In exchange, the club said in its motion, the agent appears to have spared Mr. Santillan from serious legal consequences for several offenses since 2011. Federal prosecutors have been focusing on the Mongols logo since 2008. [26], 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. agent.

Back in 1969, a group of people requested to join the Hells Angels, one of the most renowned motorcycle clubs in the world but were denied entry due to their race. As Dirtbag walked around the clubhouse one October evening, he pointed out a spot where the club's mascot, a Doberman named Max, is buried. In another instance, in 2014, Mr. Santillan and his wife got into a brawl with other people at a racetrack, the Mongols filing says. There is little hard data to support this figure, though from his perch, Ron "Dirtbag" Simmons, president of the Barons, says this number looks more like 1,000 percent. 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. agent who infiltrated three biker clubs. ", And Ray says that just because law-enforcement agencies haven't seen a rise in crime relating to motorcycle gangs doesn't mean it's not happening. He explains that his brother is building him an outrageously fast bike. According to probable cause statements, officers received a call on Saturday night reporting a fight and shots being fired at a parking lot north of Rovalis at 174 25th Street. 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 is no way hes gotten away with these incidents without more significant legal repercussions unless someone in law enforcement is in the background greasing the slides for him, Mr. Yanny said. Club members had to abstain from wearing their vests and patches, carry weapons, or interact with law enforcement. In 2018, the government scored a victory of sorts. They discovered that Gilmore was in possession of a .380 caliber firearm and that Searle was the owner of a .40 caliber firearm found in the passenger seat floorboard of the truck. When it comes to the Mongols though, the kind of problems that come to mind are assault, theft, vandalism or anything else a person with common sense wouldn't be doing. All of this talk of violence, gun-running and drug trafficking doesn't resonate with Lebowski, vice president of the Barons. It's a pain in the ass.". 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. [18] Martinez shot Diamond after the officer turned away from the doorway following the breaching procedure. Clan members do not have motorcycle licences and drive around the city in cars. RELATED: Here's Why You Shouldn't Mess With The Mongols MC. OGDEN, Utah (KUTV) On Saturday night, police officers arrested four men in connection with a fight that occurred at a parking lot in Ogden. Such an order would allow anyone to use the image. Queen ended up becoming a fully patched member and chapter vice president. Due to their long history of violence, prosecutors said the group also operated an organized criminal enterprise involved in murder, attempted murder, and drug distribution. 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. The Mongols Motorcycle Club, sometimes called the Mongols Nation or Mongol Brotherhood, is a "one-percenter" outlaw motorcycle club. Individuals charged in criminal complaints are presumed innocent unless or until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. Mr. Santillan walking into a federal courthouse in Santa Ana, Calif., during the 2018 racketeering trial against the Mongols. And he reminded the committee that they, too, are in a gang. You know, a lot of people, they don't understand, but you know what I have? [22] On October 21, 2008, 38 members, including Ruben "Doc" Cavazos, were taken into Federal custody after four ATF agents infiltrated the group for a second time, becoming full patch members. Since that July meeting, Ray has met with representatives from several motorcycle clubs, including the Barons. The biker group hopes to set aside a $500,000 racketeering conviction, alleging that its former president cooperated with the government during a trial. 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.CreditMichael Tyrone Delaney for The New York Times. 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Mr. Santillan said it was ridiculous to think that Mr. Ciccone smoothed things over for him. Following that incident, the Mongols Motorcycle Club was created, becoming Hells Angels' biggest rival. And that's exactly what happened back in 2008 when prosecutors were granted pretrial authority to seize Mongols members' jackets or any other item that had their logo on it. He also related a string of titillating stories about violent outlaw motorcycle gangs, known as OMGs. This ability to get along has been noticed by Critser, who at the July meeting at the state capitol told lawmakers that for some reason, the Barons "are more of an associate of all outlaw motorcycle gangs. In an arrest affidavit, police said a woman reported seeing four men get into a pickup truck after the fight. If youre a rat, youre the scum of the earth, he said in an interview. Amassing almost two thousand members over a period of fifty years, they've built up quite a reputation. Dirtbag says the rough and carefree days of the 1960s, fun as they were, are simply a thing of the past.

Mr. Santillan has acknowledged that he talked often with Mr. Ciccone for a period of years, usually in the presence of other Mongols members. The infiltration was broadcasted on television, a move law enforcement thought would be fatal to the club. In the video, Ms. Santillan was talking to her husband on speakerphone when he told her that Mr. Ciccone was retiring. All but one of the accused were later convicted of crimes, including drug trafficking, motorcycle theft, and conspiracy to commit murder.[13]. "What you find in the OMG community is a lot of the crimes are committed against each other, so it's not reported to police," Ray says. "Right now there isn't any solid data to show that more crime has been committed by outlaw motorcycle gangs," says Lt. Jared Garcia, who noted that motorcycle gangs, like all gangs, see increasing numbers right along with an increase in the population as a whole. "If you're in an outlaw motorcycle gang, you're into criminal things.". According to a lieutenant with the state's Department of Public Safety, despite the rising numbers of motorcycle clubs and members, no uptick in outlaw motorcycle gang crime has occurred in Utah. According to local news outlet KTNV Channel 13, the Hells Angels attacked the Mongols members, sending three to the hospital, two of whom suffered from stab wounds. Copyright Standard-Examiner | www.standard.net | 332 Standard Way, Ogden, UT 84404, Man beaten, shots fired outside Ogden bar; Mongols biker club members arrested. Jonathan Turley, a constitutional law expert at George Washington University, said that if a federal agent was seeking confidential information about a criminal defense, that would be an extraordinary transgression.. Many of these large arrests involved national motorcycle clubs like the Bandidos, Mongols, Vagos and Hell's Angelsall of which have chapters in Utah, with the exception of the Hell's Angels. "Times have changed," he says. The neighborhood, a half a block off of State Street, is one of the safest in the city, Dirtbag says. Mr. Santillan said he talked with the A.T.F. Dirtbag barks. On September 16, 2015, Federal District Judge David O. Carter dismissed the case. The Barons have a long history of sticking up for themselves, whether that is in a barroom, or on the floor of the state capitol.

In recent years though, the club supposedly has refrained from engaging in any more criminal activities following the election of David Santillan as club president in 2015. The A.T.F. 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 petition for a new trial and reversal of the half-million-dollar fine, which is scheduled for an initial hearing on Monday in the U.S. District Court in Santa Ana, Calif., claims that Mr. Santillan, 52, covertly cooperated for years with a special agent from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The victims friend managed to break the fight and the victim took the opportunity to flee from the men. But there are some damn good people.. It's unknown to this day what happened in that meeting, but it is believed by law enforcement that a monetary deal was agreed on. The mayor had previously threatened to shut down the hotel over unpaid taxes if the agreement to host the Mongols was not canceled. That's why they're not very fond of people trying to stop them from wearing their patches. Topics Selection,Research, Editing, Correction Policy andEthics, Why Ron Perlman replaced Scott Glenn as Clay Morrow in Sons ofAnarchy, State has filed motions to dismiss attempted murder-related charges against four men accused in a July 3stabbing, Insane Throttle Support Club Become a member Now, PAGANS MC MEMBER LEADS OFFICERS ON HIGH SPEEDCHASE, EP 793 ANOTHER PAGAN MC DEAD HOW TO STOP OUTLAW MOTORCYCLEGANGS, ANOTHER PAGAN MC DEAD |HOW TO STOP OUTLAW MOTORCYCLEGANGS, A member of whats been labeled as an outlaw motorcycle group is facing multiple criminalcharges, A motorcycle gang member killed started the shootout that left himdead, THIS IS CRAP | PAGANS MC MEMBER LEADS OFFICERS ON HIGH SPEED CHASE, ANOTHER PAGAN MC DEAD| HOW TO STOP OUTLAW MOTORCYCLE GANGS, PAGANS MC WOUNDED IN DRIVE BY IN FRONT OF CLUBHOUSE, THE TARGETS | MONGOLS HELLS ANGELS PAGANS OUTLAWS BANDIDOS MC. COPS & ROBBERS | MOTORCYCLE CLUB WORKS WITH A COP? The four men allegedly punched and kicked the man as he lay on the ground. That guy ripping down the freeway on his motorcycle, hair blowing helmet-free in the wind, can put the majority of his thanks into the laps of the Barons. Start your free trial today. Dirtbag says Max used to play fetch with a 15-pound bowling ball. "People watch that and they think that's what happens. Were not going to stand for it here. -Rep. Paul Ray, R-Clearfield. The committee took up the question of motorcycle gangs again in October. In an interview with Gangland, former Mongols National President, Ruben "Doc" Cavazos told the reporter: "I'll dress differently. When the Mongols reached an all-time low of 100 members, things started to get a bit rough. 110 arrest warrants and 160 search warrants were issued in California, Ohio, Colorado, Nevada, Washington, and Oregon.

Updated August 2021: If you're curious about the Mongols MC, or just one-percenter clubs in general, you'll be pleased to know that we've updated this article with the latest interesting facts and tidbits about the Mongols Motorcycle Club. Despite not being as big as other well-known clubs as far as member count, they've proved to be just as fierce. 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.. John looked out not just for me but the club, Mr. Santillan said. [33], According to Andreas Weber, the state of Bremen's chief of criminal investigation, the new Mongols chapter is only nominally a motorcycle group. Cover Story. No one is more aware of this than the Barons, which, its ranking officers say, is a lot like a club that a pack of children would build in the backyard: a group of people who think alike, live alike and share a passion for motorcycles. 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. [12], In 1998, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) agent William Queen infiltrated the club, eventually becoming a full-patch member and rising to the rank of chapter vice-president using the undercover alias of Billy St. John. Thats what I meant by protect in the video.. "Because every time I go out on a Sunday drive on my bike, to get pulled over, field-carded and get detained for an hour while they run warrant checks and all that it's cumbersome. 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. Back in 1998, agent William Queen from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) was sent on an undercover mission to gather evidence against the Mongols and build up a case. Diamond was shot in the back of the base of his neck with a shotgun during the service of a search warrant. Presumably, they are interested in associating themselves with the US motorcycle club primarily to profit from their infrastructure and trading channels in drug trafficking. He was the guy outside all the time providing cover support in case something went wrong with the undercovers.. The two eventually went to full-on war, going as far as bombing each other before the animosity finally simmered down following the end of the Mongols' war with the Mexican Mafia. It became clear that Dave had betrayed the club, his oath and everything we hold sacred, the club said in a statement. We're talking about guys sitting on $20,000, $30,000 motorcycles that like to ride. According to law enforcement, the number of motorcycle club members in Zion has shot up by 300 percent in the past five years. But, struck by the increasing number of motorcycle clubs in Utah, some in the law-enforcement community have resolved to take a stand. The other is the Sundowners. ", "They tend to kind of host everybody," Critser says. Mr. Santillan holding a photo of himself with fellow Mongols members. "Because, quite frankly, you are a gang of legislators based on the technical Webster definition. For more than two decades, federal law enforcement authorities pursued the Mongols, a notorious motorcycle club whose members had a long history of murder, assault, drug dealing and robbery. Officers interviewed Gallegos, who told them that the victim had started to run his mouth and that they had confronted one another and said that the incident became physical between him and the victim. The club is always there for me.". The Barons do an annual toy drive for Primary Children's Hospital and a blood drive for the American Red Cross. During that time, the club got infiltrated for the first time and several people got arrested, putting the club in an even more awkward spot. [19] Martinez faces the death penalty if convicted. Police said Gallegos told them the fight resulted because the victim had run his mouth.. The operation led to the arrest of 38 Mongols, including the Mongols' National President at the time, Ruben "Doc" Cavazos who was later voted out of the club. 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. But Critser went on to detail multiple harrowing episodes across California and Nevada that he has been involved with. These urns stand guard inside the red, gold and black brick house on Edison Street near 900 South that is home to the Barons Motorcycle Club, where a glowing soda-pop machine dispenses cans of beer, and on a Thursday night at 5 p.m., Barons are trickling in, the growling of Harleys marking their arrival. Prosecutors requested the injunction after authorities arrested dozens of Mongols under a racketeering indictment. We wouldn't last.". And he insists that the presence of Mongols, who are presently under a federal indictment, is evidence enough that any rise in motorcycle gangs must be pre-empted by strict laws. "And there are probably some groups that still try to abide by that '60s mentality, and it just doesn't work.".

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. There could be a particular concern that the defense lawyer was unwittingly receiving directions from someone aligned with the government, he said. "Max would run after that and grab it with his teeth, slide on his paws, and then he'd bring it back, and if you weren't paying attention, drop it on your toe," Dirtbag says. [15] He was convicted of murder in aid of racketeering and three gun charges on February 23, 2012, in San Francisco. Ray denies that Sons of Anarchy has anything to do with his desire for a new law. With chapters in countries like Australia, Denmark, Germany, and several others, the club has become an international "organization. Police are looking into who started the fight, who was involved, and what actually occurred during the altercation. The #1 Biker News Website Since 2011-Covering up to minute biker news including Outlaw Motorcycle Clubs & Biker News Worldwide. And in Utah, the population is booming. "[27] The television show America's Most Wanted had exclusive access to the operation, and broadcast behind-the-scenes footage of the many arrests. But Salt Lake City is Dirtbag's home; he and the rest of the Barons live here and, just like everyone else, want to keep living here. Cavazos was voted out of the club by its members on August 30, 2008. Police said the victim had significant swelling on his face and forehead and cuts on his hands, fingers and wrists after the 11:35 p.m. altercation. agent over the years because it helped avert trouble. accidentally killed himself with his bike as a novice licence holder briefly after the chapter's foundation. Pigpen, Harpo, Savage and Caesar are behind the bar, their ashes sealed inside the cylinders of the panhead and shovelhead motorcycles that they loved and rode while they were alive. He held the role of Sergeant-At-Arms of the Dago chapter. In the case that led to the racketeering conviction against the Mongols, Mr. Ciccone had acted as the case agent. When Mustafa B., president of the German Mongols Motorcycle Club, finally got his license, he was involved in an accident and passed away shortly after the club's formation. "You can't say, 'Look, I'm a Mongol, but Utah Mongols are pretty nice guys,'" Ray says. 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. When I was down on my luck, they helped with rent. Ms. Santillan said that she now felt horrible about disclosing the communications and that her husband was not, in fact, an informant. "This isn't Sons of Anarchy," says Lebowski, who has long graying hair and arms covered in tattoos, adding that he suspects the hit FX TV show is responsible for informing Ray's beliefs. "They police themselves; the public is caught in the crossfire.". [31][32], Organized crime in Bremen is dominated by the Miri-Clan, a large family of Lebanese origin with more than 10,000 members, who first migrated to Germany beginning in the late 1970s, and rose to national notoriety with a number of large-scale criminal activities in 2010. One of those arrested was carrying a .380 handgun, they said. I have people that love me and care about me, that aren't going anywhere. Critser didn't return calls seeking comment. Not only do patches show loyalty and commitment to the club a member is part of, but they also show their achievements and ranking within that club. Members of the club view and treat each other as family, and some even set aside their real families in favor of the club and its members. At this point, the other three men started to assault the victim by punching and kicking him. The Mongols Motorcycle club was fined half a million dollars by a judge in a racketeering case. In one instance, following a murder committed by one of the Mongols, the club declared a Code 55, which meant hiding all gang affiliation. The victim told police that the four men had followed him out of Brewskis Bar and that they argued until Gallegos tackled him to the ground. "That's why we're active," Dirtbag says. Some might even contain men who break the law. In July, during a meeting of the state legislature's Law Enforcement & Criminal Justice Interim Committee, lawmakers fielded a nearly hour-long presentation from Utah County Sheriff's Sgt. Salt Lake City Weekly An attorney for the Mongols said he planned to sue the city and the mayor, potentially for civil rights violations, after previously threatening to sue the hotel for breach of contract should they comply with the mayor's demands. Officers with the Ogden City Police Department arrested Angel Gallegos, Arthur Gilmore, Christopher Searle, and Steven Clark on charges relating to aggravated robbery, aggravated assault, and riot. Gilmore and Searle had further charges for discharging a firearm, with the former being charged with possession of a firearm by a restricted person. [31], Local daily newspaper Klnische Rundschau reports that a further German Mongols chapter has become active in Cologne, which is a traditional Hells Angels area. He was presumably succeeded by "Ibrahim M.", who is on record with 147 felonies ranging from grievous bodily harm to illegal possession of a weapon. One of the most notable members was Jesse The Body Ventura who was active in the gang during the early 1970s. The four are suspected of charges including first-degree felony aggravated robbery; third-degree felony aggravated assault; and third-degree felony riot. It was the first time that a Muslim clan-based crime syndicate in Germany became active in the field of outlaw motorcycle clubs. But besides having more bearded, leather-jacketed, patch-wearing, motorcycle-riding men on the streets of Utah, the presence of these clubs has resulted in little trouble. We're talking about military-like codes that club members used when other means of communication weren't available or when the content of the message was required to be kept secret. He went on to say, there are some bad people in motorcycle clubs, just like in every organization, he said. Michael Tyrone Delaney for The New York Times. [7][8][9][10][11] Current[when?] The Mongols have been fixtures on the biker scene since 1969, when the club was founded in Montebello, Calif. At this meeting, Eric Stine, education coordinator for the Utah chapter of American Bikers Aiming Toward Education (ABATE), told the committee that lumping motorcyclistseven ones that wear three-piece motorcycle gang patches and look toughinto the category of a criminal gang would be a lot like condemning all Catholic priests because some are pedophiles. But none of the shootouts, sweeping drug-trafficking arrests and gun-running stories happened in the Beehive State. ", RELATED: 14 Little Known Facts About The Grim Reapers Motorcycle Club, In an interview with Orange Country Register, several Mongols talk about serving their country, what they went through during that period, and how they found refuge in the Mongols club. What they lack in numbers, they make up for in brutality and tenacity. [1] Law enforcement officials estimate approximately 2,000 full-patched members are in the club. Both men also rejected the claim that Mr. Santillan had revealed privileged defense information to the government while his motorcycle club was on trial. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Dirtbag spots a neighbor dog and apologizes: he has to go say hi. And they don't want any law to lump them in with criminal street gangsan occurrence that would only increase the harassment motorcycle riders who wear jackets emblazoned with patches say they already face. [3][4][5][6], Mongols members have a long history in the illegal drugs trade (especially methamphetamine), money laundering, robbery, extortion, firearms violations, murder, and assault, among other crimes. She also said in a text message to other Mongols, now filed with the court, that her husband had acted for a time as a confidential government informant. We're not talking about the kind of code we used to use back in high school to make sure our plans for ditching last period didn't get foiled. [23] Jesse has said, Nobody in the club ever told me to commit a crime, ever, and stated the Mongols Motorcycle Club isn't a criminal gang and didn't commit crimes when he was a member in the mid-1970s.