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Posted on Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Injury Law Los Angeles
October 21, 2008 (by Otto Smyth)
According to reports by California motorcycle lawyers, over 1,000 federal agents along with local police raided and arrested members of the Mongols motorcycle gang in California and five other states. Many of the members arrested were arrested on charges of racketeering.
Members of the motorcycle gang were also charged with the commission of other violent crimes including murder, weapon offenses, drug trafficking and money laundering. This was all in a 177 page indictment that has been unsealed and in the indictment it also listed the use of guns, knives, brass knuckles, lead pipes and steel toed boots that were all used on their rivals and citizens that ran across them. In the indictment there were 79 pages that listed gang members along with their gang names, such as Danger, Monster and Violent Ed.
These arrests occurred after four agents from the ATF went undercover to infiltrate the gang according to reports along with four paid informants that are current members of the Mongols motorcycle gang. There were wire tapped telephone calls where motorcycle gang members used codes to discuss business, which the government is alleging was criminal activity. One other thing that the is listed is to take control of the trademark name Mongols.
In statements by U.S. Attorney Thomas P. O’Brien stated that while it might seem unusual for the government to seize control of the motorcycle gangs trademark name this will also include their insignia, a emulation of Genghis Khan with a ponytail riding a chopped motorcycle. O’Brian said that if this is successful then anyone wearing a Mongols patch would have it seized by law enforcement. This is in a using everything the government has in order to bust the motorcycle gang up; that they feel has proven to be a violent gang.
The Mongols are reported to have between 500 and 600 members most located in Southern California, one of the California chapters is also their headquarters located in West Covina.
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