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. 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 . 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. Their colors are black and white and their insignia bears the name Mongols in large black letters above a pony-tail sporting man riding a motorcycle wearing a leather vest and sunglasses while carrying a scimitar or cutlass. Collect, curate and comment on your files. 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.. On September 16, 2015, Federal District Judge David O. Carter dismissed the case. [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. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. There could be a particular concern that the defense lawyer was unwittingly receiving directions from someone aligned with the government, he said. Millions of high-quality images, video, and music options are waiting for you. It ain't gonna happen. positioned and primarily active in the Pacific states and Southwest of the United States. There's a new twist in a federal case already marked by murder and mayhem. 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. 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. 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. 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. agent who infiltrated three biker clubs. Calculations would be more than a hundred thousand. Testimony will help determine if Mongols get new trial. But the group that was once the most powerful biker organization in the West other than its archrivals, the Hells Angels, is returning to court next week, hoping to set aside the racketeering and conspiracy convictions based on what it says is new evidence about its previous leader, David Santillan. 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. As its ranks swelled, so did its notoriety. 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. Testimony will reconvene on Friday, July 22, at 7:30 a.m. 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. So, she sent the recording along with a text message to two other members of the Mongols Motorcycle Club. 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. 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 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. Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said Monday that Dominick Paternoster, 46, was gunned down by several Mongols in April because they thought he was cooperating with law enforcement. Members and associates of the Clarksville Mongols interrogated Bradley, threatening her and demanding that she should not mention the Mongols again. The Mongols Motorcycle Club was established on December 5, 1969 in the East Los Angeles area in the city of Montebello, California. Annie tells Eyewitness News that her husband was "spinning out of control" and continued to cheat on her after the phone call. 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. "John told me that I have one year, one year," Santillan says in the call. Life in prison, and up to seven years for the firearms offense to be served consecutive to all other sentences. 22 talking about this. 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. READ ALSO | Was head of OC biker gang a 'rat'? Underpinned by a specific attitude, culture, and lifestyle, the club quickly started to gain a reputation albeit one that, by todays standards, would be considered tame. [13][14], 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. [2] The Mongols' main presence lies in Southern California, but they also have chapters nationwide in 14 states and internationally in 11 countries. The Clarksville Mongols were a self-described outlaw motorcycle club with ties to Mongols chapters nationwide. 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). Stubbs described Mongol ideals: "It goes to some core beliefs. In the case that led to the racketeering conviction against the Mongols, Mr. Ciccone had acted as the case agent. Julie Platner for The New York Times. More recently, David Martinez was charged with the fatal shooting of Pomona Police SWAT Team member, Shaun Diamond. The Mongols motorcycle club went on to have a history of crimes such as drug transportation and distribution making them one of the nation's most feared motorcycle clubs. The Mongols Motorcycle Club was formed in Southern California, and today, the West Coast is still the clubs stronghold. Both Mr. Ciccone and the U.S. Attorneys Office declined to comment on the motion beyond the government response filed in court, which said the petition for a new trial was replete with false and unsupported allegations and speculation.. via rideapart At some point, The Mongols Motorcycle club was fined half a million dollars by the feds in a crime and conspiracy case. Officer Diamond died at dawn, October 29, 2014, at Huntington Memorial Hospital. In other words, she wrote, he is a rat.. [36], According to Andreas Weber, the state of Bremen's chief of criminal investigation, the new Mongols chapter is only nominally a motorcycle group. Calculations would be more than a hundred thousand. He cant protect me, he told me, so we have to have an exit strategy, he told me, an apparently agitated Mr. Santillan said to her. 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. 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. The club was formed by Hispanic Vietna, The Mongols Motorcycle Club was established on December 5, 1969 in the East Los. "I've never cooperated in any way, shape or form.". He was ready, he said, to get treatment for his drug and alcohol addictions. Cox and Hannigan were captured on videotape confronting Mongols inside the casino. 2023 Getty Images. 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. "Because I needed evidence to show the military that they had someone having an affair with a married man.". Except for one defendant who died in custody and another who was deemed incompetent, all others eventually pleaded guilty. A total of 10 Tampa-based Mongols were arrested in January in connection with a gang killing in Colorado. Criminal - Organized Crime and Gang Section. The aforementioned Mongol member Dave joked that the tattoo would be "cut off" of anyone who got one without permission. The U.S. Attorneys Office has failed to force the Mongols to forfeit their trademarked logo. He said their communication was for public safety and showed the Mongols that there is ATF presence at their events. There violence basically consists of serious crimes, every type of organised crime, murder, embezzlement, and drug dealing; which also includes buying drugs and guns. His favorite car is "any Bugatti" and he's a die hard Harley Davidson fan. One of Paternosters alleged killers, Mongol member Paul Pogilevsky, has been hit with a first-degree murder charge in connection with the slaying. 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. This isnt something you see in the movies or just happening in California and other places it is alive and well here, Gualtieri said. The Mongols even have their own coded language that they use to communicate with one another, according to Hot Cars. 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. Boylston felt disrespected by Cole and was concerned about maintaining his standing and reputation among the Clarksville Mongols. 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. In 2002, members of the Mongols and the Hells Angels had a confrontation at the Harrah's Laughlin Casino in Laughlin, Nevada, that left three bikers dead. SANTA ANA, Calif. Nearly two months after a . 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). The belief that as long as they're not hurting anybody, they should be able to do what they please." In court Monday, prosecutors told Judge David O. Carter that retired ATF agent Ciccone will testify that Santillan was never an informant. It was the first time that a Muslim clan-based crime syndicate in Germany became active in the field of outlaw motorcycle clubs. The judge will most likely consider a series of procedural matters on Monday, lawyers said, with additional hearings expected before any final ruling. On April 5, 1973, Mongols member Ferman Benavides was among eleven motorcycle gang members convicted in Los Angeles of rape and sex perversion. Federal prosecutors want to seize the rights to the logo of the Mongols Motorcycle Club and suppress its use. Ling called her experience "an interesting time" and "exhilarating" and even suggested that the club could serve a positive influence on "a lot of guys who ordinarily might do things they're not supposed to do.". The Mongols trademark remained. Both men also rejected the claim that Mr. Santillan had revealed privileged defense information to the government while his motorcycle club was on trial. Things started to take a turn at the end of World War II. 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. 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. Then, in November 2017, Stephen Cole was kidnapped, brutally beaten, and murdered by the Clarksville Mongols. "I assumed it was going to be her, so we videotaped," Annie Santillan tells Eyewitness News. John looked out not just for me but the club, Mr. Santillan said. The trend of new, rebellious motorcycle clubs being started by returning servicemen continued with both the Korean War and the Vietnam War. Is still the clubs stronghold her after the phone call started to take a turn at the of! 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