Like Like. The Pagans have been tied to traditional organized crime groups in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and New York and have engaged in criminal activities such as arson, assault, bombing, extortion and murder. If you have to ask what were all about, then youll never be one of us. He pointed to a patch on his vest that read BFFB (for Bandidos Forever, Forever Bandidos). We report on vital issues from politics to education and are the indispensable authority on the Texas scene, covering everything from music to cultural events with insightful recommendations. WebCriminal activity associated with these gangs include drug trafficking, fraud, counterfeiting, money laundering, human trafficking, contraband smuggling, prostitution, extortion, The Boozefighters Motorcycle Club-almost exclusively made up of WWII vets. Nothing is more important than our clubnothing. Several of those involved, witnesses, and victims, are not cooperating with police in this investigation. Johnson, a seasoned courtroom trial litigator, back from the wars at Dallas and elsewhere cant keep the sneer from his face when he points in the general direction of downtown, somewhere down the freeway from Elm Mott, and says, That law office down there belongs to you.. The club is believed to have about 150 members nationwide, and its website explicitly states it is a motorcycle enthusiasts organization and NOT a criminal organization.. The day his house was raided, Kinzey was in Nebraska, on his way home after visiting his teenage daughter in Michigan, according to friends and family. Even though the nearby racetrack was busy with AMA races, the town's main street was where all the excitement was taking place, thanks to other clubs such as Pissed off Bastards of Bloomington and Boozefighter members such as Wino Willie, Kokomo, Gil Armas and Jim Cameron, among many others, the small police force had their hands full. Chapter 159 of the Boozefighters Motorcycle Club was founded on 1 January 2015 and is based in York County. In 1951, Harper's magazine published a story called "Cyclist's Raid" by a writer named Frank Rooney. His base salary in the fire department at time of publishing was $87,507 a year. The expansions increase the potential for conflict between Bacchus and Outlaws for supremacy in this province, he said. Buzze is known to law enforcement as the President of the Pagans Pasco County Chapter. Burning Paradise; Adventures of a High Times Journalist by; Chris Simunek, 2. However, the club has been complicit in violent and criminal activities carried out by members, and those members have walked free in many cases. These groups are associated with violence and criminal activity, said Staff Sgt. Los Lobos member David We obtained a flyer Buzze made on a taxpayer-funded fire station computer (featured above in the video for Part I) promoting an event for his MC. A number of other men, including Leonards father and brother, were arrested and charged with drug-related offences as part of that operation, including trafficking charges involving fentanyl, cocaine and hash. It has been our privilege to have the trust and support of our East Coast communities for the last 200 years. Mimi Swartz is a staff writer based in Houston. The clubs that started this movement are not even 1%. The state is after them has been for nearly three years since a pistol riot at a local restaurant on May 17, 2015, ended in rifle fire that left 9 dead, 20 wounded. If you believe that your copyrighted work has been copied in a way that constitutes copyright infringement and is accessible on this site or through this service, you may notify our copyright agent, as set forth in the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 (DMCA). The Oct. 7 arrests follow the Sept. 29 arrests of three Leesville residents alleged to have also been involved in criminal gang activities. not sanctioned nor chartered by the AMA) motorcycle club, founded in California after the end of World War U.S. law enforcement authorities estimate that the Outlaws have more than 86 chapters in 20 U.S. states with over 700 members. So far, they have refused to cooperate with detectives, Westrick said.Investigators believe two bikers exchanged gunfire. In Southern California, the North Hollywood chapter is the largest, with smaller branches in Fontana, Montclair and the San Bernardino Mountains. Difranco was known to law enforcement as the Florida Enforcer for the Pagans MC. You can see an edited version of the flyer here. Another story maintains that the Cossacks were there to let the Bandidos know that Waco was now part of their territory because they had opened a new chapter in the city. The bulletin noted, Traditionally, the Bandidos have been the dominant motorcycle club in Texas, and no other club is allowed to wear the Texas bar without their consent. Although Pike and other Bandidos leaders later denied they were upset about the patches, a showdown seemed inevitable. Not everyone could become a "wild one"; but it seemed that deep down everyone wanted to be. The Outlaws also identify themselves as the A.O.A. According to law enforcement sources, a new generation of Cossack leaders was wanting to make a mark on Texass outlaw biker landscape, which meant proving they could stand up to the Bandidos. To be left alone. Along with Kinzey, local Diciples members declined to comment for this article. Karma is a bitch, Insane Throttle provides articles from a variety of Freelance Journalist. In 2005 Johnstons successor, George Wegers, was indicted and later convicted, along with 27 other Bandidos, on federal racketeering charges after engaging in intimidation, extortion, violence, and threats of violence against rival motorcycle clubs to maintain power, territory, and profits., In 2006 I met Pike, who had taken over for Wegers, for a Texas Monthly story I was writing on the Bandidos (The Gangs All Here, April 2007). Do you have a story idea? Until his arrest, Kinzeys worst run-in with police was for a traffic ticket. A wiry man with a crewcut, Pike lived just outside Houston. His successor, Ronald Hodge, was convicted in federal court of conspiring with other Bandidos to bomb homes and automobiles belonging to members of the Banshees, an upstart Dallas motorcycle club that was trying to move in on the Bandidos territory. So, fast forward to today and the BFMC have grown to have chapters all across the United States and internationally to include seven chapters located around the world. The Pagans have an estimated 200 to 250 members among 41 chapters in 11 states. The leather, the attitudes, the motorcycles; and the ever-present strength, power, and volatility of the bikers became a paradoxical fear/envy attraction for nearly everyone. VIDEO: 3 motorcyclists shot in Hollister after rally"The initial investigation and witness statements revealed the confrontation was with rival motorcycle club, Winos Crew. During the confrontation, Wino's Crew member Kelly Eugene Rivas was arrested for possessing a concealed weapon.Rivas, 51, of Grass Valley, Calif., was carrying a knife on the 500 block of San Benito Street, police said.While motorcyclists who witnessed the violence have refused to talk to police, dozens of security cameras that were installed downtown just before the rally may have recorded the July 5 brawl. Nor is it clear who started the fight. This is the person who wore leathers and ran the local Devils Diciples motorcycle gang. Most often, colours include a leather vest with the club logo on the back along with other patches and pins on the front. When the wine ran out they moved the discussion, about starting the new club, inside the BIG 'A'All American BarThe Boozefighters Motorcycle Club was soon officially formed at the All American Bar in Los Angeles. He said they do what they want and use violence and intimidation to get what they want. WebBoozefighters M.C.Dismal SWAMP, VA | Chapter 38. According to one explanation I heard, a Bandido senior officer (not Pike) had laid a trap for the Cossacks. After the deadly shoot-out in Waco, what do the Bandidos want? Investigators arent sure what might have tempted Kinzey, if he indeed crossed over from being a weekend rider to being a hard-core biker. Police said they arrested 28 people total and issued citations to 16. Bill Hayes. At Candymans funeral, in Garland, I watched the Bandidos give one another confident, gleaming looks. The government said Bowman emerged as the top leader in the international Outlaws biker gang during the 1980s and even made the FBIs most wanted list. Without the lawless behavior of these early motorcycle clubs at both Hollister Riot in 1947 and Riverside Riot in 1948, the "1% Outlaw Rebel Biker" term wouldnt exist today. Craft said the rise in criminal gang activity between rival motorcycle organizations has increased over the past several months to a dangerous level, and his department is taking a zero-tolerance stance in its response to what he has called an influx of one percenter motorcycle organizations that pose a threat to the community. WebThe Organized Crime and Gang Section (OCGS) within the Criminal Division was established in late 2010 as a merger of the (former) Organized Crime and Racketeering Section (OCRS), Gang Unit, and the National Gang Targeting, Enforcement & Coordination Center (GangTECC). There was silence. Investigators believe two bikers exchanged gunfire. The Oct. 7 arrests follow the Sept. 29 arrests of three Leesville residents alleged to have also been involved in criminal gang activities. When it concluded in the fall of 2016, it resulted in several arrests, including two suspected Vikings club members for first-degree murder. WebBFMC58, Boozefighters MC, BoozefightersMC 58, Chapter 58, North Houston Texas, BFMC, Swag, Support Gear, When police raided Kinzeys house in August, they found a pound of meth, loaded handguns and rifles and cuts biker leathers. On May 17, a group of Bandidosat least twenty, by some estimatesthundered into Waco on their Harleys and headed for Twin Peaks, a restaurant just off Interstate 35 staffed by pretty young waitresses wearing skimpy tops. They happen all over the state, all over the country, and it's unfortunate," Velasquez told KSBW. With a bit of assistance from a man by the name of Walt Porter, who himself was in a drunken stupor on a "typical" night at the All-American, came up with the perfect name for these "Wild Ones", Boozefighters, and so a motorcycle club was born. It described the fight as one of the worst eruptions of biker-gang violence in U.S. history. A CNN anchor asked me during a television interview why a bunch of old bikers [the Bandidos] would want to prove their manhood by fighting a bunch of young bikers [the Cossacks]? I found myself talking like F.O., trying to explain that these men have a loyalty to their clubs that surpasses just about everything else in their lives. Some had long hair, scraggly goatees, and tattoos covering their arms. February 2023 Reader Quiz: What Did You Learn? Bike Fender. Shawna Wright explained in a media briefing to provide background before Conohan spoke. The term one percenter originated following a riot at a motorcycle rally in California in 1947. Use tab to navigate through the menu items. Boozefighters MC Crime / In The Media 2014 Three members of the Boozefighters Motorcycle Club are shot in a confrontation with a rival club, Winos Crew, Were the only province in this country that has that distinction right now, he said. Forkner later reported that the AMA president declined the application stating that "No goddam way am I giving a name like that to a charter. He is willing to call the spots on the leopard for what they are. Oh, hell, no Cossack is going to show up, Jeff Pike, the Bandidos 59-year-old president, told me with a shrug. Anytime we tackle serious and organized crime, we make some headway or cause them to be defunct, thats a plus.. Thats why Im so shocked. When she tried to explain to Cossacks who took up the parking places and occupied all the seating, she recalls she was cursed, spit on, her foot run over by a motorcycle, and called a cunt. She is surprisingly reasonable today. "The initial investigation and witness statements revealed the confrontation was with rival motorcycle club, Winos Crew. Instead he has taken on the role of a secret police commissar, someone who commands the investigators just how to charge, what facts to use, how to word them in an affidavit, and then how to conduct the investigation. This site may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. Speaking with reporters at RCMP headquarters in St. Johns Thursday, Conohan explained that unlike law-abiding motorcycle groups that get together to ride socially, outlaw motorcycle groups play by their own rules. But police said they know of another Stephen Kinzey, one who calls himself Skinz. A hundred black leather-clad, patched bikers listen intently, men who once served the nation in military regalia, in war. glared at me, his smile fading, and I felt something go cold in my stomach. We have a very long and colorful Theyre just as active, said Sheriffs Detective Jason Rosenbaum, who led the investigation against Kinzey. Under Pikes leadership, the Bandidos appeared to tone down their activities, and police investigations into the club led nowhere. He gives The Legendary that way out look reserved for situations beyond explication, says, I can finally come back to Waco McLennan County for something besides Court. He is at long last freed from his bond restrictions. The Boozefighters also been tagged with phrases such as A Drinking Club with a Motorcycle Problem!. Some are very cordial, theyre respectful when you talk to them, but they do their own thing and make their own rules., Police urge the public to refrain from engaging with these outlaw gangs and to, instead, report sightings and any suspected illegal activity to police, so we can take enforcement action, Conohan said, and remind these gang members that they too are subject to the same rules and regulations as all citizens.. The BFMC has a long history but some things never change, we still enjoy a cold beer, living life to the fullest and having a good time just like the Original Wild Ones. Detectives determined violence flared between the same two rival groups on July 5 outside Johnny's Bar & Grill. He speaks of people who have been convicted of other offenses, sprung from their cages and let loose in the community to be handled by detectives who demand to know whats going on, and if there is not enough action, they demand their charges make something happen. Its consummation occurred a little more than a decade ago, when he moved to San Bernardino County, birthplace of the Hells Angels and Vagos motorcycle gangs. Before he was hired, Costa served probation for two felony charges (adjudication withheld) for aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer and auto burglary. At time of publishing, Buzze was making $79,488 per year with PCFR. Then, on May 1 of this year, sixteen days before the gun battle in Waco, a confidential Texas Department of Public Safety bulletin informed its officers that the Cossacks had started wearing a patch that read Texas on the bottom of their vests without the approval of the Bandidos. They were just a bunch of American men that needed a little more excitement than the average Joe. The five originals to our chapter As far as Im concerned, the Cossacks are just a bunch of punks whove watched too much Sons of Anarchy., For his part, Pike told me he knew nothing about what had taken place in Waco. How Florence ButtNot Her SonLaunched the H-E-B Empire. Raymond Ortiz Jr, 26, was for a violation of probation terms on Sixth St.Alexander Trujillo, 22, was arrested for violation of a restraining order on Fifth St.Simon Garcia Jr., 32, was arrested for battery on San Benito Street. The most dangerous motorcycle gangs and notorious bike crews in America, including Outlaws motorcycle club, Warlocks, Hells Angels, The Sons of Silence & more. Ad-Free experience! As well, an additional prospective chapter of Bacchus has opened in Conception Bay South. The room erupts in agreement. The Outlaws and Pagans top that list and frequent national headlines with their involvement in drug trafficking, arson??and even organized murder. Hes a Ph.D., his father, Hank Kinzey, said shortly after his son was implicated. Birdsong received additional charges of aggravated assault with a firearm, and one count of possession of a firearm on premises of an alcohol beverage outlet. Though we may or may not agree with the material, we provide information from as many sources as possible to give a well rounded look so our readership can decide for themselves. 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