Jason Sandford
Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.
The federal government today unsealed an indictment of 27 alleged members of a motorcycle gang that prosecutors say acted as a criminal organization and engaged in everything from murder and assault to extortion, arson, illegal gambling and drug violations. Two of the people indicted – Chris Gagner and William “Rebel” Davey – are described as members of the Asheville chapter of the gang, known as the American Outlaws Association.
As described in the indictment, the gang had its own set of special rules. Club members wore a denim or leather vest emblazoned with a special patch – a skull and crossed pistons, with the word “Outlaws” on top and the chapter location on the bottom.
“Patched in” members of the club had to work their way up, be sponsored by another full gang member and participate in the gang’s activities, according to the indictment. Members had to be male, at least 21 and own an American-made motorcycle, according to the indictment. (Woman can’t be members, but they can wear patches that state “Property of Outlaws.”)
Gagner is a member of the Outlaws and president and treasurer of the Asheville chapter, according to the indictment. Here’s what the government specifically alleges Gagner did:
-“On or about November 21,2009, while at the Asheville, North Carolina Toy Run, Asheville Outlaws Boss CHRIS GAGNER told the President of the Southern Patriots Motorcycle Club that if they continued to support the HAMC, the Outlaws will come to town and shut the club down.”
-produced a map highlighting the homes and clubhouse locations of members of a Hell’s Angels motorcycle gang at an Outlaws meeting in Lexington, N.C., in April. The Outlaws were planning to attack the Hell’s Angels, according to the indictment.
-passed out dozens of Oxycodone pills in 2009 to an undercover agent at an Outlaws meeting in Petersburg, Va.
And here’s what the government alleges about Davey, an Outlaws member until 2010 and member of the Asheville chapter, where he worked as the “chapter enforcer”:
-helped execute a plan in March 2009 to attack members of the Hell’s Angels gang and the Desperados gang at the Cockades Bar in Petersburg, Va. “The plan resulted in multiple Desperados MC members being lured into the Cockades Bar where they were assaulted by Outlaws members and their associates.
“On or about March 14, 2009, the confrontation moved outside the Cockades Bar. As the rival members faced each other in the parking lot, WERTH and MARIACA, accompanied by other Outlaws members and assisted by Pagans MC members, drew their firearms and threatened members of the rival gang members, who were also armed. Before any more violence occurred, local police arrived at the scene and the standoff ended. Local law enforcement seized a knife and “brass knuckles” from DAVEY inside the bar.”
There’s plenty more in the federal indictment. Read it all right here.
Here’s the press release from the federal government. A snippet:
“Today’s arrests of the national president and leadership of the American Outlaws Association mark another aggressive attempt by the Department of Justice to dismantle what the indictment alleges to be a gang whose entire environment revolves around violence,” said U.S. Attorney MacBride.
“This is another example of what ATF does best,” said Acting SAC Rich Marianos. “Our agents work day in and day out with our law enforcement partners fighting violent crime so our citizens can feel safer in their communities and homes.”
The indictment alleges that the Outlaws motorcycle gang is a highly organized criminal enterprise with a defined, multi-level chain of command, which is overseen by Jack Rosga, aka Milwaukee Jack, 53, Milwaukee, Wis., who served as the Outlaws National President. Leaders and members in multiple states are charged in the indictment, including Wisconsin, Maine, Montana, North Carolina, Tennessee, South Carolina and Virginia. Under Rosga’s leadership, the enterprise is alleged to have engaged in violent racketeering activities with the intent to expand its influence and control various parts of the country against rival motorcycle gangs, particularly the Hell’s Angels.
