In court Monday, prosecutors told Judge David O. Carter that retired ATF agent Ciccone will testify that Santillan was never an informant. Santillan says he ran into Ciccone when he went to pick up some Mongols property that had been released after the trial. He was ready, he said, to get treatment for his drug and alcohol addictions. 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. And he was tireless, Mr. DAlesio said. [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. A veteran federal agent who spent years undercover after infiltrating the notorious Mongols Motorcycle Club offered his first-hand account Thursday of a secretive culture of violence and . A seventh man from Kentucky, who was not a member of the Mongols, was also convicted by the same jury of participating in a drug trafficking conspiracy with the Clarksville Mongols. agent over the years because it helped avert trouble. "[29] The television show America's Most Wanted had exclusive access to the operation, and broadcast behind-the-scenes footage of the many arrests. It became clear that Dave had betrayed the club, his oath and everything we hold sacred, the club said in a statement. 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. A woman across the street appeared to take a picture of the four men, who were all wearing . 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. (Ric Francis/AP) 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. [12], Members of the Glendale Mongols chapter, along with bikers from the San Bernardino chapter of the Hells Angels, the Straight Satans of Venice, and the Glendale Night Riders, committed a sexual assault on a fifteen year-old girl in August 1972. The Mongols MC patches Motorcycle Club, sometimes called the Mongols Nation or Mongol Brotherhood, is a "one-percenter" outlaw motorcycle club. Although the focus of the clubs still centered on racing, a new form of rebellion started to creep in. More than 600 bikers from dozens of clubs showed up in support of Mongols who are currently involved in . "He goes, I know you've been doing a bang-up job at the club, can't protect you from this point forward," Santillan recounted of their conversation. They are really these gangs of thugs that terrorize.. 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). Federal prosecutors have been focusing on the Mongols logo since 2008. Thanks for contacting us. The Clarksville Mongols terrorized communities in Tennessee and Kentucky for far too long, said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Do you have a job? So, she sent the recording along with a text message to two other members of the Mongols Motorcycle Club. 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. When they formed, they were already pretty fearsome. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine; money laundering conspiracy; distribution of, or possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine; and interstate travel in aid of racketeering. [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. Organize, control, distribute and measure all of your digital content. Prior to Bradleys kidnapping and murder in May 2015, the Clarksville Mongols believed that she had information relating to stolen drugs, money, and guns, and had been disparaging the Clarksville Mongols. [25] Cavazos was voted out of the club by its members on August 30, 2008. Ciccone told him he was retiring. [19], On October 28, 2014, in San Gabriel, California, Mongols member David Martinez allegedly shot and killed Pomona Police SWAT Team member Shaun Diamond. Things started to take a turn at the end of World War II. These days, theyre even more so. [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. According to a report by CNN (available on YouTube), newly accepted members receive patches upon their acceptance into the club. Other possible patches include one designating the rider as a "one percenter" biker, and one reading MFFM, which stands for "Mongols Forever, Forever Mongols." 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. At the time, the name one-percenter clubs i.e. 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. 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. According to another Hot Cars article, one of the most important rules of being a Mongol motorcycle club member is never backing down from a fight. The Mongols Motorcycle club is a "one-percenter" motorcycle gang and alleged organized crime syndicate. Members from the Mongols started off with a few people. 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. He added that the First Amendment bars the government from using forfeiture laws in racketeering cases to chill this expression.. 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. David Santillan founded the Mongols Biker Gang in East Los Angeles. Methamphetamine is the main drug the Mongols use, and it is also the main reason why they should get caught for spreading it across the U.S. People should be worried of the mongols because they are dangerous. Also convicted was Derek Leighton Stanley, 48, of Owensboro, Kentucky, for engaging in a drug trafficking conspiracy. In 1903, the first MC was established in the US the Yonkers Motorcycle Club. 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. "I was literally trying to destroy him," she answered, adding that she didn't understand what he was talking about in relation to Ciccone. 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. 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. The sheriff said more than one person shot Paternoster and that more arrests are forthcoming. 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. SANTA ANA, Calif. Nearly two months after a . 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. 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. This isnt something you see in the movies or just happening in California and other places it is alive and well here, Gualtieri said. 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. "Because I needed evidence to show the military that they had someone having an affair with a married man.". 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. 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 Mongols Motorcycle Club, sometimes called the Mongols Nation or Mongol Brotherhood, is a "one-percenter" outlaw motorcycle club. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Anyone can read what you share. "I want Ciccone here under oath," Judge Carter told the prosecution team. 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. Ben's been focusing on the auto and motorcycle sector since 2005. ", RELATED: Racketeering verdict in OC might force Mongols biker club to lose logo. 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. Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca speaks during a news conference in 2008 with the trademarked Mongols logo seen on a motorcycle at right. Now the Mongols want a new trial and say their former president, David Santillan, was a confidential informant for the ATF. 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. 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. 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.. 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. David Santillan tells Eyewitness News that he was in a "really bad place" when the video was recorded and that he's never been disloyal to the Mongols. 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. The belief that as long as they're not hurting anybody, they should be able to do what they please." They offered an opportunity for motorcycle enthusiasts to socialize, meet up, and race. [18], On December 20, 2008, a group of Mongols arrived at a Las Vegas chapel for the wedding of a fellow member, only to find a local chapter of Hells Angels there finishing a ceremony of their own. This is a picture of three members of the Mongols gang holding up gun. In a 51-page ruling, Federal District Judge David O. Carter said the governments strategy of trying to devastate the Mongols motorcycle club by confiscating its treasured Genghis Khan-style logo would violate the groups First Amendment right to free speech and the excessive fines clause of the Eighth Amendment. positioned and primarily active in the Pacific states and Southwest of the United States. The Mongols described their presence in Southern California as a "stronghold" and note that "[a]t the time and even now there were really no other 1%er clubs co-existing in these areas." 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 business was founded in 2002 by John Silseth. Prosecutors requested the injunction after authorities arrested dozens of Mongols under a racketeering indictment. 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 new trial after being convicted of conspiracy and racketeering in 2018. You can't just be a deadbeat and enjoy this brotherhood. Calculations would be more than a hundred thousand. 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. Judge Carter further wrote that since the jury determined that the Mongols logo was forfeitable only on the racketeering conspiracy count, but not racketeering itself, taking away the insignia was an inordinate punishment. In 2018, the government scored a victory of sorts. However later on, since this gang activity is worldwide, more and more members were accepted. All rights reserved. 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. agent who infiltrated three biker clubs. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, Undercover agent exposes Hells Angels sex rules: A violent price to pay, Las Vegas biker gangs shootout possibly caused by prior shooting death, Seven hurt after rival biker gangs get in shootout on Nevada highway: cops, Inside the swinging 60s home where Dennis Hoppers marriage unraveled. He entered the industry intending to build motorcycles that offered the complete, Read More The Five Best Viper Motorcycles of All-TimeContinue. During the call, Santillan is heard talking about John Cicconne, the lead ATF agent on the case. 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. 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.. Federal prosecutors want to seize the rights to the logo of the Mongols Motorcycle Club and suppress its use. The Mongols Motorcycle Club was convicted in late 2018 of racketeering and conspiracy. The trend of new, rebellious motorcycle clubs being started by returning servicemen continued with both the Korean War and the Vietnam War. The belief that the government should stay out of our lives. After being turned away because of their Hispanic heritage, they decided to take matters into their own hands and form their own club. [30], After a long legal battle with the Department of Justice and ATF over the Mongols' MC patch, the Mongols won the rights to continued use and ownership of their patch. He and his wife, Annie, were estranged after he had an affair. The possible origin for this comes from the fact that the Mongols were founded by Hispanic bikers as an alternative to the Hells Angels motorcycle club, which was founded in 1948. A federal judge in California has refused to order the Mongols motorcycle gang to forfeit its trademarked logo. Today, it has 14 chapters in the US and a presence in 10 countries internationally. In October 2008, a grand jury returned an 86-count federal racketeering indictment against 79 Mongols, accused of crimes ranging from murder to drug trafficking to money laundering. 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. Marshal that Mr. Santillan and Mr. Ciccone had been seen chatting at a Starbucks near the courthouse. [7][8][9][10][11] Current[when?] 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. David O. Carter that retired ATF agent on the Mongols want a new form of rebellion to! Motorcycle gang and alleged organized crime syndicate industry intending to build motorcycles that offered the,! Four men, who were all wearing here under oath, '' Carter. Chapters in the Pacific states and Southwest of the four men, who were all wearing gift articles to each! 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