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." Like other motorcycle clubs, the Mongols have a variety of rules they have to follow. Learn how your comment data is processed. Members from the Mongols started off with a few people. He said their communication was for public safety and showed the Mongols that there is ATF presence at their events. He noted that he was shot several times including in the head. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Der Mongols Motorcycle Club (auch: Mongols Nation) ist eine Outlaw Motorcycle Gang. As a result, a rivalry arose between the two clubs, which resulted in the Mongols exerting force in order to establish a dominant presence in southern California. 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. He upheld our constitutional rights, not only as the Mongols motorcycle club, but as citizens, Mr. Santillan said. Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca speaks during a news conference in 2008 with the trademarked Mongols logo seen on a motorcycle at right. 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.CreditMichael Tyrone Delaney for The New York Times. The biker group hopes to set aside a $500,000 racketeering conviction, alleging that its former president cooperated with the government during a trial. Both Mr. Santillan, a Mongols member for almost 25 years who was voted out of the club in July, and the agent, John Ciccone, who retired in December after 32 years at the A.T.F., deny that Mr. Santillan was acting as an informant during the trial, though Mr. Ciccones sworn declaration does not address whether Mr. Santillan had acted as a confidential informant in the past. A federal jury convicted six Tennessee men Friday for racketeering conspiracy and other charges involving murder, kidnapping, drug trafficking, and other crimes, all stemming from their involvement with the Clarksville chapter of the Mongols Motorcycle Club (Clarksville Mongols). 26. The club is headquartered in Southern California and was originally formed in Montebello, California, in 1969. The Mongols were formed in the 1970s in Montebello by a group of mostly Latino men who reportedly had been rejected for membership by the Hells Angels motorcycle gang, which has become the. Most of the members were military veterans and all loved to ride their Harley Davidson motorcycles. Although the focus of the clubs still centered on racing, a new form of rebellion started to creep in. More than 600 bikers from dozens of clubs showed up in support of Mongols who are currently involved in . This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. In my opinion, the only reason the government brought this RICO case was to take another run at the patch, having failed each time in the past, said George L. Steele, a lawyer for the Mongols who is handling a separate appeal in the case. 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. [2] The Mongols' main presence lies in Southern California, but they also have chapters nationwide in 14 states and internationally in 11 countries. Methamphetamine is the main drug the Mongols use, and it is also the main reason why they should get caught for spreading it across the U.S. People should be worried of the mongols because they are dangerous. [31][32], In a 2015 racketeering case in Los Angeles, the Federal government tried and failed to use civil forfeiture laws to seize all rights to the Mongols emblems and patches in order to forbid members from wearing them. David Santillan founded the Mongols Biker Gang in East Los Angeles. There is no way hes gotten away with these incidents without more significant legal repercussions unless someone in law enforcement is in the background greasing the slides for him, Mr. Yanny said. Also convicted was Derek Leighton Stanley, 48, of Owensboro, Kentucky, for engaging in a drug trafficking conspiracy. Cole was kidnapped and transported to a shed in Trenton, Kentucky, where he was interrogated, tortured, and beaten for hours prior to being murdered. According to mongolsmc.com, the Mongols took the inspiration for their name from the Mongol Empire that was led by Genghis Khan. Mr. Santillan walking into a federal courthouse in Santa Ana, Calif., during the 2018 racketeering trial against the Mongols. Life in prison, and up to seven years for the firearms offense to be served consecutive to all other sentences. A lock (LockA locked padlock) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. The business was founded in 2002 by John Silseth. That doesnt, however, mean its looked on any more kindly by the law. Copyright 2023 KABC Television, LLC. Thats what I meant by protect in the video.. Official websites use .gov His bond was set at $5 million. Judge Carters ruling was a severe setback for California prosecutors who spent more than a decade going after the Mongols patch. Mr. Dulaney said that Mr. Santillan instituted new policies, like no more club-driven drug business, and made it mandatory that members had to have a motorcycle and things like a valid drivers license and registration and a job.. "[29] The television show America's Most Wanted had exclusive access to the operation, and broadcast behind-the-scenes footage of the many arrests. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. As hotcars.com notes, despite its growth, the Mongols MC has not yet joined the ranks of the Hells Angels MC, the Outlaws MC, the Bandidos MC, and the Pagans MC as a member of the Big Four, a group of motorcycle clubs whose criminal activities have achieved international notoriety. While the current club president David Santillan has denied that the Mongols are a criminal enterprise, their long, troubled history suggests otherwise. Julie Platner for The New York Times. That is the conviction and fine the Mongols are now trying to have set aside. [30], After a long legal battle with the Department of Justice and ATF over the Mongols' MC patch, the Mongols won the rights to continued use and ownership of their patch. [7][8][9][10][11] Current[when?] [3][4][5][6], Mongols members have a long history in the illegal drugs trade (especially methamphetamine), money laundering, robbery, extortion, firearms violations, murder, and assault, among other crimes. On December 5, 1969, the Mongols Motorcycle Club was founded in Montebello, California. Today, it has 14 chapters in the US and a presence in 10 countries internationally. As with other motorcycle clubs, members of the Mongols value the patches they wear on their jackets and vests that announce their membership as well as indicate the rider's rank and achievements within the organization, as reported by Hot Cars. [21] Martinez faces the death penalty if convicted. Now the Mongols want a new trial and say their former president was a confidential informant for the ATF. Benjamin Smith is one of the managing editors of Moneyinc. The belief that as long as they're not hurting anybody, they should be able to do what they please." [T]hey can be very nice individuals but as a whole they're involved in criminal activity, and it's important that people understand that. Evidence at trial demonstrated that the Clarksville Mongols were responsible for the kidnapping and murder of Stephanie Bradley, as well as the separate kidnapping and murder of Stephen Cole. He entered the industry intending to build motorcycles that offered the complete, Read More The Five Best Viper Motorcycles of All-TimeContinue. The Mongols member interviewed by Lisa Ling for CNN, identified only by his first name, Dave, said of the patches, "For me, it's total commitment to this club. According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, the Clarksville Mongols were a violent motorcycle gang operating in and around the city of Clarksville. Jonathan Turley, a constitutional law expert at George Washington University, said that if a federal agent was seeking confidential information about a criminal defense, that would be an extraordinary transgression.. The aforementioned Mongol member Dave joked that the tattoo would be "cut off" of anyone who got one without permission. "I was literally trying to destroy him," she answered, adding that she didn't understand what he was talking about in relation to Ciccone. Today, Judge Carter stood strong against the United States governments attempt to ban symbolic speech in an epic win for all Americans.. The U.S. Attorneys Office had earlier tried and failed to force the Mongols to forfeit their rights to the clubs trademarked logo, a drawing of a brawny Genghis Khan-like figure riding a chopper while brandishing a sword, a landmark case that prosecutors felt would help weaken the club by undermining its visual identity. The Getty Images design is a trademark of Getty Images. Mr. Santillan said it was ridiculous to think that Mr. Ciccone smoothed things over for him. 2023 Getty Images. Conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine; money laundering conspiracy; distribution of, or possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine; and interstate travel in aid of racketeering. "I love you, I love you," David Santillan says in the call. 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. "I assumed it was going to be her, so we videotaped," Annie Santillan tells Eyewitness News. Boylston felt disrespected by Cole and was concerned about maintaining his standing and reputation among the Clarksville Mongols. Underpinned by a specific attitude, culture, and lifestyle, the club quickly started to gain a reputation albeit one that, by todays standards, would be considered tame. Now the Mongols want a new trial and say their former president was a confidential informant for the ATF. The artist laughed and said no; there was a whole chain of command necessary in order to obtain the right to get such as tattoo. The Mongols Motorcycle Club was established on December 5, 1969 in the East Los Angeles area in the city of Montebello, California. The A.T.F. [22], The Mongols established chapters in Oregon in 2007 and 2008, "astonishing" authorities, who described it as a breach of motorcycle club code of conduct, and who expected a turf war with rival motorcycle clubs to result. The possible origin for this comes from the fact that the Mongols were founded by Hispanic bikers as an alternative to the Hells Angels motorcycle club, which was founded in 1948. According to the website One Percenters Bikers, this term came to be in response to statement made in 1947 by the American Motorcycle Association that 99% of motorcyclists are law-abiding citizens; clubs such as the Hells Angels, the Outlaws, and the Mongols refer to themselves as the other "1%.". Mongols Motorcycle Club was founded in Montebello, California on December 5, 1969. Initially, both it and all the other clubs that started cropping up around the country were harmless. The government, in its own appeal, is making another run at the Mongols logo, renewing an earlier request for a narrower forfeiture order that would take away the clubs right to trademark exclusivity over the emblem. Cole, who had been a member of the Clarksville Mongols, was believed to have stolen motorcycles belonging to William Boylston, a fellow gang member. Other possible patches include one designating the rider as a "one percenter" biker, and one reading MFFM, which stands for "Mongols Forever, Forever Mongols." It was the first time that a Muslim clan-based crime syndicate in Germany became active in the field of outlaw motorcycle clubs. Ducatti announced the impending release of a new take on the Panigale V4 in late 2019 for the upcoming model year. Regardless of their colors, their patch, their motorcycle preferences, or their choice of activities, all motorcycle clubs, from the Mongols to the Pagans, the Iron Order Motorcycle Club to the Christian Motorcyclists Association, have their foundations in the same place the original MC, The Motorcycle Club. 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. The call Best Viper motorcycles of All-TimeContinue Mr. Ciccone smoothed things over for.... 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