Posted on 06/06/2017 3:35:45 PM PDT by Elderberry
The ironic war the United States of America has waged against the Mongols Motorcycle Club is now in its 20th year. It began as an offshoot of investigations in Los Angeles by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives into the Vagos, Sundowners and Hells Angels Motorcycle Clubs.
Like the Hundred Years War in the 14th Century, the Mongols War can be divided into distinct phases.
In the beginning, in about 1998 when the Mongols were comparatively short handed, the ATF managed to infiltrate an undercover agent named William Queen – his name in the club was Billy “Slow Brain” St. John – into a Mongols chapter in the San Fernando Valley. The experience had a more profound effect on Queen than the Mongols. He got a big book deal out of it. The esteemed Joseph Wambaugh called Queen’s memoir “the fascinating true story of an undercover ATF agent and the psychological price he was made to pay for his courageous work.”
The “price” Queen had to pay was his own disillusionment. Queen began his undercover assignment with a judgmental, disdainful and cynical view of the men he would eventually call “brother.” And then they loved him. And then he loved them back.
Mel Gibson bought the film rights to Queen’s tale but the movie was never made and other than one notable murder prosecution the investigation was mostly fruitless. Phase Two
The year Queen’s book was published, the same ATF agents, with the exception of Queen, orchestrated what was probably the largest criminal investigation in American History. That investigation, which would eventually be called Operation Black Rain, began “in or about June, 2005” when a member of the Mongols Camarillo, California chapter named T.J. Stansbury was caught selling anabolic steroids through the mail and agreed to introduce multiple undercover agents into the Mongols.
The idea of that case was to destroy not just the Mongols but to create legal precedents that could be used to destroy all motorcycle clubs. The massive investigation and the prosecution that followed probably cost $150 million. Two years ago, speaking to group of aspiring bike club investigators, ATF analyst Jeremy Sheetz admitted there could never be another Black Rain because it had cost so much and yielded so little.
Nevertheless, 80 members and associates of the club were indicted and civil forfeiture proceedings were initiated against an equal number of unindicted co-conspirators. The government set out to steal everything it could as a punishment for the non-crime of belonging to a motorcycle club. It also intended to steal the Mongols identity. A press release dated October 21, 2008 bragged:
“‘In addition to pursuing the criminal charges set forth in the indictment, for the first time ever, we are seeking to forfeit the intellectual property of a gang,’ said United States Attorney Thomas P. O’Brien. ‘The name “Mongols,” which is part of the gang’s “patch” that members wear on their motorcycle jackets, was trademarked by the gang. The indictment alleges that this trademark is subject to forfeiture. We have filed papers seeking a court order that will prevent gang members from using or displaying the name “Mongols.” If the court grants our request for this order, then if any law enforcement officer sees a Mongol wearing his patch, he will be authorized to stop that gang member and literally take the jacket right off his back.’”
Forbidden Symbols
For the next seven months local, state and federal police went around stealing anything they could find that mentioned the motorcycle club including shirts, calendars, patches and stickers that contained the prohibited acronym “MFFM.” A couple of court cases later the actual seizure of items that demonstrated prohibited speech stopped. But not the idea that motorcycle clubs might be destroyed by making it illegal for them to identify themselves. The ATF exported to idea to Australia and several European countries that were not hogtied by the United States annoying Bill of Rights.
The government’s war against the Mongols entered a third phase in 2013 when a prosecutor-friendly federal judge named Otis D. Wright II suggested to prosecutors that they might be able to confiscate the Mongols insignia by convicting the club as a whole of being a racketeering enterprise. Wright is a stupid bully. What he was blatantly trying to do was help government lawyers put the motorcycle club out of business. What the case boiled down to was the idea that because some Mongols might commit crimes membership in the club should be criminal. Wright is also a coward. He knew he was making a fool of himself, that his numerous bench rulings would eventually come back to haunt him and he quit the case on the eve of trial.
The point of United States of America versus Mongols Nation An Unincorporated Association was always to simply use the power of prosecution as a bludgeon. Sooner or later, that theory went and still goes, the Mongols will run out of money to defend themselves. Appeal
After much legal drama, a judge named David O. Carter dismissed the government’s case in 2015. And since the government has all the money in the world – they print it – and the Mongols do not, the government appealed that dismissal in July 2016.
Next Tuesday, June 6 at 9 a.m. a three judge panel will hear oral arguments on that appeal in room three of the Richard H. Chambers Courthouse in Pasadena, California. The three judges who will decide if the government’s appeal of the dismissal has merit are Robert D. Sack, Susan P. Graber and Mary H. Murguia. All are Democratic appointees and they seem unlikely to side with prosecutors.
But then one never knows.
It should be an interesting hearing.
Call the Wahmbulance. Gangsters not getting a fair shake.
I booked the same rock band every Thursday, treated them like gold....The way I treated all my customers and employees...
Two of the band members were Pagan Motorcycle club members....
Word got back to the club and the band asked if we would mind if the club showed it's appreciation by coming by one Thursday night when they were playing....
The next Thursday, about 75 motorcycles and several vehicles pulled up in front of the club....until you experience it, you have no idea how loud that is.....
Our regular customers were attorneys, judges and law enforcement....we were next to a federal courthouse....
The Pagan's were in full regalia....my wife ran the three bars and bartenders.....
She had a shotgun under the bar and I had a concealed .45 but that would have been fairly useless for survival with that group......
They were exceedingly polite, yes ma'am and no ma'am to my wife and ordered a lot....spent a ton of money....plus over tipped.....
That stated, we breathed a sigh of relief when they left....
They were exceedingly polite and
So that’s TG’s real name eh; Otis D. Wright II.
What a stunningly stupid reply to actually a very sober and serious article. “Whambulance”?
I have been 1% patch holder now for going on 30 years and do I support Mongols of course not for they are pretty much plain evil idiots and yet that has nothing whatsoever to do with this case or action.
This has EVERYTHING to do with LE and US Government taking action to steal and commandeer and take away the private property of citizens and why??? Because the US Government says so! Evil bikers must be stopped and punished! Now who is going to argue with that??? Evil bikers must be stopped!
Then how about evil (so the government says) political enemies? Obama quite the master of that. How about evil so the government says religions they do not like? How about evil sexual perversions of whatever type the government says they do not like? How about evil of whatever the heck you are that the US government of the moment, of the day, of the particular sitting president, of the particular State or City and then that Law Enforcement and Government comes to take away what you have just because they say they can??? With guns and they will shoot and murder you with utter impunity because they say they can?
So idiot who replied with a snot nose remark that would get you smashed in my bar; this case was NEVER about the Mongols or the Black and White. It affects us all. Meaning not just affecting bikers but how about religion? How about politics? How about farmers and ranchers who are doing something the government does not like? How about Oregon who says the rain from the sky belongs to the State and cannot be collected without their permission (actual for-real case and law there).
No this case is not about the idiots of the Black and White. It is about all of us Americans who will either fear our own government taking away what they do not like and jailing those they do not like and Civil Asset Forfeiture which is going on all over USA right now. Or simply taking Government guns and killing us and that with absolute and utter power and impunity.
So wawa really? Gangsters really? Get an education you moron for next the government comes then it just might come after you and if you do not know the real life story of Martin Neimoller and you should be thought wise as the Bible teaches by keeping your fool mouth shut.
Oh that’s right because the Mingus are just teddy bears who never break the law
Gangsters and thugs. Murderous dope dealing useless human beings
I won’t ever defend them
Some people can’t see the trees for the forest.
Excellent post.
Thank you.
First they came for the bikers,but I wasn’t a Mongol. Then they came for the glazer, but I wasn’t a glaze....... I get you
Thank you for taking the time to explain the case. Quite well done, actually.
Very interesting. The case against the Mongols is weak and should be rejected.
One day in 2011 I was driving with my father eastbound on the Pomona freeway through Puente Hills and in the fast lane came 30 motorcycle riders with “Mongols” on their jackets. Because my father’s father was hired by Mr. Arthur Davidson and Mr. William Harley in Wisconsin to open a new store in Seattle in the 1930’s, my father waved and smiled at all the motorcycle riders. They just scowled. My father did not know that the Mongols are criminals and he thought they were just cool guys out for a ride.
Looking for a safe place? You can’t understand that a person could take exception to what it takes to be a 1%’er in the Mongols?
+2. Great minds.
I recall the time on a two-lane road my dad driving and me in the back end of the station wagon. (Mom and sis up front)
We came up on a bunch of bikers - all going slower than my old man. My dad passes about half of them before he has to “merge” into the bunch. Hard to merge when they are bumper to bumper and stretch for hundreds of feet! My mom was yelling at my dad as I recall.
Then he passed the next half. I recall a couple of the front riders came up alongside us on the shoulder and the opposite lane - they weren’t too happy.
I don’t recall if at 10-years old I gave them the finger out the back window or not!?
I know with individual motorcycles I give them a lot of room for safety-sake. I can’t stand seeing cars riding the bumper of a bike on the freeway.
Not sure what I would do if in my old-man’s situation. You are basically playing “chicken” with them - hoping they will let you in before the on-coming car. We were out in South Dakota the week before Sturgis one year. Lots of bikes, but they all left room for us to pass when needed.
After a bit my daughter (12 at the time?) after seeing so many bikes out on the road said “What is this - a motorcycle convention!?” (”Well, yes.....”)
I’m a biker, have a very good friend who was the president of a 1%’er club for about thirty years. There are good and bad in all groups of any kind.
In general, they are lovers of freedom. His club was destroyed by a RICO conviction several years ago.
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