An indictment was unsealed in the Eastern District of North Carolina charging 16 members of two outlaw motorcycle gangs — the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club (HAMC) and the Red Devils Motorcycle Club (RDMC) — for their alleged roles in a criminal enterprise engaging in violent criminal activity in and around Raleigh and Fayetteville, North Carolina. The RDMC is the main support club nationwide for the HAMC.

Five of the defendants are charged with murder in aid of racketeering for allegedly killing a member of the Pagan’s Motorcycle Club (PMC), a rival gang, on Jan. 1, 2023, in Raleigh. Two additional defendants are charged with accessory after the fact for their alleged actions following that murder.

Eight defendants are charged with attempted murder in aid of racketeering and assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering for their alleged roles in a July 22, 2023, violent assault of PMC members in the parking lot of a Dairy Queen restaurant in Wade, North Carolina.

And one defendant is charged with obstruction for allegedly attempting to dissuade a witness from assisting the criminal investigation of this case.

“According to the indictment, these defendants were leaders, organizers, and members of the Hell’s Angels Motorcycle Club and committed multiple crimes to advance their positions in this violent gang,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The gang’s alleged violent acts included the murder of a rival gang member on a public street, and the assault and attempted murder of other rival gang members in a restaurant parking lot. This indictment demonstrates that, along with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners, the Criminal Division is committed to holding accountable those responsible for acts of violence that terrorize local communities.”

“Two years ago we launched a Violent Crime Action Plan to partner with local law enforcement to identify the individuals and groups driving violence in North Carolina, especially criminal enterprises that support and encourage violence by their members,” said U.S. Attorney Michael F. Easley Jr. for the Eastern District of North Carolina. “We’ll keep pursuing cases like this one, charging violent crimes in aid of racketeering, to expose patterns of violence and hold gang members and those who enable them accountable.”

“Outlaw motorcycle gangs are notorious for lawless and violent behavior,” said Special Agent in Charge Bennie Mims of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Charlotte Field Division. “These criminal organizations are allegedly responsible for a long list of illegal activities, including firearms trafficking, assault, and homicide, and operate with absolutely no regard for the safety of law enforcement or the community. ATF is proud to stand with our law enforcement partners and be part of an effort to disrupt and disband such a violent and dangerous network.”

“I am proud to stand with my federal, state, and local partners in investigating and disrupting violent organizations which demonstrate a blatant disregard for life and will pursue any method to advance their criminal enterprise in our great city,” said Chief Estella Patterson of the Raleigh Police Department. “The Raleigh Police Department and our community will not tolerate destructive behavior and will work tirelessly with our law enforcement partners to identify those responsible to ensure they are held accountable. I am grateful to U.S. Attorney Michael Easley and his team for their continued dedication and steadfast commitment to public safety. I also thank the ATF, the Fayetteville Police Department, and the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office for their strong partnership in these cases.”

“Operation Broken Halo has been an ongoing investigation with the Fayetteville Police Department and the ATF into an alleged criminal enterprise connected to an outlaw motorcycle gang,” said Chief Kemberle Braden of the Fayetteville Police Department. “Through collaboration and partnership with the ATF and other supporting agencies, we were able to successfully bring charges against numerous members of this outlaw motorcycle gang and their supporting clubs. The Fayetteville Police Department remains committed to our partnership with federal, state, and local agencies to remove violent criminals from our community.”

“I want to make it clear: violent activity is not tolerated in Cumberland County,” said Sheriff Ennis W. Wright of the Cumberland County Sherriff’s Office. “The Sheriff’s Office is 100% committed to maintaining a safe and peaceful community. We thoroughly investigate all tips, and it’s vital for the community to continue to report what they see because we cannot do it alone. We are grateful for our partnerships with the community, the Justice Department, and federal and local law enforcement agencies. Together, we do and will continue to make a difference.”

Most of the charges are being brought under the Violent Crimes in Aid of Racketeering Activity (VICAR) statute, which makes it illegal to commit certain violent crimes for the purpose of joining, maintaining one’s position with, or moving up in rank within the enterprise. The violent crimes included in this statute include murder, kidnapping, maiming, assault with a dangerous weapon, assault resulting in serious bodily injury, and threatening to commit a crime of violence.

The indictment alleges that all 16 defendants are members or associates of the HAMC, a violent outlaw motorcycle group that allegedly uses violence, threats, and intimidation to carry out its perceived mission and enforce its rules. According to the indictment, RDMC members are subservient to the HAMC and provide support by acting as a source of recruitment for the HAMC and carrying out violent acts to further the HAMC’s interests.

The indictment alleges that HAMC members are under a standing order to attack, injure, and kill members of the PMC. The indictment also alleges that HAMC members commonly commit physical assaults, including murder, threats to injure, and intimidation to keep witnesses to their criminal conduct silent.

The indictment charges the following offenses:

Vidaul Rashaad Reed, 31, also known as Hootie, of Columbus, Mississippi; Anthony Edward Cheever, 34, also known as Rowdy, of Garner, North Carolina; David William Stephens, 26, also known as 007, of Spring Lake, North Carolina; Martinus Jermaine Starks, 43, also known as Tee, of Fayetteville; and Tyler Scott Grissom, 31, also known as Snow, of Warrenton, North Carolina, are all allegedly members of the RDMC and are each charged with one count of murder in aid of racketeering and one count of discharge of a firearm in connection with a crime of violence and, in doing so, causing death related to the alleged murder of a member of the PMC on Jan. 1, 2023. Murder in aid of racketeering carries a mandatory life sentence, if convicted.

Christopher Dylan Manor, 28, of Fayetteville; and Robert Scott Brown, 62, of Cumberland County, North Carolina; are both charged with accessory after the fact to the Jan. 1, 2023, murder. As alleged, Manor was a member of the RDMC at the time of the alleged offense and Brown is a member of the HAMC. Each faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison, if convicted.

Jason Lee Hathaway, 47, of Michigan City, Indiana; Fred Joseph Prosperi, 42, also known as Freddy and Snow Boy, of Wheeling, West Virginia; William Scott Gardner, 33, also known as Big Will, of Garner, North Carolina; Terry Lewis Akins Jr., 51, of Palatka, Florida; J.R. Nevarez Darr, 31, of Raleigh; Darrell Dewayne Strickland Jr., 26, of Fayetteville; William Franklin Beasley, 64, of Nashville; and David Lee Woodall, 45, of Fayetteville are charged with attempted murder in aid of racketeering and assault with a deadly weapon in aid of racketeering related to the alleged attempted murder and assault with a dangerous weapon of members of the PMC on July 22, 2023, in the parking lot of a Dairy Queen restaurant in Wade, North Carolina. They were all allegedly members of the HAMC at the time of the offense. If convicted, each faces a maximum penalty 30 years in prison.

Jonathan Michael Robarge, 40, of Orlando, is charged with tampering with a witness, victim or informant by harassment. Robarge allegedly has ties to both the HAMC and the RDMC. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty three years in prison.

A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The ATF, Raleigh and Fayetteville Police Departments, and Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office are investigating the case.

Trial Attorney Alyssa Levey-Weinstein and Deputy Chief Kelly Pearson of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kelly L. Sandling and Robert Dodson for the Eastern District of North Carolina are prosecuting the case.

This investigation was an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launders, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

This crime news article "Sixteen Hells Angels & Red Devils Motorcycle Gang Members Face Charges Related to Violent Racketeering Enterprise" was originally found on https://www.justice.gov/usao/pressreleases