Clarksville Mongols engaged in widespread violence and, from spring 2015 to spring 2017, they distributed more than 50 pounds of nearly 100% pure methamphetamine, worth approximately $1 million, through their drug trafficking enterprise, in an effort to establish themselves as the areas dominant motorcycle club. "He was afraid, and I think he turned on his loyalty to the club to protect himself. The Mongols Motorcycle Club was formed in Southern California, and today, the West Coast is still the club's stronghold. An official website of the United States government. Anyone can read what you share. As a result, a rivalry arose between the two clubs, which resulted in the Mongols exerting force in order to establish a dominant presence in southern California. Yanny said they had more than just casual run-ins. Jorge Gil-Blanco, a retired intelligence officer from the San Jose Police Department who serves as an expert witness on the Mongols in court, opined, "You only see what they want you to see. Come over and get in the know with everything happening in the Biker Scene. Members and associates of the Clarksville Mongols engaged in a host of violent criminal activities, including murder, attempted murder, assault, kidnapping, robbery, extortion, witness tampering, money laundering, interstate travel in aid of racketeering, and large-scale drug trafficking. Current estimates put its ranks at around 2,000 full-patched members. Dave repeated, "Nicely. Boards are the best place to save images and video clips. agent over the years because it helped avert trouble. Mr. Santillan holding a photo of himself with fellow Mongols members. In the second phase of that wide-ranging, eight-week trial, the jury found that the Mongols must give up their rights to the emblem, which is emblazoned on the vests, T-shirts and motorcycles of hundreds of members. On October 23, 2008, US District Court Judge Florence-Marie Cooper granted an injunction that prohibits club members, their family members and associates from wearing, licensing, selling, or distributing the logo, which typically depicts the profile of a Mongolian warrior wearing sunglasses, because according to the police, they use the logo and names as an identity and as a form of intimidation to fulfill their goals. After being turned away because of their Hispanic heritage, they decided to take matters into their own hands and form their own club. The Mongols MC is ecstatic that they could successfully defend the First Amendment for themselves and all motorcycle clubs, the clubs general counsel, Stephen Stubbs, said. [T]hey can be very nice individuals but as a whole they're involved in criminal activity, and it's important that people understand that. Their reputation for drug trafficking, violence, turf wars, money laundering, extortion, firearms violations, and more besides puts them in contention for the title of the USs biggest, baddest MC. On February 23, 2007, Hells Angels members James Hannigan and Rodney Cox were sentenced to two years in prison for their respective roles in the incident. Patches are all important to Mongols club members Uncleroo/Shutterstock Cole was kidnapped and transported to a shed in Trenton, Kentucky, where he was interrogated, tortured, and beaten for hours prior to being murdered. The Mongols Motorcycle Club was formed in California in the late 1960s. "I know we've had a rapport and I always looked out for you and you were always respectful. He added that the First Amendment bars the government from using forfeiture laws in racketeering cases to chill this expression.. There violence basically consists of serious crimes, every type of organised crime, murder, embezzlement, and drug dealing; which also includes buying drugs and guns. A federal judge in California has refused to order the Mongols motorcycle gang to forfeit its trademarked logo. According to a report by CNN (available on YouTube), newly accepted members receive patches upon their acceptance into the club. The Mongols are now claiming that throughout their attempt to defend the club in the long-running criminal case, their own leader was secretly talking to the government. The Getty Images design is a trademark of Getty Images. When the Clarksville Mongols learned that Bradley had failed to accede to their demands, she was kidnapped and murdered in the woods behind a cemetery in Bumpus Mills, Tennessee. Life in prison, with a mandatory minimum sentence of: life in prison for murder; and 10 years for the drug and firearm offenses to be served consecutive to all other sentences. When the AMC eventually gave rise to the phrase one-percenter club in the early 1970s, the Mongols were most definitely one of them. On one occasion during the trial, Judge Carter expressed his displeasure to lawyers for both sides after being told by a U.S. The Mongol Nations and its members right to express their identity through the noncommercial display of symbols constitutes speech subject to First Amendment protections, Judge Carter wrote in the ruling released Thursday. Despite certain members of the club wearing the symbols while committing violent crimes or being rewarded with other patches for the commission of crimes that did not justify the forfeiture of the logo, Judge Carter wrote. The club was ordered to pay a $500,000 fine in what prosecutors hoped would be a down payment on putting it out of business. The decision upended years of efforts by prosecutors to weaken the Mongols, which a federal jury in January deemed a criminal enterprise after finding the group guilty of racketeering and racketeering conspiracy for the crimes of murder, attempted murder and drug dealing. Mongols member Christopher Ablett turned himself in to authorities in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, on October 4, 2008, after going on the run for the murder of Hells Angels President Mark "Papa" Guardado in San Francisco, California, earlier that year. [1] Law enforcement officials estimate approximately 2,000 full-patched members are in the club. Loyalty, honor, and respect among members were integral to the clubs early vision. Mongols MC: The club talks about being in Fort Worth. LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- There's a new twist in a federal case already marked by murder and mayhem. 10 Their Motto Is Bigger, Better, Stronger! A Florida member of the infamous Mongols Motorcycle Club has been indicted for taking part in the brutal execution of a suspected snitch from another gang, officials said. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. In fact, it was the Vietnam War that gave us one of the most notorious clubs around, the Mongols Motorcycle Club. The site compares the code to that used by the military and notes that club members use them to communicate when other methods are unavailable or when they want the content of their conversations to remain private. Whats more, Judge Carter wrote, There is no evidence that forfeiture of collective membership marks will lead to a less violent or capable organization., [Read: How to Crush an Outlaw Biker Club: Seize Its Logo?]. Mr. Santillan provided records from the cases to show he had been convicted of offenses including driving under the influence, leaving the scene of an accident and disturbing the peace, and that he had been arrested, fined and put on probation. "John told me that I have one year, one year," Santillan says in the call. I'd be willing to take a bullet for a brother and a brother who'd be willing to take a bullet for me." Police officers in conjunction with ATF agents and other agencies bring members of the Mongols outlaw motorcycle club into custody Tuesday morning at. Racketeering conspiracy; conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine; money laundering conspiracy; assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering; conspiracy to commit robbery affecting interstate commerce and robbery affecting interstate commerce; kidnapping; and firearm offenses. The artist laughed and said no; there was a whole chain of command necessary in order to obtain the right to get such as tattoo. Despite their small numbers, they cut a swathe through their enemies something the Mongols have paid homage to with their motto of Quantity, not Quality.. Innocent citizens do occasionally get caught in the crossfire, but as onepercenterbikers.com notes, that old maxim of stay out of their way and they will stay out of yours generally rings true. Copyright 2023 KABC Television, LLC. The belief that the government should stay out of our lives. Initially, it served as A maker of radio components; however, in the 1930s, the firm opened up A new factory in, Read More A Closer Look at The 2014 Ducati 1199 / 1299 PanigaleContinue, The Harley Davidson V-Rod was unquestionably one of the most special motorcycles ever produced. [2] [17] He was convicted of murder in aid of racketeering and three gun charges on February 23, 2012, in San Francisco. David Santillan, the president of the Mongols, was ousted by the group after a video surfaced that implied he was being protected by a federal agent. accidentally killed himself with his bike as a novice licence holder briefly after the chapter's foundation. There could be a particular concern that the defense lawyer was unwittingly receiving directions from someone aligned with the government, he said. Although the focus of the clubs still centered on racing, a new form of rebellion started to creep in. The group has about 1,200 members in the United States, most of them Hispanic, and numerous chapters around the world. and other law enforcement agencies have long gone after biker organizations by co-opting members as informants and infiltrating the groups with their own undercover agents. agent. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Michael Tyrone Delaney for The New York Times. Free to Subscribe to the YouTube Channel Members and associates of the Mongols Motorcycle Club converged on the patio of a popular Las Vegas, New Mexico, hotel and saloon the evening of Oct. 23, unaware that they were under surveillance by club president David Santillan denies that the club as a whole is a criminal enterprise, and attorneys for the club claim that it has changed its code of conduct to exclude drug abusers and criminals. He's written over 1000 articles in the space and continues to learn about it each day. Like other motorcycle clubs, the Mongols have a variety of rules they have to follow. The main back patches, or rockers, are earned in three steps, starting with the bottom one that indicates the location of the club, followed by the middle Genghis Khan patch, and finally the top Mongols patch, indicating full Mongol membership. The U.S. Attorneys Office had earlier tried and failed to force the Mongols to forfeit their rights to the clubs trademarked logo, a drawing of a brawny Genghis Khan-like figure riding a chopper while brandishing a sword, a landmark case that prosecutors felt would help weaken the club by undermining its visual identity. Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca speaks during a news conference in 2008 with the trademarked Mongols logo seen on a motorcycle at right. Members and associates of the Clarksville Mongols interrogated Bradley, threatening her and demanding that she should not mention the Mongols again. In my opinion, the only reason the government brought this RICO case was to take another run at the patch, having failed each time in the past, said George L. Steele, a lawyer for the Mongols who is handling a separate appeal in the case. One of Paternosters alleged killers, Mongol member Paul Pogilevsky, has been hit with a first-degree murder charge in connection with the slaying. He's accused of being a confidential informant and working with the government during the Mongols' trial after his wife, Annie, shared a June 2021 recorded phone conversation with other members of the biker gang calling him a rat. Officer Diamond died at dawn, October 29, 2014, at Huntington Memorial Hospital. While affirming the jurys guilty verdicts on racketeering charges, the courts ruling nullifies the jurys finding that these marks are a core component of the Mongols decades-long pattern of murder, assault and drug trafficking, Mr. Mrozek said. More recently, David Martinez was charged with the fatal shooting of Pomona Police SWAT Team member, Shaun Diamond. Consisting of a large majority of ex-servicemen that had served in the war, the Hells Angels quickly started to gain a reputation for all the wrong reasons. A total of 10 Tampa-based Mongols were arrested in January in connection with a gang killing in Colorado. Mr. Dulaney said that Mr. Santillan instituted new policies, like no more club-driven drug business, and made it mandatory that members had to have a motorcycle and things like a valid drivers license and registration and a job.. Trial Attorney Matthew P. Mattis of the Justice Departments Organized Crime and Gang Section and Assistant U.S. Now the Mongols want a new trial and say their former president, David Santillan, was a confidential informant for the ATF. The unusual legal imbroglio provides a rare glimpse into the hidden and volatile politics of the outlaw motorcycle club and the degree to which law enforcement and its targets may engage in limited cooperation when it is seen as mutually beneficial. This gang has between five hundred and six hundred latinos and due to expansion of alliances, more members of the group will worry citizens because these type of members commit various crimes, they can increase the drug rate to others. 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