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. During that time, they did what no one else, Read More The 10 Best Harley Davidson V Rod Models of All-TimeContinue, Viper is a motorcycle manufacturer in Big Lake, Minnesota with locations across the nation. As with other motorcycle clubs, members of the Mongols value the patches they wear on their jackets and vests that announce their membership as well as indicate the rider's rank and achievements within the organization, as reported by Hot Cars. 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. "The relationship was just cordial, respectful relationship just to keep the peace between us and the club," Santillan said. An official website of the United States government. 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." A federal jury convicted six Tennessee men Friday for racketeering conspiracy and other charges involving murder, kidnapping, drug trafficking, and other crimes, all stemming from their involvement with the Clarksville chapter of the Mongols Motorcycle Club (Clarksville Mongols). If youve ever wondered about the origins of one of Americas most notorious motorcycle clubs, heres what you need to know about the Mongols Motorcycle Club. Ben's been focusing on the auto and motorcycle sector since 2005. It became clear that Dave had betrayed the club, his oath and everything we hold sacred, the club said in a statement. The current national leaders of the Mongols said they were convinced that the clubs former president, who controlled the Mongols defense team, had acted improperly. They are really these gangs of thugs that terrorize.. Considering some of the most notorious incidents the Mongols have been involved in, nor should it. In 2008, Mongols member Christopher Ablett was convicted of the murder of Hells Angels President Mark Papa Guardado. Tap into Getty Images' global scale, data-driven insights, and network of more than 340,000 creators to create content exclusively for your brand. I commend the investigation and prosecution teams for the enormous amount of time and resources they dedicated during the past seven years to bring every member and associate of this ruthless gang to justice. He was the guy outside all the time providing cover support in case something went wrong with the undercovers.. nicely." Cole, who had been a member of the Clarksville Mongols, was believed to have stolen motorcycles belonging to William Boylston, a fellow gang member. 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. No arrests were made, and local authorities report that they are looking for suspects involved in the attack. 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." Life in prison, with a mandatory minimum sentence of: life in prison for murder; 10 years for drug conspiracy; and up to 10 years for the firearms offense to be served consecutive to all other sentences. 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. I'll sacrifice anything to be a full patch member." 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. He noted that he was shot several times including in the head. That quest to seize the Mongols patch was part of a criminal case brought by the U.S. Attorneys Office in 2013 under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. A federal judge in California has refused to order the Mongols motorcycle gang to forfeit its trademarked logo. The roots of the governments case date to 2005 when four undercover agents for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives managed to become full members of the Mongols. The Clarksville Mongols terrorized communities in Tennessee and Kentucky for far too long, said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. We look forward to the sentencing phase and seeking lengthy and life sentences for these defendants convicted today., The criminal activities and horrendous acts of violence are dangerous and damaging to everyone involved, said Special Agent in Carge Mickey French of the ATFs Nashville Field Division. This isnt something you see in the movies or just happening in California and other places it is alive and well here, Gualtieri said. Members from the Mongols started off with a few people. He entered the industry intending to build motorcycles that offered the complete, Read More The Five Best Viper Motorcycles of All-TimeContinue. As the years progress the more violent they get and they go to war with their rivals. Cox and Hannigan were captured on videotape confronting Mongols inside the casino. Organize, control, distribute and measure all of your digital content. He said they discussed matters such as public safety when the Mongols or other clubs were planning parties or motorcycle rallies to ensure that members stayed in line and that rival groups kept their distance. The Mongols Motorcycle Club, sometimes called the Mongols Nation or Mongol Brotherhood, is a "one-percenter" outlaw motorcycle club. The explosive allegations come after a secretly recorded video surfaced of Santillan talking to his wife about the lead ATF agent on the case -- John Ciccone. Racketeering conspiracy; assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering; kidnapping resulting in death of Stephen Cole. 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%.". Mongols motorcycle club members are shown here. It was the first time that a Muslim clan-based crime syndicate in Germany became active in the field of outlaw motorcycle clubs. The Mongols Motorcycle Club was formed in California in the late 1960s. 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. "[29] The television show America's Most Wanted had exclusive access to the operation, and broadcast behind-the-scenes footage of the many arrests. Criminal - Organized Crime and Gang Section. Ciccone said whenever he worked a Mongols event and there was the potential for problems or violence, he would go to Santillan because he's the president of the Mongols and can convey the message to his members. The group has about 1,200 members in the United States, most of them Hispanic, and numerous chapters around the world. Cavazos was voted out of the club by its members on August 30, 2008. The Mongols even have their own coded language that they use to communicate with one another, according to Hot Cars. Federal prosecutors have been focusing on the Mongols logo since 2008. [7][8][9][10][11] Current[when?] A jury sided with the prosecution in 2019 and ordered the group to give up the emblem, but Judge David O. Carter rejected the verdict as an infringement on the clubs constitutional rights. A spokesman for the United States attorneys office for the Central District of California, Thom Mrozek, said in a statement that prosecutors were disappointed by the decision and that they believed Judge Carter was required by law to issue the forfeiture order that the government had requested. Some of the most infamous legal cases to involve the Mongols include the arrest of 54 Mongols in 2000 after FBI agent William Queen uncovered drug trafficking, conspiracy to commit murder, and theft during a 28-month undercover operation. He's written over 1000 articles in the space and continues to learn about it each day. 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. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Thanks for contacting us. The Mongols Motorcycle Club has solidified its reputation of violence and crime, having been involved in gang wars, drug deals, and human trafficking. In 2018, the government scored a victory of sorts. Members from the Mongols started off with a few people. Testimony will help determine if Mongols get new trial. ", 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. The Mongols Biker Gang which was originally formed in Montebello, California, in 1969, started as a mainstream motorcycle club. In 1948, the Hells Angels was formed. Eyewitness News asked Santillan what he meant in the video about ATF agent Ciccone "protecting him." Polite, Jr. of the Justice Departments Criminal Division. Although the focus of the clubs still centered on racing, a new form of rebellion started to creep in. This verdict officially ends an era of drug-trafficking, violence, and intimidation inflicted on the people of Clarksville by the Clarksville Mongols, said U.S. Attorney Mark H. Wildasin for the Middle District of Tennessee. The Mongols, who feared that losing the rights to their logo a brawny Genghis Khan-like man sporting a queue and sunglasses and riding a chopper while brandishing a sword would have severe consequences, hailed the ruling as not just a victory for the group, but for other biker clubs that law enforcement authorities have tried to take down. During the almost 13 years he led the Mongols, Mr. Santillan appeared to steer the organization away from its past recruitment of Mexican criminal gang members and a culture of total underworld activity that the feds feasted on, in terms of prosecutions, said William Dulaney, an expert on motorcycle groups who was formerly an associate professor of national security at the U.S. Air Forces Air Command and Staff College. 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. The aforementioned Mongol member Dave joked that the tattoo would be "cut off" of anyone who got one without permission. The club was formed by Hispanic Vietna, The Mongols Motorcycle Club was established on December 5, 1969 in the East Los. 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. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. 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. Clan members do not have motorcycle licences and drive around the city in cars. Also convicted was Derek Leighton Stanley, 48, of Owensboro, Kentucky, for engaging in a drug trafficking conspiracy. "You're my everything, you're my ride or die, you're my everything. agent over the years because it helped avert trouble. The government sought to turn symbols like the Mongols insignia, the clubs name and sentiments associated with the club like Support The Mongols, into contraband.. His initial trial, which started in 2019, was deemed a mistrial after he was found not guilty of first-degree murder; a hung jury occurred with all other charges. If youre a rat, youre the scum of the earth, he said in an interview. 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. motorized two-wheel machines on the roads, How Eiza Gonzalez Achieved a Net Worth of $5 Million, How Bebe Rexha Achieved a Net Worth of $10 Million, The 20 Worst Cities for Human Trafficking in the World, How Simu Liu Achieved a Net Worth of $4 Million. 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 sheriff categorized the group as an organized crime syndicate with national reach. Learn how your comment data is processed. (Ric Francis/AP) Dave repeated, "Nicely. The crews shared a clubhouse in Tampa, he said. [34], Local daily newspaper Klnische Rundschau reports that a further German Mongols chapter has become active in Cologne, which is a traditional Hells Angels area. Never in my life have I ever implicated anybody in the club for some kind of nefarious activity. The Mongols Motorcycle Club was formed in Southern California, and today, the West Coast is still the club's stronghold. 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. A federal jury convicted James Wesley Frazier, 34; Aelix Santiago, 34; Michael Forrester, 34; Jamie Hern, 43; William Boylston, 32; and Jason Meyerholz, 48, all of Clarksville, Tennessee, for charges including racketeering conspiracy. 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. 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 . David Santillan says he was thrown out of the Mongols after a "closed door" meeting where he did not get a chance to refute the allegations against him. [37], In 2016 the last Mongols chapter in Bremen closed.[38]. Like other motorcycle clubs, the Mongols have a variety of rules they have to follow. 26. Pacific Coast Mongols Via Instagram Riding motorcycles with your mates is the very essence of any motorcycle club , it's all good and fun, so long as you don't mix up the biking and comradeship with a spot of . When Ling asked "What if I refused?" The Mongols Motorcycle Club, sometimes called the Mongols Nation or Mongol Brotherhood, is a "one-percenter" outlaw motorcycle club. The club is headquartered in Southern California and was originally formed in Montebello, California, in 1969. He upheld our constitutional rights, not only as the Mongols motorcycle club, but as citizens, Mr. Santillan said. The Mongols Motorcycle Club was formed in Southern California, and today, the West Coast is still the clubs stronghold. Racketeering conspiracy; conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine; money laundering conspiracy; kidnapping; kidnapping in aid of racketeering; the murder of Stephanie Bradley in aid of racketeering; firearm offenses; and interstate travel in aid of racketeering. A federal district court judge will separately determine each defendants sentence after considering the U.S. Prosecutors convinced a jury in California that these crimes were not just the result of individual bikers behaving badly, but the work of an organized criminal enterprise that had participated in a campaign of mayhem. 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. Calculations would be more than a hundred thousand. Both men also rejected the claim that Mr. Santillan had revealed privileged defense information to the government while his motorcycle club was on trial. However later on, since this gang activity is worldwide, more and more members were accepted. The Mongols Motorcycle club is a "one-percenter" motorcycle gang and alleged organized crime syndicate. Mr. Santillan holding a photo of himself with fellow Mongols members. Two years after a federal jury deemed the notorious Mongols Motorcycle Club a criminal organization, attorneys for the club are asking a judge for a new trial accusing its former president of. SANTA ANA, Calif. Nearly two months after a federal jury decided that a notorious motorcycle club must forfeit the rights to its trademarked emblem, a judge on Thursday nullified the verdict, finding that seizure of the intellectual property was unconstitutional. The government, in its own appeal, is making another run at the Mongols logo, renewing an earlier request for a narrower forfeiture order that would take away the clubs right to trademark exclusivity over the emblem. Patches are all important to Mongols club members Uncleroo/Shutterstock 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. An attempt to do so was rebuffed by the Central District of California Court, concluding that the seizure of the trademark violated the First Amendment right to free expression and the Eighth Amendment protection from excessive punishment. 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. 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. 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. The Mongols Motorcycle Club was established on December 5, 1969 in Montebello, California, a city just east of East Los Angeles. A former ATF agent denied during courtroom testimony Friday that a now-deposed leader of the notorious Mongols Motorcycle Club served as a secret source of information for the government during a . A total of 10 Tampa-based Mongols were arrested in January in connection with a gang killing in Colorado. [1] Law enforcement officials estimate approximately 2,000 full-patched members are in the club. Angeles area in the city of Montebello, California. In February 2019, also reported by NBC, U.S. District Judge David O. Carter declined to approve the jury's decision, citing constitutional protections againstexcessive fines and for free speech. The documentary "Hidden In America: Mongols Motorcycle Club" (available on YouTube)featured an interview with Stephen Stubbs, who serves as legal counsel to the club. By Serge F. Kovaleski. "I've never cooperated in any way, shape or form.". Current estimates put its ranks at around 2,000 full-patched members. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. The only thing he is guilty of is talking to John a lot and having some kind of rapport with him, she said in an interview. Racketeering conspiracy; assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering; kidnapping resulting in the death of Stephen Cole; kidnapping of Stephen Cole in aid of racketeering; and the murder of Stephen Cole in aid of racketeering. Life in prison with a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years for the drug offenses to be served consecutive to all other sentences. A lock (LockA locked padlock) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. The biker group hopes to set aside a $500,000 racketeering conviction, alleging that its former president cooperated with the government during a trial. 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. 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