WASHINGTON
A federal grand jury indicted 23 members and associates of the Vagos Outlaw Motorcycle Gang, including some leaders, for conspiracy involving racketeering, murder, robbery, kidnapping and aggravated assault, among other charges, federal officials announced Friday.
Federal, state and local law enforcement officials arrested individuals in Hawaii and across Southern California and Nevada, including in the Las Vegas metro area and in Reno.
“Today, the rule of law dealt a serious blow to the Vagos Outlaw Motorcycle Gang, a so-called ‘brotherhood’ responsible for drug addiction, death, and mayhem in multiple locations, including California, Arizona, Hawaii, Oregon, and Nevada,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Blanco.
Adding, “Today’s coordinated takedown of this biker organization’s leadership is a victory for all of us who respect and love our country, and a testament to the bravery and dedication of federal, state and local law enforcement men and women who to keep our communities safe.”
“The Vagos Outlaw Motorcycle Gang is a criminal organization which engages in acts of violence. Those acts, which included kidnapping and murder, threaten the safety of the communities in which the Vagos operate,” said Special Agent in Charge Jill A. Snyder of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives San Francisco Field Division.
The 12-count superseding indictment alleges that the defendants conspired to participate in criminal activities of the Vagos, a transnational gang with approximately 87 or more chapters in at least seven countries, on four continents, and approximately 75 chapters in the U.S., including approximately 54 chapters in Nevada and California.
The indictment alleges that the Vagos are highly organized criminal organization which adheres to a hierarchical chain of command, and whose members conspired to enrich the gang; to preserve, protect and enhance the power of the gang; and to keep victims in fear of the gang through acts and threats of violence.
Among other crimes, the indictment charges eight Vagos leaders and members, including Ernesto Manuel Gonzalez, aka “Romeo,” for the Sept. 23, 2011 murder of a member of the rival Hells Angels gang at the Nugget Hotel and Casino in Sparks, Nevada.
The 23 defendants charged for their alleged roles in the federal racketeering conspiracy and violent crimes in aid of racketeering offenses are the following people:
- Pastor Fausto Palafox, a/k/a “Ta Ta,” 53, of Beaumont, Calif.
- Albert Lopez, a/k/a “Al,” 39, of Canyon Country, Calif.
- Albert Benjamin Perez, a/k/a “Dragon Man,” 57, of Santa Barbara, Calif.
- James Patrick Gillespie, a/k/a “Jimbo,” 68, of Granada Hills, Calif.
- Andrew Eloy Lozano, a/k/a “Hulk,” 42, of Fontana, Calif.
- Ernesto Manuel Gonzalez, a/k/a “Romeo,” of San Francisco;
- Victor Adam Ramirez, a/k/a “Slick,” 35, of Las Vegas
- James Walter Henderson, a/k/a “CJ,” 64, of Henderson, Nev.
- Steven Earl Carr, a/k/a “Big Steve,” 43, of Las Vegas
- Robert Allen Coleman, a/k/a “Mayhem,” 59, of Las Vegas
- Jeremy John Halgat, a/k/a “Maniak,” 39, of North Las Vegas, Nev.
- Paul Jeffrey Voll, a/k/a “Shyster,” 52, of Pasadena, Calif.
- John Joseph Siemer, a/k/a “Rocky,” 60, of Baldwin Park, Calif.
- Bradley Michael Campos, a/k/a “Candy Man,” 50, of Alhambra, Calif.
- Cesar Vaquera Morales, a/k/a “C,” 49, of San Jose, Calif.;
- Dieg Chavez Garcia, a/k/a “Boo,” 34, of San Jose, Calif.
- Edward Claridan Chelby, a/k/a “Recon,” 57, of Kailua, Hawaii
- Johnny Russell Neddenriep, a/k/a “Johnny Bolts,” 51, of Reno, Nev.
- Darin Kieth Grieder, a/k/a “Midget,” 48, of Sparks, Nev.
- Bert Wayne Davisson, a/k/a “Flash,” 45, of Sparks, Nev.
- Mathew Keith Dunlap, a/k/a “Big Mat,” 46, of Sparks, Nev.
- John Chrispin Juarez, a/k/a “Quicky,” 69, of Moreno Valley, Calif.
The defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
*This case is being investigated by a multi-agency task force consisting of ICE-HSI; ATF; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department; Los Angeles County Sherriff’s Department; Washoe County District Attorney’s Office; San Bernardino Police Department; San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department; Riverside County Sheriff’s Office; California Department of Justice; San Diego County Sheriff’s Department; Sparks Police Department; Washoe County Sheriff’s Department; Carson City Sheriff’s Department; Douglas County Sheriff’s Office; Reno Police Department; North Las Vegas Police Department; Long Beach Police Department; Montebello Police Department; Henderson Police Department; San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office; Orange County, California District Attorney’s Office; Carson City District Attorney’s Office; and Clark County District Attorney’s Office.
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