From the #1 national bestselling author of Befriend and Betray, an intimate expos of a criminal empire and the massacre that nearly started a global biker war. We dont do TV, Ojemann testified, recalling a conversation he said he had with Pike in 2012. A couple of undercover police officers who follow the club had told me that Bandidos officers never discuss anything with citizens. Theyre not going to be real receptive to a reporter showing up, one officer said. Eventually, Pike met some Bandidos at a Harley shop in Houston and at the strip joints on Gessner Road, and in 1979 he became a prospect. He quickly moved his way up in the club, becoming president of one of Houstons chapters in 1988 at the age of 33 and a national vice president eleven years later. The state funeral for Queen Elizabeth II will take place on Monday in London, in an occasion that will mark the world's farewell to Britain's longest-reigning monarch . The club also continued expanding into Canada, Australia, and Europe, where young motorcyclists were enamored of the Bandidos after reading about their exploits in biker magazines. Youre going to let me come to your housethe head of the Bandidos? I asked. Each situation is different. With heavy hearts, we announce the death of George Wagers (Manchester, Kentucky), who passed away on December 3, 2021 at the age of 71. The gang's founder died of cancer in 1999. A former cohort, ex-Bandidos national officer Edward Winterhalder , has written the above book about the club, says Wegers thought the Bandidos needed more . [ 186 more . Read more of his stories here. George Wegers was the International President (El Presidente) of Bandidos MC from 1998 until 2005. . The Bandidos' color scheme was inspired by that of the United States Marine Corps and chosen by Chambers, a Marine Corps veteran of the Vietnam War. [19], The Bandidos embarked on a failed endeavour to establish themselves in Canada after merging with the Montreal-based Rock Machine Motorcycle Club in 2000. Throughout that Friday afternoon and into the evening, Bandidos continued roaring toward the funeral home, some of them coming from as far northwest as Washington and as far southeast as Alabama. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. We are made to known about his death on September 23, 2020. As Ojemann rode with Pike back to his house, Ojemann said Pike seethed. The motto of Niagara University, "Ut Omnes Te Cognoscant," translated means "That All May Know You.". We report on vital issues from politics to education and are the indispensable authority on the Texas scene, covering everything from music to cultural events with insightful recommendations. RELATED: Affidavit provides detailed timeline of what allegedly happened the night Zuzu Verk disappeared. (A Bandido was required to wear his vest whenever he rode his motorcycle. Although the particular meaning of each patch is not publicly known, various law enforcement agencies have identified Bandidos patches which they believe are related to criminal activity. As they swapped stories about the old days and guzzled beer, one message could be heard over the roar of their Harleys: Bandidos forever. 20 talking about this. Kerr identified three Bandidos in a police lineup as his possible assailants. Oh, hell, its not like its any secret where I live. and Rev. As part of the case he admitted that he, along with other members, conspired to tamper with witnesses, traffic stolen motorcycles as well as conspire to commitother crimes. Boxing champs killer, as fed witness, testifies against the Bandidos property tells of the clubs violence, drugs and Jeff Pike took the reins of the Bandidos until he was arrested in January 2016, according to testimony. But by his teenage years, he had discovered cigarettes and girls, and he also became fascinated with motorcycles when he saw a pack of Hells Angels flying down a road. ", "12 facts about the biker gangs involved in the Twin Peaks shooting", "Polisen: Det betyder mrkena p Bandidosvstarna", "20 Rules The Bandidos Make Their Members Follow", "Federal indictment details life, self-law of Bandidos", "Waco biker shoot-out: Facts about the Bandidos and the Cossacks motorcycle gangs", "Hells Angels under pressure as outlaw motorcycle clubs from across the globe expand into Canada", "Australian Outlaw Motorcycle Clubs & their Territories", "Two killed in rocket attack in escalating biker gang violence", "Sweden Democrats oust former biker gang boss", "Bandidoksen Suomen johtajan ampunut mies psee vankilasta vapaaksi", "Politiet pent til stede p Bandidos-jubileum", "Inside the biker gangs: the truth about guns, drugs and organised crime", "Court bans Dutch arm of Bandidos motorcycle gang", "Bandidos MC Worldwide Bandidos Motorcycleclub Worldwide", "About Violent Gangs - Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs", "Hombres MC Seattle Wash Chapter - WELCOME", "FBI 2013 National Gang Intelligence Center report", "Dutch court bans motorcycle gang Bandidos", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bandidos_Motorcycle_Club&oldid=1126148048, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 7 December 2022, at 20:13. And as soon as Wegers was gone, the feds quickly began circling his successor, Jeff Pike, who lives just north of Houston. He was 36 years old, the son of one of the first members, Steve Panhead Jonas, who had been shot to death at a San Antonio bar in 1983. Weve gotten to know each other so well that I once met him at a Dennys for a cup of coffee to answer his questions.. George Wegers -- national president of the notorious Bellingham-based Bandidos motorcycle gang until his arrest last June -- has pleaded guilty to racketeering . The "1%" sign references an old saying that 99 percent of bikers are law-abiding citizens. Any member who cooperates with law enforcement, for example, is susceptible to disciplinary action. Now, he said, he works here alone, restoring and customizing vehicles for select customersincluding a local constable, who knows I do good work, he said with a smirk. Unrepentant, the Bandidos insisted that they had not shot the prosecutor or the judge and that the only reason they were being harassed was because of their anti-establishment posturing. 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[34], Each club chapter follows a structured hierarchy, with a president, vice-president, sergeant-at-arms, road captain and secretary/treasurer. Loved by many, loved by few. [44][45] They claim to have more than a dozen patched members and prospects in the Christchurch area. As he turned westbound to exit onto Highway 20, the motorcycle went off the road, according to the Washington State Patrol. Let me tell you one thing, my friend, said a Bandido who had seen me standing quietly by the funeral homes front door taking notes. A few days later I drove into a well-kept neighborhood near the Woodlands residential community. [55], The Bandidos formed its first chapter in the Netherlands in 2014. Just like the Rotary Club, each chapter was required to have a weekly meeting where attendance was taken and dues paid. I assumed I would be met by one of his sergeants at arms, eyeing me suspiciously, maybe with a handgun sticking out of the back of his pants. (Written on the front of the panties was the phrase Support Your Local Bandidos.). And in the middle of each card was the phrase Bandido by profession, Biker by trade, Lover by choice, You have just had the honor of meeting , which was followed by that particular members signature. In the decades since, a town has been split on what they think really happened [5] The club is concentrated in Texas[39] but extends into Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, New Mexico, Colorado, Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota, Utah, Idaho, Nevada, Washington and Oklahoma. Its the Bandidos! yelled the man in the parking lot. The order was established in 1625 as the . Stevens pressed Ojemann on whether he had ever said before that he left the club by mutual agreement. [26] In addition to the "Fat Mexican" and diamond-shaped "1%er" emblems, club members also wear other patches on leather or denim vests known as colors. I hope you dont believe all that bullshit the feds are feeding you, he said in a surprisingly cheerful voice. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate. Ill be honest, it was a lot more fun back then. Wed go flat out on our motorcycles all day long, eighty to ninety miles an hour, and then at night, wed hold our parties far out in the woods so the cops wouldnt find us. Under cross-examination, Ojemann admitted being involved in drug trafficking with another Bandidos member. Ojemann, who was 6 foot 3 inches tall and weighed 420 pounds while he was national sergeant at arms, said he and other Bandidos members carried out beatings or intimidation of rivals or wayward Bandidos on direct or indirect orders from Pike and Portillo. [ 186 more . In Edward Winterhalders book, Out in Bad Standings (see the books section at the bottom of this article), he makes mention that Wegers was changing the direction of the club and had a heavyinfluence on how each of the individual chapters were run. The police had no cell phones and no video cameras, which meant we all had a much better chance of getting away.. They said Lenny would be gone all the time, riding with the club to God knows where. It was all chrome and noise, he said. John Xavier Portillo, former national vice president of the Bandidos, arrives at Feb. 27 the San Antonio federal courthouse for the first day of his racketeering trial. George Wegers was born in Whatcom County in Washington State around 1953. [34] Prospective members must undertake a three-stage process before being initiated, beginning as a "hangaround", before becoming a "prospect" and then "probation". They kept coming and coming, their wind-burned faces grim and purposeful. Next to the Harleys was his Bandidos vest, hanging from a coat rack. Hodge was nicknamed "Mr. Fax: (660) 584-2397. Funeral Services for George S. Wagers will be conducted on Wednesday, December 8, 2021 at 2:00 P. M. at the Lower Hector Church. The phrase "Support your local bandidos" was printed on the front of the panties, according to a 2007 Texas Monthly story on the motorcycle gang. Federal prosecutors have gone so far as to indict Bandidos under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), a federal statute originally intended to destroy Mafia families, claiming that the club is an organized criminal enterprise that resorts to intimidation, extortion, violence and threats of violence against rival motorcycle clubs to maintain its power, territory and profits. This past August, the federal government also admitted in a court filing that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, along with other investigative agencies, was carrying on active investigations into the club. The group now counts members throughout the world. They looked at the helicopter, and once again, as if given a silent cue, they lifted their hands in unison and flashed their middle fingers toward the sky. Mimi Swartz is a staff writer based in Houston. [60], Like other major motorcycle clubs,[61][62][63] the Bandidos also have a number of "support" clubs. The new recruit was then required to put the vest back on and dry it out by riding on his motorcycle. As I got in my rental car, I heard the familiar whomp-whomp-whomp of the police helicopter. When a beloved brother died last summer, more than four hundred bikers thundered into San Antonio for his funeral. [10][11], The Bandidos Motorcycle Club was founded by 36-year-old dockworker Donald Eugene Chambers on March 4, 1966, in San Leon, Texas. Receive the next edition of "The One Percenter Throwdown" to your inbox. I figured I wouldnt hear from him. And the truth is that I sometimes do get jealous of all the time he spends with the club. Fing off the fing charts., I turned around and came face to face with F.O., who had stabbed me in the sternum the day before. Pike, however, did not seem the slightest bit defensive when I mentioned the cops theories. This is the one and only official Facebook page for George Wegers, the former National and International President of the largest motorcycle club in. (In the Newsweek article, a defiant Hodge snarled, Were the last free Americans.) And when members of an El Paso crime family, the Chagras, were eventually convicted of hiring hit men to shoot Kerr and WoodWoods killer was Charles Harrelson, the father of actor Woody Harrelsonthe Bandidos promptly celebrated by throwing huge parties and racing around on their motorcycles, shooting their middle fingers at just about everyone they came across, including cops. We take our clothes to the dry cleaners. The Houston FBI agent who investigates us has called me so many times that Ive got his number on my speed dial. His nickname was Spook. 2005 June, 2005. We talked about Bandidos carrying bombs with them on their motorcycles, which they used to blow up gas stations that refused to serve them. [5] In the United States, the majority of the club consists of white and Hispanic males. A few years ago, Pike owned a large street-rod shop in Tomball. The Houston Chronicle wrote in 2001 that at some meetings attendance was required, and chapters took roll calls. Police say the letter has a different meaning standing for "murder" or "meth." [32], Bandidos members must be male[33] and own at least one Harley-Davidson motorcycle (although other American-made motorcycles can also be allowed). [43], The Bandidos have a small but growing presence in New Zealand after a rocky start in 2012. George Wegers Bandidos MC George Wegers Early Life / Family Life. Those words never came out of my mouth, Ojemann answered. They were dressed in steel-toed boots, jeans, and their colors: denim or black leather vests covered with a variety of red-and-gold patches that carried such slogans as Loyalty is our honor, Our colors dont run, and Expect no mercy. On the back of every vest was a large patch of a bellicose Mexican bandit brandishing a pistol and a machete. And when you get a bunch of men like that together in one club, you better watch out, because theres no telling what can happen.. [01] Still handsome and charismatic at near-eighty, Ralph Hubert "Sonny" Barger Jr. was the main mover in transforming the Hells Angels, who have always attracted a significant number of misfits and criminals, ['Hells Angel,' p. 03, 87 - 91; p. 124 "Most of us [in 1965] were card-carrying . These are not your fathers Bandidos, said Kent Schaffer, a well-known Houston attorney who has been defending the club for 23 years. Why dont they start chasing real criminals, like those kids in street gangs who scare the shit even out of me, instead of following us everywhere we go, tapping our phones, and trying to destroy us with a bunch of made-up charges?, For the first time, Pikes smile faded and his eyes narrowed slightly. Built like a professional wrestler, he had thick black hair and a black Fu Manchu mustache, and just below his chin was a tuft of beard tied up with string and held in place by a fourteen-karat gold skull with diamonds in the eyes. And now, five years later, here I am., As we talked, his wife, Nicole, walked up. Two fo the search warrants were for properties owned by George Wegers which resulted in 4 handguns and 33 knives being found. Ojemann refuted that, maintaining that Pike kicked him out, though Pike allowed him to remain in good standing.. He had a passion for motorcycles from a very young age, possibly spurred on by a Harley Davidson motorcycle . [16] Subsequent expansion into the Nordic countries in the 1990s led to a violent feud with the Hells Angels. Red McCombs funeral service draws S.A. community, Spurs stars . The group, which the feds have linked to numerous criminal activities, has grown into an international organization. He had already been bumped from the club because of a television interview he gave. [20] The Bandidos capitulated and ceded Quebec to the Hells Angels at the conclusion of the province's deadliest biker war in 2003. [57][58], In 2001, the Bandidos were established in Thailand via a merger with the Diablos Motorcycle Club in Pattaya. Jim Pitts audio and video editing. Pike laughed out loud. Wegers lived, and still lives, in Bellingham. One of the most high-profile cases involving Washington Bandidos came in 2005 with the arrest of the club's national president, George Wegers. The specific charges were hardly flashy: Wegers and the others were accused of such varied crimes as stealing motorcycles, kidnapping a rival motorcycle club member (the kidnapping lasted a day), and conspiring to kill a disloyal Bandido associate who was suspected of meeting with federal agents (the killing never took place).
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