During the call, Santillan is heard talking about John Cicconne, the lead ATF agent on the case. [2] When they formed, they were already pretty fearsome. In a 51-page ruling, Federal District Judge David O. Carter said the governments strategy of trying to devastate the Mongols motorcycle club by confiscating its treasured Genghis Khan-style logo would violate the groups First Amendment right to free speech and the excessive fines clause of the Eighth Amendment. Racketeering conspiracy; conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine; money laundering conspiracy; assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering; conspiracy to commit robbery affecting interstate commerce and robbery affecting interstate commerce; kidnapping; and firearm offenses. Both men also rejected the claim that Mr. Santillan had revealed privileged defense information to the government while his motorcycle club was on trial. David Santillan, the president of the Mongols, was ousted by the group after a video surfaced that implied he was being protected by a federal agent. [1] Law enforcement officials estimate approximately 2,000 full-patched members are in the club. They called themselves "outlaws" and "one-percenters" - referring to a comment by the American Motorcyclist Association that 99% of motorcyclists were law abiding citizens, implying that one percent were not. Gualtieri said the Mongols, who are based in California, have a strong presence in the Tampa Bay area and conduct a range of criminal activity from prostitution to gun and drug dealing. There could be a particular concern that the defense lawyer was unwittingly receiving directions from someone aligned with the government, he said. club president David Santillan denies that the club as a whole is a criminal enterprise, and attorneys for the club claim that it has changed its code of conduct to exclude drug abusers and criminals. That isnt to say the Mongols are sugary sweet, by any stretch of the imagination. According to another Hot Cars article, one of the most important rules of being a Mongol motorcycle club member is never backing down from a fight. The result was a jarring blow to the club. Prosecutors convinced a jury in California that these crimes were not just the result of individual bikers behaving badly, but the work of an organized criminal enterprise that had participated in a campaign of mayhem. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Eighth Amendment protection from excessive punishment, Criminal Law (Criminal Organisations Disruption) Amendment Act 2013, "Organized Crime in California, Annual Report to the California Legislature", "Cop Slain in SoCal Was Investigating Deadly Feud Between Biker Gangs", "The Official Site of the Mongols Motorcycle Club", "U.S. targets bikers' identity; Prosecutor vows to strip Mongols of their name after 61 members are arrested as a result of a 3-year probe", "Mongols motorcycle gang members arrested", "Mongols Motorcycle Gang Arrested In Federal Sweep", "Dozens of Mongol motorcycle gang members arrested", "Feds Take Aim at Biker Gang's 'Colors': Government will try to seize group's logo, saying it serves as a license to commit crime", "Laughlin Shootout: Signs told of melee in making", "Guilty verdict in murder of Hells Angels leader", "Mongol gang member says he was attacked at his own wedding", "Man accused of killing Pomona police officer Shaun Diamond pleads not guilty", "Mongol: The Trial of David Martinez The Complete Ten-Part Series", "Mongols biker member to stand trial in killing of Pomona police officer Shaun Diamond", "Police fear violence as outlaw bikers move to Oregon: The Mongols motorcycle club risks retaliation as it pushes into rival turf", "ATF Seattle Executes Numerous Search and Arrest Warrants in Operation Black Rain", "Mongols motorcycle gang arrested in federal sweep", "Judge bans Mongols from wearing trademark logo", "Mongols ex-leader pleads guilty to racketeering, faces 20 years in prison", "Lancaster mayor trying to keep Mongols motorcycle club out of town", "Outlaw Biker Takedown Sets New Capture Record", "Once Again, the Mongols Motorcycle Club Can Legally Keep Its Patch", "Hells Angels vs. Bremen Mongols: Biker War Feared in Germany", "Mongols verbieten sich selbst - WESER-KURIER", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mongols_Motorcycle_Club&oldid=1142121119, Pages using infobox organization with unknown parameters, Pages using infobox organization with motto or pledge, All articles with vague or ambiguous time, Vague or ambiguous time from September 2019, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 28 February 2023, at 16:44. "I love you, I love you," David Santillan says in the call. #MONGOLSMC #MONGOLS #LILDAVEFor more than two decades, federal law enforcement authorities pursued the Mongols, a notorious motorcycle club whose members had. Do you have a job? The site compares the code to that used by the military and notes that club members use them to communicate when other methods are unavailable or when they want the content of their conversations to remain private. Judge Carters ruling was drawn from a flood of legal opinions that were submitted by academics, law firms and think tanks. Mongols Motorcycle Club Says Its Leader Was an Informant The biker group hopes to set aside a $500,000 racketeering conviction, alleging that its former president cooperated with the government. The text reads in part: "You guys need to see this video" and that David "has been working with the government is all [sic] entire time" and that's "why he felt so comfortable to do what he does he is simply a CI In other words he is a rat.". I'll sacrifice anything to be a full patch member." and other law enforcement agencies have long gone after biker organizations by co-opting members as informants and infiltrating the groups with their own undercover agents. ", RELATED: Mongols Motorcycle Club vows to fight trademark loss. He's written over 1000 articles in the space and continues to learn about it each day. [37], In 2016 the last Mongols chapter in Bremen closed.[38]. For more than two decades, federal law enforcement authorities pursued the Mongols, a notorious motorcycle club whose members had a long history of murder, assault, drug dealing and robbery. The sheriff categorized the group as an organized crime syndicate with national reach. Per their archived official website, which appears to have been last updated in 2010, there were 15 members in the original club, and within five years, there were additional chapters inLos Angeles, San Diego, Bakersfield, Long Beach, San Gabriel Valley, and San Fernando Valley. ", "So, he gave me a heads up and that was it. The crews shared a clubhouse in Tampa, he said. Jorge Gil-Blanco, a retired intelligence officer from the San Jose Police Department who serves as an expert witness on the Mongols in court, opined, "You only see what they want you to see. When it comes to safety,, Read More The Five Best Full Face Motorcycle Helmets Money Can BuyContinue, Ducati, A brand well-known for its high-performance and exotic motorbikes, originated from Bologna, Italy. ", The brotherhood and loyalty aspect of Mongols membership seems to be of ultimate importance to club members. "[29] The television show America's Most Wanted had exclusive access to the operation, and broadcast behind-the-scenes footage of the many arrests. The Mongols Motorcycle Club has solidified its reputation of violence and crime, having been involved in gang wars, drug deals, and human trafficking. [16] Mongol Anthony "Bronson" Barrera, 43, was stabbed to death and two Hells Angels Jeramie Bell, 27, and Robert Tumelty, 50 were shot to death. Testimony resumed for a hearing in which a judge will decided if the Mongols Motorcycle Club will get a new trial after being convicted of conspiracy and racketeering in 2018. 11 talking about this. An attempt to do so was rebuffed by the Central District of California Court, concluding that the seizure of the trademark violated the First Amendment right to free expression and the Eighth Amendment protection from excessive punishment. The Mongols have been fixtures on the biker scene since 1969, when the club was founded in Montebello, Calif. [1] Law enforcement officials estimate approximately 2,000 full-patched members are in the club. In their petition, the Mongols argue that Mr. Santillan could have been pressured to leak strategy and other information to the government as a result of lenient treatment the defense claimed he received during his brushes with the law. nicely." Life in prison with a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years for the drug offense and seven years for the firearms offense to be served consecutive to all other sentences. There was nothing sinister about their activities, and no law-abiding citizens had any need to fear if a group of club members rolled into town. On February 23, 2007, Hells Angels members James Hannigan and Rodney Cox were sentenced to two years in prison for their respective roles in the incident. According to a report by CNN (available on YouTube), newly accepted members receive patches upon their acceptance into the club. [2] The Mongols' main presence lies in Southern California, but they also have chapters nationwide in 14 states and internationally in 11 countries. The Mongols Motorcycle Club was formed in Southern California, and today, the West Coast is still the club's stronghold. Presumably, they are interested in associating themselves with the US motorcycle club primarily to profit from their infrastructure and trading channels in drug trafficking. According to mongolsmc.com, the Mongols took the inspiration for their name from the Mongol Empire that was led by Genghis Khan. The Mongols described their presence in Southern California as a "stronghold" and note that "[a]t the time and even now there were really no other 1%er clubs co-existing in these areas." The Mongols club is named for Genghis Khan's Mongol army, which the website characterized as "small in numbers with a lot of heart" who "dominated and decimated their enemies." Calculations would be more than a hundred thousand. A former ATF agent denied during courtroom testimony Friday that a now-deposed leader of the notorious Mongols Motorcycle Club served as a secret source of information for the government during a . The Getty Images design is a trademark of Getty Images. The Vietnam vets that made up the majority of its ranks quickly turned the Mongols from a ragtag collection of riders into a tightly organized unit run with the same regimented nature and discipline theyd experienced in Vietnam. Cavazos was voted out of the club by its members on August 30, 2008. "He was afraid, and I think he turned on his loyalty to the club to protect himself. Thats what I meant by protect in the video.. Mr. Santillan walking into a federal courthouse in Santa Ana, Calif., during the 2018 racketeering trial against the Mongols. On Wednesday, defense attorney Joe Yanny and Santillan went back and forth over Santillan's relationship with retired Montebello police officer Christopher Cervantes and Ciccone. He said they discussed matters such as public safety when the Mongols or other clubs were planning parties or motorcycle rallies to ensure that members stayed in line and that rival groups kept their distance. The club's name of the "Mongols" was inspired by Genghis Khan's Mongol Empire. She also said in a text message to other Mongols, now filed with the court, that her husband had acted for a time as a confidential government informant. the 1% of clubs that operate outside the law-abiding ways of the American Motorcycle Club still hadnt been coined. Ciccone said whenever he worked a Mongols event and there was the potential for problems or violence, he would go to Santillan because he's the president of the Mongols and can convey the message to his members. The Mongols trademark remained. That quest to seize the Mongols patch was part of a criminal case brought by the U.S. Attorneys Office in 2013 under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. 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