Racketeering charges against 16 people from motorcycle gangs in Raleigh and Fayetteville
Justice in Washington as well as a TF resident special
agent in charge Steve Babbitts and Mark Oxendine for the
Raleigh and Fayetteville offices of the A TF as well
as Raleigh police chief Estella Patterson and chief of detectives
Major Brian Perry of the Cumberland County sheriff's office
We're also joined by assistant United States attorneys Robbie Dodson
Scott Lemon and Kelly Sandling who have been working for
some time and will continue to work on this case
Today we are announcing the federal indictment of 16 members
of the hells angels and the Red Devils motorcycle clubs
The support club of the Red Devils works alongside the
hells angels to do the work of the hells angels
and act in concert with them as part of a
collective enterprise
The eight count indictment charges the 16 for their roles
in a violent racketeering enterprise
Our remarks today as always at the indictment stage of
a case will be limited to the public record information
that's been presented to the court the general scope of
the investigation and a description of the charges
There are legal ethical and practical reasons why we will
not discuss more beyond what is in the four corners
of the indictment and in the public record at this
time charges are merely allegations and everybody is innocent until
proven guilty in this country that is fundamental to the
rule of law
And it's a rule of law that we respect charges
that were handed down by the grand jury
In this case include murder accessory to murder attempted murder
and assault with a deadly weapon all in aid of
a criminal racketeering enterprise as well as attempted witness tampering
Two years ago we launched a violent crime action plan
to partner with local law enforcement and the justice department
to identify the individuals and the groups that were driving
violence throughout North Carolina
Our strategy is not just to focus on shooters and
trigger pullers
It's also to focus on the criminal organizations and the
enterprises that enable and encourage those violent acts
Sometimes that means using federal statutes that can work in
sophisticated ways to focus on violent criminal organizations in ways
that individual charges for individual acts simply cannot
Those statutes commonly referred to as the Rico statute or
the violent crime
In aid of racketeering statutes give us a unique ability
to weave together patterns of violence expose them and hold
entire criminal networks accountable
The last time a violent crime and aid of racketeering
count was brought in the eastern district of North Carolina
It was a vicar murder against two significant blood gang
members and their group and resulted in multiple life sentences
for those defendants that was in 2017 against a familiar
local gangster by the name of Demetris Divine
Today's charges are the result of an investigation led by
ATF and members of our office with the justice department
in Washington focusing on a group known internationally as the
hells angels
The operation until today was known to law enforcement only
as operation broken halo
The indictment alleges that the hells angels and the Red
Devils work together as part of a criminal enterprise engaged
in racketeering activity
And it focuses on the Fayetteville chapters of the Hells
Angels and Red Devils which claims territory expanding through Raleigh
much of the eastern Piedmont and our coastal plains
The vast majority of motorcycle clubs are law abiding citizens
individuals who love the open road and the freedom that
one gets to enjoy on a motorcycle
The hells angels consider themselves to be part of the
1% they call themselves the one percenters unlike the 99%
of law abiding motorcycle riders
This indictment alleges that the hells angels use violence to
protect their power and their territory including physical assault murder
threats and intimidation to silence witnesses and deter Cooper with
law enforcement
The indictment further alleges that the Fayetteville hells angels hold
meetings known as church in a facility stocked with for
surveillance cameras fortified doors windows brass knuckles firearms knives and
ball peeing hammers
The indictment further alleges that hell's angels have a hierarchical
structure with the chapter president giving orders to its members
and prospective members known as prospects
The indictment alleges that the hells angels have had a
long standing feud with the pagans motorcycle club and that
the hells angels have issued a standing green light order
to attack assault or even kill any pagan that they
encounter
Failure to comply with that green light order to attack
pagans can result in retaliation assault or loss of status
within the hells angels
The indictment charges five defendants with the killing of a
pagan motorcycle club member Jonas Padilla on New Year's Day
of last year
Here in the city of Raleigh defendants Vidal Reed Anthony
Cheever David Stevens Martina Starks and Tyler are all charged
and are all members and alleged to be members of
the Red Devils motorcycle club a support group to the
hells angels
And the indictment alleges they conspired to kill Padilla to
gain entrance to or enhance their standing with the hells
angels
Two additional defendants are also charged today Christopher Dylan mayor
and Robert Scott Brown now also charged with being accessories
after the fact to the murder of Jonas Padilla
The indictment further alleges another violent episode last July where
pagans were assaulted by hell's angels and a hell's angels
member was killed during a shootout at a Dairy Queen
in Wade North Carolina in Columbus County
Eight defendants are charged with attempted murder in aid of
racketeering assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering
including Jason Hathaway Fred prosperity William Gardner Terry Kins Junior
Jrd Daniel Strickland William Beasley and David Woodall
Lastly the indictment charges Jonathan Robar with obstruction in attempting
to dissuade a witness from assisting with the criminal investigation
My office has made tackling violent crime and trying to
reduce gun violence and drive down the threats to our
community a top priority and always a collaborative mission with
our partners whether here or at main Justice in Washington
whether a local officer working the beat on the street
or a prosecutor from Washington who can help us access
tools and resources to confront our problem
We will partner with any agency necessary to deliver the
safest and best results for the people in North Carolina
The charges today from operation broken halo are just the
latest example of that partnership from local law enforcement local
das to our office to Washington
Our strategy will continue to bring all partners to the
table today's case alleges that hell's angels and red devils
conspired to cause violence in two North Carolina cities in
order to enhance an enterprise designed to perpetuate its own
standing and reputation in the outlaw motorcycle community
But our indictments show gangs of any kind that we
will bring the full resources of the federal government to
bear to keep our community safe to support pure justice
and to uphold the rule of law
With that
I'd like to recognize our colleague at the justice department
Chief David Jaffe if you would
thank you you to easley
Today's indictment is a testament to the diligence and dedication
of the federal and state prosecutors and our investigative partners
represented uh here on the stage with me in battling
organized violent gangs in Raleigh Fayetteville and beyond
The indictment reflects a sustained team effort to bring the
justice people who engage in gun violence and throughout the
eastern district of North Carolina violent crime threatens the safety
and security of our communities
That is especially true of the gang at issue today
the hells Angels and their support club the hells Angels
is a highly structured global organization with a regimented structure
The leadership structure is alleged to direct its full patch
membership and members of its poor clubs to commit heinous
acts of violence like the gunpoint murder the attempted murder
and the assault referenced in charge in today's indictment at
the very core of law enforcement's mission
We are working to combat organized gang violence and ensure
that everybody feels safe in their homes and their neighborhoods
It's a hard reality that in many communities across our
country they do not enjoy the sense of security because
of gangs like the hells angels
They're a gang that is alleged to assault shoot and
even kill their rivals and others
In the midst of honest hard working people these gang
leaders and members believe they can get away with their
crimes in part by intimidating potential witnesses through violence and
threats of violence
Today
With this indictment we send a firm clear message that
that will never be the case
Today's indictment charges violent leaders members and associates of the
hells angels and the support clubs
In other words the indictment alleges and charges these those
involved in using their power and influence in the hells
angels to organize their power and influence in the hells
angels uh to commit violent crime throughout the eastern district
of North Carolina violent crime racketeering section of the criminal
division at the Department of Justice are partners at the
US Attorney's Office and our Federal state and local law
enforcement partners remain dedicated to protecting our communities from the
violence intimidation and exploitation of gangs like the hells angels
We look forward to working with these dedicated prosecutors and
investigators to prove our case and make clear the violent
criminal elements and bystanders that we will do everything in
our power to hold defenders accountable and protect our communities
Thank you
Thank you
I'd like to recognize one of our finest partners on
our federal task forces chief Estella Patterson uh cases like
this couldn't be possible without dedicated officers and agents willing
to find the threads that connect organizations together to look
beyond the individual evidence at a crime scene and put
together the broader picture
Chief if you would
Thank you for that introduction Mr Easley and good afternoon
to everyone
My name is Estella Patterson
And I serve as the Chief of Police for the
Raleigh Police Department
And I'm proud to stand with our public safety leaders
across this region for today's announcement
Thank you Mr Easley to you and your team for
the continued dedication to public service also too
I'd like to thank a TFR Steve Babbitts and a
TFR Mark Mark Oxendine and Cumberland County Sheriff's Office Major
Brian Perry for your partnership
I'd also like to acknowledge and thank my investigators who
are part of our criminal enterprise drug unit or cu
and the organized crime drug enforcement task force
All of our officers and detectives worked tirelessly on these
cases which arose from another lengthy and complex task force
investigation
The Raleigh Police Department's word of the year is team
and fundamentally our philosophy is that together everyone achieves more
Today's announcement is a testament of the importance of teamwork
partnership and all and all hands on deck approach to
increase public safety in our city and our state
I have said it before and I will say it
again
The Raleigh Police Department and the Raleigh community will not
tolerate violent criminal behavior or criminal behavior
Period in our city
When it exists we will work tirelessly with our law
enforcement partners to investigate the offenses and ensure that the
individuals responsible are held accountable
This particular investigation which began back in January of 2023
demonstrates how far reaching and multi layered dangerous groups can
infiltrate our communities if they are not addressed swiftly
But this is where a concerted focused and intelligence driven
approach to combating crime comes into play
The indictments in operation broken halo involve defendants that are
members or associates of the hells Angel motorcycle club which
you have heard from Mr Easley
We have seen in past cases where this outlaw motorcycle
group uses violence and intimidation to wreak havoc in our
communities
Knowing this we worked to identify the individuals named in
the indictment by sharing information resources and strategies through the
expertise of our detectives and our counterparts in the agency
Standing here today we have and will continue to disrupt
and disband the criminal enterprise alleged in the indictment
I am pleased that this investigation led to the arrest
of Red Devils members for their alleged involvement in the
homicide of Jonas Padilla which occurred on January 1st 2023
here in Raleigh as part of operation broken halo
State charges for the murder of Padilla were dropped and
federal charges were adopted by the A TF including murder
Other members were also charged with other federal offenses
My message to these organizations is clear if you think
your affiliation with a criminal organization shields you from accountability
You are wrong
Your criminal behavior will be met with the full weight
and resources of the Raleigh Police Department along with all
our federal and state partners
Your criminal activity has no place in the Raleigh community
and we will work day and night to ensure that
our residents can sleep easy knowing that they will not
become victimized by senseless violence
We affirm and we confirm our commitment to protect and
serve the residents of Raleigh
Thank you
Thank you
Uh with that we can try to take a few
questions
Although given the stage we are at in the litigation
and the investigation we will be conservative in what we
share uh and largely limited to what's in the four
corners of the indictment
Um And uh do our best to maintain um respect
for the proceedings and uh the the way things need
to unfold in the legal process sir
Can you describe how large these groups are beyond the
people who are Uh well the hells angels obviously are
a uh enormous international organization with chapters in the world
over
Uh I don't know that we've got precise numbers on
uh the the number of members in in the groups
I can't tell you that um we have seen an
increase in pagan outlaw motorcycle gang activity in North Carolina
And that in part has led to some of the
confrontations between uh an increase in number of pagans and
sort of uh existing chapters of the hells angels
And that in part explains the level of investigative attention
we are putting towards this issue and why we've seen
uh issues like this bubble up into the public sphere
in ways that feel uh new or different than we
might have seen a decade ago
Um But I I don't want to speak on behalf
of our friends at the A TF as to the
number of uh suspected members or associates
Uh But it's significant and uh and the types of
confrontations that we see occur are significant and we want
to be sure that we are also equally robust in
our enforcement and investigative attention around those organizations
I usually Baron James Studio 17 news given the vastness
of this group what sort of realistic impact does this
indictment to stamp out the crime Well one of the
things that's unique about both Rica and the violent crime
in aid of racketeering statutes is that it doesn't just
focus on focus on individual violence of that somebody perpetrated
and and go investigate in charge
What may look like a simple assault or road rage
incident or a parking dispute you may be able to
pull back the curtain and realize that that in fact
is part of a pattern of violence done on behalf
of an enterprise or an organization
So I'm speaking generally about these these statutory tools that
we're using and in using these tools our hope is
that we get the word out and make it very
clear that if you have a criminal enterprise that engages
in violence and you come through the State of North
Carolina you better keep on writing because we're gonna be
riding you and pursuing cases uh and exposing what these
organizations are doing to encourage violence
Uh that message needs to be out it needs to
be clear but we're gonna air our case in court
and uh and uh let our case speak for itself
with that go ahead when it comes to prevention
Then you know we talk about prevalence
A lot of times we talk about you know preventing
uh you know youth gangs and things like that
But you know how are people being recruited into this
And you know like you said 99% of people that
just maybe have motorcycle as a hobby kind of what's
leading to you know people to be radicalize or or
join these types of groups
So uh I will speak generally from a sort of
policy perspective about gangs in general
Um gangs go to where the laws are and that's
true for a criminal street gang recruiting youth
It's true for uh a motorcycle club or any other
type of gang
There are are people who have uh uh uh something
uh uh missing in their lives where they need uh
a a parental figure for example in the context of
a gang where they need the support and and uh
something that feels like a family and what a gang
does is take advantage of that sense of needing something
in someone and try to provide an outlet for that
and essentially co ops and hijacks that to use it
to fuel an enterprise
And uh I can't speak for what motivated any individual
in this case to join or do what they do
But as we think about gangs generally um and how
we solve them as a community as a society it's
how do we go to where the laws are and
and find ways to use people and their talents to
do good and not let them be recruited to do
ill
And many of the folks who can become attracted to
um uh some of the one percenter motorcycle gangs uh
maybe folks who uh have been you know down and
out and and brought into the fall in one of
these organizations and they can be saved
And a message for anybody who's affiliated with these groups
is if you know something about violence in that community
that you're in this is your chance to come forward
and stop it because actions like this uh cast a
long shadow in a dark shadow over a sport and
a hobby that is righteous and should be enjoyable to
everybody
And uh so I'd encourage anybody who's aware and can
help do good in this arena to come forward and
talk to us
Given the fact that these 16 defendants are charged with
a vast uh different you know different crimes for murder
or racketeering to assault
Talk a little bit about the punishment that they could
face in a in a federal prison
Right
So federal statutes are significant in their reach
They're also significant in the degree of punishment that can
be provided
So count one charges the car murder which results in
if convicted a mandatory life sentence
Generally speaking the only path to a favorable outcome with
the justice department is complete and total cooper operation
And and generally speaking when we pursue somebody or a
group we don't stop our investigations we will keep pursuing
our investigations
And that's why I would reiterate cooper operation is a
path forward that can provide opportunities to a more favorable
outcome
But a mandatory life sentence would be the result if
convicted on count one count two charges uh a violent
crime with the use of a firearm which results in
a 10 year mandatory minimum
Um Count three involves um uh accessory after the fact
results in potentially a 15 year statutory maximum
Count four which is a a assault in support of
racketeering yields a 10 year statutory maximum and attempted murder
in aid of racketeering at count five yields a 20
year stat maximum
Um And ex uh the attempt to um dissuade and
intimidate a witness at count eight yields a three year
statutory maximum
So the sentences can be significant in these cases and
they can provide some incentive for people to come forward
and help pull back the curtain on the kind of
violence that people in this community don't want to tolerate
anymore
Does the US Attorney's office or dare I say yourself
personally fear any sort of retaliation given the severe power
that this his group packs
These groups don't keep us up at night
We keep them up at night
Thank you
Thank you
Ok
Ok
Thank you
Thanks for having me
Sorry