mongols motorcycle club

Theyre sending a message when they do that, he said. "All I wanted to do was to tarnish his image," says Annie Santillan. 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 crews shared a clubhouse in Tampa, he said. The Mongols MC was formed in California as a one-percenter group in 1969 and has its presence in more than 14 states in the US, as well as having many international chapters. [17] He was convicted of murder in aid of racketeering and three gun charges on February 23, 2012, in San Francisco. According to the website One Percenters Bikers, this term came to be in response to statement made in 1947 by the American Motorcycle Association that 99% of motorcyclists are law-abiding citizens; clubs such as the Hells Angels, the Outlaws, and the Mongols refer to themselves as the other "1%.". When they formed, they were already pretty fearsome. The Mongol motorcycle club held a rally at Original Mike's in Santa Ana on April 7, 2019. It ain't gonna happen. Judge Carter also pressed Annie Santillan on why she specifically called her husband a confidential informant and "a rat" if she was just trying to hurt him. ", 3 Kansas City officers shot while executing search warrant, chief says, Roof collapses at nonprofit South LA clinic, causing $500K in damage, Video shows group of sharks in feeding frenzy off Louisiana coast. A federal judge in California has refused to order the Mongols motorcycle gang to forfeit its trademarked logo. Both Mr. Santillan, a Mongols member for almost 25 years who was voted out of the club in July, and the agent, John Ciccone, who retired in December after 32 years at the A.T.F., deny that Mr. Santillan was acting as an informant during the trial, though Mr. Ciccones sworn declaration does not address whether Mr. Santillan had acted as a confidential informant in the past. After Martinez was connected to the Mongols chapter in Montebello, California, the judge added a special gang allegation to the murder charge. 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. Annie tells Eyewitness News that her husband was "spinning out of control" and continued to cheat on her after the phone call. The club is headquartered in Southern California and was originally formed in Montebello, California, in 1969. As hotcars.com notes, despite its growth, the Mongols MC has not yet joined the ranks of the Hells Angels MC, the Outlaws MC, the Bandidos MC, and the Pagans MC as a member of the Big Four, a group of motorcycle clubs whose criminal activities have achieved international notoriety. The mother chapter had a total of 15 members. Except for one defendant who died in custody and another who was deemed incompetent, all others eventually pleaded guilty. There violence basically consists of serious crimes, every type of organised crime, murder, embezzlement, and drug dealing; which also includes buying drugs and guns. Thanks for contacting us. ", The brotherhood and loyalty aspect of Mongols membership seems to be of ultimate importance to club members. agent over the years because it helped avert trouble. The lawyer in charge of the retrial motion, Joseph A. Yanny, said the Mongols hoped to prove that an improper relationship between Mr. Santillan and Mr. Ciccone during the 2018 trial allowed the government to hear things it should not have about the Mongols defense strategy and even adversely influenced the Mongols presentation of their case. Carter went on to tell prosecutors he does not want their witnesses to use the words "to the best of my recollection.". He alleges that Santillan sabotaged the trial by not allowing him to call Ciccone to the stand. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. The belief that as long as they're not hurting anybody, they should be able to do what they please." Known as one of the most brutal and violent outlaw motorcycle clubs, the Mongols Motorcycle Club has built up quite a reputation over the years. It was the first time that a Muslim clan-based crime syndicate in Germany became active in the field of outlaw motorcycle clubs. The text reads in part: "You guys need to see this video" and that David "has been working with the government is all [sic] entire time" and that's "why he felt so comfortable to do what he does he is simply a CI In other words he is a rat.". John looked out not just for me but the club, Mr. Santillan said. A lock (LockA locked padlock) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. Mongols Motorcycle Club was founded in Montebello, California on December 5, 1969. Conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine; money laundering conspiracy; distribution of, or possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine; and interstate travel in aid of racketeering. Julie Platner for The New York Times. The A.T.F. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. The indictment did not target any individuals but alleged that the club itself had engaged in an organized conspiracy of crimes such as murder, attempted murder and drug dealing. "I wanted him to feel kind of what I was feeling, the shame and embarrassment and betrayal. Two years later, a confrontation between members of the Mongols and rival gang the Hells Angels at the Harrahs Laughlin Casino in Laughlin, Nevada, led to four fatalities on both sides. "Because I needed evidence to show the military that they had someone having an affair with a married man.". SANTA ANA, Calif. (KABC) -- Testimony resumed inside an Orange County federal courthouse on Wednesday morning for a hearing in which a judge will decide if the Mongols Motorcycle Club will get a . Theyre criminal activities consist of drug dealing and addiction, brutal Outlaws as a war machine, the Vagos as mafia on wheels and the Mongols as way, way more ruthless because they arent afraid to go to prison forever so they walk right up, around children, and blow people away. [2] The Mongols' main presence lies in Southern California, but they also have chapters nationwide in 14 states and internationally in 11 countries. "I've never cooperated in any way, shape or form.". He went on to explain, "That's one of the first questions we ask. In their petition, the Mongols argue that Mr. Santillan could have been pressured to leak strategy and other information to the government as a result of lenient treatment the defense claimed he received during his brushes with the law. He and his wife, Annie, were estranged after he had an affair. One example given is after a Mongol member committed a murder, the club called a Code 55,instructing members to hide all affiliation, including stopping wearing their vests and patches, carrying weapons, or interacting with law enforcement. Diamond was shot in the back of the base of his neck with a shotgun during the service of a search warrant. An official website of the United States government. Thanks to the Mongols activities, it soon would (although, in fairness, the actions of certain other clubs like the Hells Angels and the Outlaws have to take some of the credit too). In another instance, in 2014, Mr. Santillan and his wife got into a brawl with other people at a racetrack, the Mongols filing says. And he was tireless, Mr. DAlesio said. The Mongols club is named for Genghis Khan's Mongol army, which the website characterized as "small in numbers with a lot of heart" who "dominated and decimated their enemies." The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Clarksville Police Department, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, and the Kentucky State Police investigated the case. During the call, Santillan is heard talking about John Cicconne, the lead ATF agent on the case. They offered an opportunity for motorcycle enthusiasts to socialize, meet up, and race. 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. [1] Law enforcement officials estimate approximately 2,000 full-patched members are in the club. As reported by NBC News, prosecutors had been attempting to take down the Mongols for over a decade, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Steve Welk saying members were "empowered by these symbols that they wear like armor." 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. The mayor had previously threatened to shut down the hotel over unpaid taxes if the agreement to host the Mongols was not canceled. A federal district court judge will separately determine each defendants sentence after considering the U.S. Santillan says he and Ciccone had a "rapport" after 25 years of dealing with one another. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Mongols motorcycle club members are shown here. We've received your submission. However later on, since this gang activity is worldwide, more and more members were accepted. Millions of high-quality images, video, and music options are waiting for you. [23], Operation Black Rain was an operation by the ATF in 2008 to stop alleged criminal activity within the Mongols. The belief that the government should stay out of our lives. [31][32], In a 2015 racketeering case in Los Angeles, the Federal government tried and failed to use civil forfeiture laws to seize all rights to the Mongols emblems and patches in order to forbid members from wearing them. In December 2018, the club was convicted of racketeering and conspiracy, and one month later, in a ruling called the first of its kind, a jury ruled to strip the Mongols of their trademarked logo. 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. There was nothing sinister about their activities, and no law-abiding citizens had any need to fear if a group of club members rolled into town. After one year he's done and he can't protect me, so we have to have an exit strategy.". 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. In the video, Ms. Santillan was talking to her husband on speakerphone when he told her that Mr. Ciccone was retiring. Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca speaks during a news conference in 2008 with the trademarked Mongols logo seen on a motorcycle at right. 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. In court Monday, prosecutors told Judge David O. Carter that retired ATF agent Ciccone will testify that Santillan was never an informant. 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. Mr. Santillan said it was ridiculous to think that Mr. Ciccone smoothed things over for him. Ms. Santillan said that she now felt horrible about disclosing the communications and that her husband was not, in fact, an informant. the 1% of clubs that operate outside the law-abiding ways of the American Motorcycle Club still hadnt been coined. Judge Carters ruling was drawn from a flood of legal opinions that were submitted by academics, law firms and think tanks. However later on, since this gang activity is worldwide, more and more members were accepted. [28], A planned weekend meeting in Lancaster, California, expected to draw 800 Mongols and their families, was blocked after city officials shut down and fenced off the hotel they had booked for the event, which coincided with the "Celebrate Downtown Lancaster" festival. [16] Mongol Anthony "Bronson" Barrera, 43, was stabbed to death and two Hells Angels Jeramie Bell, 27, and Robert Tumelty, 50 were shot to death. After testifying briefly in court Monday, Annie told Eyewitness News that her husband has never been a confidential informant and that she only sent the text message because she wanted to destroy him in the eyes of the Mongols. Operation Black Rain was an Operation by the ATF in 2008 with trademarked. To be of ultimate importance to club members images, video, Santillan! California and was originally formed in Montebello, California, in 1969 Mongols motorcycle club held a rally at Mike... 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