Feds crack down on Bandido Motorcycle Gang after 6-year investigation
The Brief
The 22-year-RICO indictment names 10 defendants
Crimes alleged include arson, robbery, assault, and murder.
Indictment alleges Bandidos sought to maintain by force Houston-Area monopoly over Motorcycle Clubs.
HOUSTON - "Violent, brazen and vicious" - all words used by Federal agents to describe the Bandidos, a motorcycle gang which has waged war on rivals challenging their so-called "monopoly" in the Greater Houston area.
What we know
U.S. Attorney Nicholas Ganjei says the 22-count felony racketeering indictment announced Wednesday caps a six-year investigation into crimes including arson, assault, robbery and murder, all allegedly perpetrated by members of the Bandidos in an ongoing "turf war" to maintain dominance over a gang known as "The Beast".
Ganjei says the violence was often indiscriminate, threatening the safety of the public.
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What they're saying
"The Bandidos sought to exert a monopoly on motorcycle clubs and gangs in the Houston area which could only operate with their blessing and their permission. Perhaps the most striking aspect of the criminal conduct alleged in this case was how open and brazen it was. The alleged assaults and shootings took place in public spaces in bars, in restaurants, motorcycle dealership, and on our public roads," said Ganjei.
Dig deeper
Over the past five years, FOX 26 has reported multiple acts of violence involving the Bandidos and their rivals including ambush-style attacks and multiple fatalities.
FBI Special-Agent-in-Charge Douglas Williams told reporters the Bandidos were operating under a standing order the group's national leadership to attack rival "Beast" members on sight.
"Make no mistake, members of this chapter are not the glamorized characters you have seen in TV shows and in the movies. These are vicious, violent men who regularly put innocent people in life-threatening situations to further a senseless turf war," said Williams.
Among those arrested and charged was the President of the "Welcome to Hell" chapter based in Katy.
Ganjei says, if convicted, many of the ten defendants charged face a maximum sentence of life in prison.
The Source
FOX 26 Reporter Greg Groogan has more on the crackdown after speaking with the FBI and the U.S. Attorney's Office.
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