LOS ANGELES – Dozens of burly, tattoo-covered members of the Mongol motorcycle gang were arrested Tuesday by federal agents in six states following a three-year investigation in which undercover agents infiltrated the group. More than 60 members of the Southern California-based Mongol Motorcycle Club were arrested under a federal racketeering indictment that included charges of murder, attempted murder, assault, as well as gun and drug violations, said Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives spokesman Mike Hoffman.
During some arrests, sharpshooters stood guard on surrounding rooftops as motorcycles were lined up and confiscated. "It's going to be a large hit to their organization. We are arresting many of their top members," Hoffman said.
U.S. Attorney Thomas O'Brien said he believed it to be the highest number of arrests of a motorcycle gang in the nation's history.
His staff planned to ask a judge for an injunction to seize the Mongols' trademarked name, a first for federal authorities. If the order is approved, no member would be able to wear a jacket or ride a bike bearing the gang's name. "It would allow law enforcement to seize the leather jackets right off their back," O'Brien said.
Federal and local agents had 110 federal arrest warrants and 160 search warrants that were being served across Southern California and in Nevada, Oregon, Colorado, Washington and Ohio. The sweep, dubbed Operation Black Rain, was to continue throughout the day Tuesday, agents said.Among those arrested were the gang's former national president, Ruben Cavazos. Hoffman said the Mongols had been recruiting members of Los Angeles street gangs to assist in their operations. The Mongols are primarily Latino and formed because the Hells Angels refused to allow Hispanic members.
Four ATF agents infiltrated the gang and were accepted as full members, a difficult process that requires winning the trust of the gang's top leaders over a period of months, Hoffman said. The agents were required to live away from their families in homes set up to make it look like they lived a Mongols lifestyle, Hoffman said. Four undercover women ATF agents also were involved in the operation, pretending to be biker girlfriends and attending parties with the agents; women are not allowed to become full members of the gang.
"If you go to a party all the time and you don't ever bring a girl around, it's kind of weird," Hoffman said. "Someone might get suspicious."
Some links to the story:
http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/Los-Angeles-news-conference-motorcycle-gang-members/photo//081021/480/bb557fbb28d24b45a1594cbc7dc3d80c//s:/ap/20081021/ap_on_re_us/biker_gang_busts
slideshow
http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/Mongol-Motorcycle-Gang/ss/events/us/102108mongolbikegang
video
http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?rn=4226712&cl=10312449&src=news
Now we are not like real surprised when the news media reports on a criminal enterprise. I mean like they report on congress daily. The difference being the arrested Mongols have not yet been proven guilty. Congress, it would appear is immune from guilt or accountability.
And we have heard this hyperbole from government before. A hundred or so Bikers get arrested and have to stand trail. One or two get convicted and have to do any significant crime.
We figure that there are probably two reasons for that, the government wants to make a statement and if it entails using a few propaganda tactics to further sway public opinion, fine. And they push their authority so far beyond the limits that prosecuting attorneys can not make the charges stick. So we will see how many Mongols get "convicted" on appropriately obtained evidence as the L.A. Times reporting of the story left out a little piece of info that other stories did not feel necessary to include:
the indictment, the first three pages of which list 79 gang member defendants with menacing monikers such as "Monster," "Danger" and "Violent Ed," is drawn largely from the observations of four undercover ATF agents who penetrated the gang and four current Mongols members who became paid informants for the government. Investigators also relied heavily on wiretapped telephone calls in which Mongols, usually speaking in coded language, discussed the gang's allegedly criminal operation
So right off the bat we have a case built on "hear say" and "paid" informants???
Keep in mind that this post in no way is meant to support or sanction activities by "anybody" that would grievously oppress the rights of any one individual. That goes for the Mongols. It also goes for the government. The ends do not always justify the means.
However particularly disturbing about this story is the governments attempt to:
His staff planned to ask a judge for an injunction to seize the Mongols' trademarked name, a first for federal authorities. If the order is approved, no member would be able to wear a jacket or ride a bike bearing the gang's name. "It would allow law enforcement to seize the leather jackets right off their back," O'Brien said.
There is a reason an action such as this may "be a first for federal authorities". Because in the past such an action would have probably been declared unconstitutional. It would be like the Government
suing Mattel for it's trademark because it brought in toys from China colored in lead based paint.
In the past we have posted numerous posts on the effect Australian laws against freedom of speech, expression and association have had on motorcycle clubs by singling out one segment of the population. In the past we have warned if you do not think it can happen here you are more wacko than we are.
It has happened in the past in this country to blacks and women. It is happening now to Bikers. Aha you say, but that is the Mongols, that is not us. Well you may be next.
- "In Germany, they came first for the Communists, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Communist;
- And then they came for the trade unionists, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist;
- And then they came for the Jews, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew;
- And then . . . they came for me . . . And by that time there was no one left to speak up."
- "First they came…" is a poem attributed to Pastor Martin Niemöller (1892–1984)
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It's a CLUB! NOT a "Gang". "Club" doesn't sell newspapers. "Gang" does. A gang is not organized i.e. no meetings, dues, runs, parties etc. Gangs are idiots assembled. Clubs get together weekly/monthly meetings, have mandatory runs, parties, swap meets, fun. I'm in a metal detecting CLUB! Not a metal detecting "Gang". The press/cops/goverment are stupid and it shows every time they call Outlaw 1% Motorcycle Clubs "Gangs".
ReplyDeleteAm in agreement. Have communicated that numerous times. technorati, google, all media has gang ingrained in their heads. More importantly it is probably related to the bottom line. Attracts eyeballs faster than club.
ReplyDeleteThey are not going to change. If I want to find the truth about certain clubs, begrudgingly I find it more often than not under the gang heading.
You can also thank LEO for perpetuating the sterotype