Latest news with #HellsAngels
Montreal Gazette
6 days ago
- Montreal Gazette
Five men still at large weeks after arrests of alleged Montreal Mafia leaders in Project Alliance
Montreal Crime By Five men remain at large six weeks after arrests were made in Project Alliance, an investigation based on information supplied to police from Frédérick Silva, a hit man who become an informant for the police. On June 12, police arrested Stefano Sollecito, 57, and Leonardo Rizzuto, 56, the alleged leaders of the Montreal Mafia, along with nine other men who are suspects in six murders carried out between 2011 and 2021. The men arrested are detained and while Sollecito is seeking bail for health reasons, the others have courts dates scheduled in September. Here is a list of the five men still being sought. Sasha Stacey Krolik, 56 (becomes 57 on July 29), is charged with first-degree murder of Lorenzo LoPresti, who was killed on Oct. 24, 2011 in the St-Laurent borough. Krolik is also charged with being part of a conspiracy to murder several influential Montreal Mafia figures, including Raynald Desjardins, Moreno Gallo and Salvatore Montagna. During Project Colisée, a major investigation into the Montreal Mafia that produced dozens of arrests in 2006, Krolik was tied to a multimillion-dollar bookmaking operation controlled by the Rizzuto organization. He controlled the operation's computers through which the Montreal Mafia received bets on NHL games and other professional sports. He was charged, under the name Stacey Richard Krolik, and in 2010 he pleaded guilty to one count of bookmaking. He was sentenced to pay a $50,000 fine. His name was later mentioned in at least one affidavit prepared in Project Magot-Mastiff, an investigation into the Montreal Mafia, Hells Angels and street gangs that resulted in a roundup of organized crime figures in 2015. Krolik was not charged in Magot-Mastiff, but the affidavit noted he had ties to Gianpietro Tiberio, another man who is being sought in Project Alliance. Pierry Philogène, 38, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of Charles-Olivier Boucher-Savard, who was killed in Montreal on Dec. 21, 2021. According to previous decisions made by the Parole Board of Canada, Philogène has admitted in the past that beginning from his early teens he hung around with members of a Montreal street gang and in 2004 he was stabbed during a fight with a rival gang. A parole decision made in 2012 says he was at that point 'officially linked' to a Blues-affiliated street gang. While he was serving a 44-month sentence for a series of violent crimes, he continued to hang out with street gang members. Among the crimes for which he was sentenced was the robbery and assault of a woman he knew and tied up in her home. When the police found her, she was nude and covered in blood. The same sentence included an armed robbery in which Philogène robbed a tourist of their wallet while holding a pellet gun to the victim's chest. In 2014, while he was serving a nearly three-year sentence, he was stabbed inside a federal penitentiary and suffered a collapsed lung. According to a parole decision made in 2016, he was still considered to be a member of a Blues-affiliated street gang. His request for parole was rejected because he was considered to be too high a risk of reoffending. In June, the Sûreté du Québec issued a release saying Philogène might be hiding in British Columbia, including in Vancouver. Mario Sollecito, 54, is charged, like Krolik, with the murder of LoPresti and the conspiracy to murder several rivals of the Sollecito-Rizzuto organization. Sollecito is the younger bother of Stefano Sollecito. In 2005, Mario Sollecito pleaded guilty to carrying a concealed weapon and his sentence involved an unconditional discharge, which means he does not have a criminal record in Quebec. But in 2022, his name was mentioned during two separate murder trials held in Montreal. In one during March 2022, a hit man-turned-informant who admitted he killed Sollecito's father, Rocco, in Laval in 2016 told a jury that he also did surveillance on Rocco Sollecito's sons. He specifically mentioned Mario by name. Later in September 2022 during one of Silva's murder trials, a Montreal police investigator said police suspected Mario Sollecito was supporting Silva while he was trying to avoid being arrested. Gianpietro (JP) Tiberio, 52, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of Domenico Facchini and the attempted murder of Vito D'Orazio. Both men were shot on Dec. 21, 2012 in Montreal. In 2007, Tiberio was part of a group of 28 people arrested by the RCMP in an investigation dubbed Operation Channel that uncovered a clandestine ecstasy laboratory north of Montreal. Tiberio was charged with being part of a conspiracy along with the drug-trafficking ring's leader. In 2008, Tiberio pleaded guilty to the conspiracy charge and was sentenced to a three-year prison term. Seven years later, during the summer of 2015, Stefano Sollecito and Leonardo Rizzuto were being investigated in Project Magot-Mastiff when they were secretly recorded while discussing a problem that had arisen within Montreal's underworld. Sollecito referred to Tiberio as 'a liar' but appeared to be willing to let him run drug-trafficking turf in Rivière des Prairies and Montreal North. Jean-Ismaël Zéphir, 46, is charged, like Tiberio, with the murder of Facchini and the attempted murder of D'Orazio. Zéphir is the brother of Emmanuel Zéphir, a notorious street gang leader. In 2009, both were arrested in Project Axe, a drug-trafficking investigation by the Montreal police into street gangs and the Hells Angels. On Dec. 15, 2010, Jean-Ismaël Zéphir pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge and being in possession of the proceeds of crime. He was sentenced to time served.
Daily Mail
7 days ago
- Daily Mail
I posed as a hitman and infiltrated the Hells Angels - they had strict rules to live by and forced me to seduce women
A former undercover US federal officer who infiltrated the notorious Hells Angels biker gang has revealed the lengths he went to be accepted by the secretive organisation in a new Channel 4 documentary series. Jay Dobyns, 63, was embedded within the 'outlaw' biker group in Arizona between 2001 and 2003. He posed as a gun-runner and debt collector to gain the trust of biker gangs - but in reality, Jay worked as an undercover operative for the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). The agent detailed how he took illegal drugs, smuggled guns and ammunition for the gang, and even staged a murder to convince the Hells Angels to make him a full member - a goal he admitted was 'selfish'. He also had a fake girlfriend, another federal agent named Jenna Maguire, who revealed how women were treated as 'property' by the gang members - who could rape and even murder them if they crossed the men. But the closer Jay got to getting his full Hells Angels patches, the more entangled he became in his dual identity, leading to tensions in his real-life marriage and relationship with his family. The documentary series, titled Secrets of the Hells Angels, reveals how the bloodthirsty motorcycle club was in their quest to defend what they saw as their 'territory' - particularly against rival motorcycle gang Mongols. The Hells Angels originated in Fontana, California in 1948 and saw the entire state as their territory. But the Mongols were later founded in 1969 in Montobello, California, and wore a California patch that became the subject of dispute between them and the Hells Angels. In order to infiltrate the Hells Angels, undercover law enforcement officers first had to establish themselves as part of an existing gang. Jay told viewers of how he and other officers 'extorted' their way into a smaller gang based in Tijuana, Mexico, and created a charter 'entirely made up of law enforcement officers' in an operation called Operation Black Biscuit. The goal of the 'incredibly risky' operation was to gain the trust of the Hells Angels. Jay said: 'I understood that, as long as they believed my lie, I was safe, but that if I slipped up, there was going to be a price to pay for that.' Jay said that the 'biggest challenge' for him was whether it was possible to be an undercover agent and still 'maintain your dignity and your integrity... in that world'. He claimed that at one point, he was told to take cocaine at gunpoint to prove his authenticity. 'Now, you have to make a choice. Do you want to take a bump of coke? Or do you want a bullet in your brain? It's not a hard decision.' Hells Angels were expected to partake in drugs, theft and womanising - but Jay said the latter had become a 'distraction' from the operation - particularly as he already had a wife and two children. 'I was spending as much time trying to defuse women as I was investigating my case,' Jay claimed. The solution to stop women throwing themselves at Jay was to appoint an agent to play his fake girlfriend, he said. His colleague Jenna Maguire, who was described as 'fearless', was chosen for the job. The biggest risk to Jenna was the Hells Angels' attitude towards women, which treated women as 'property', the documentary said. Jenna said of the group's clubhouses that women's bodies were 'treated like an amusement park', adding: 'Sex could be consensual. It could be rape.' She allowed herself to be 'trained' by the Hells Angels' wives and girlfriends. 'The old lady training process was quite thorough,' Jenna said, claiming that she as told to always 'walk a step behind your old man', 'no speaking when he is speaking', 'provide his food and drink', and 'carry the drugs and his gun'. Jenna recalled a time during their investigation, a woman named Cynthia Garcia made the fatal mistake of 'back-talking' one of the Hells Angels members whilst at the Mesa clubhouse in Arizona. She was 'punched in the face and knocked to the ground' and beaten 'so badly that they decided they needed to kill her'. Cynthia, who was a mother of six, was killed in October 2001. Her death led to a separate operation via an informant, Michael Kramer, who pled guilty to her murder and went to detectives after a crisis of conscience. By the end of the operation, 51 Hells Angels members were arrested across several states, while two other members who directly involved in Cynthia's death, Paul Merle Eischeid and Kevin Augustiniak, were sentenced to 19 and 23 years in prison respectively for second-degree murder. 'Just thinking about what must have been going through her mind, her children, and how terrified she must have been was a very scary reality for me at the time,' Jenna admitted. Jay was in the midst of being recruited as a 'prospect' for the Hells Angels, but there were rumours circulating that he was an imposter. He was locked into the Mesa clubhouse and surrounded by Hells Angels members asking him questions and threatening him with their guns, he said. Describing the 'sketchy situation', Jay said: 'Your heart's beating a million miles an hour, but your hand can't shake. 'I was accused of being a cop... My cover story had been compromised. I was under the assumption I'd be killed for it. 'The Hells Angels had always believed they couldn't be infiltrated. Their mentality was, a cop cannot run as long and as hard and as fast as he would have to, to gain membership in this club before we can sniff him out.' However, Jay was let go and told to wear a Hells Angels 'Prospect' patch instead of the previous club. Being a 'prospect' for the club involved a probationary period of at least one year before he would be given 'full patch' membership. He recalled being given 'pages and pages of rules' he had to adhere to in order to become a full member of the Hells Angels. 'For a group, an organisation that doesn't want to live by rules, they've got a lot of rules,' he quipped. 'I was told, "You will give up every single thing in your life that you think is important to you. Your relationships, your money, your house, your motorcycle, your dog, it doesn't matter what it is. Nothing comes before the Hells Angels".' But the demands of the club put a significant strain on Jay's real family life and tensions rose between him and his real-life wife. 'I wanted to be with the Hells Angels more than I wanted to be with my family. I rarely got home. Sometimes not for weeks, sometimes not for months,' he said. 'My wife confronted me and she said, "You can't walk in this house after being gone that long and speak to us like we're street people". 'Then in my defence, I'm like, "Man, I am not a light switch. I can't turn this off and on. People that do what I do for a living and treat it like a hobby end up dead." Jay admitted that he was having to take medication to 'calm my nerves during the day', as well as to go to sleep at night. He was also taking 'diet pills and energy pills'. 'At one point, I had a big handful of pills in my hand, and I threw them in my mouth and choked them down. Jenna saw me, and she's like, "Man, you are out of control".' Jay's obsession with becoming a full member of the Hells Angels, which included prospecting for charters all over the state, became a 'logistical nightmare' for the ATF. Jay said that getting his full patch was one of his 'personal, selfish objectives' that had nothing to do with the mission he had been working on. 'I chased getting a Hells Angels patch for entirely selfish reasons. I wanted to get it. I wanted to be able to say that I was the guy who got inside on them when no-one else could. He told the Hells Angels he would prove himself by killing a member of the Mongols in Mexico. However, there was reluctance to go ahead with Jay's plan from his supervisors, who feared he would spark a new gang war if he went ahead with it. 'I was so focused on the mission that I didn't really respect that opinion,' Jay confessed. 'I was going to do this.' He was given a gun and instructions on how to commit the murder by the Hells Angels. However, the ATF staged a murder by using a member of their task force and a Mongols jacket that had been seized. A homicide detective helped to build the fake crime scene in order to make it appear real - including using 'bits and pieces and parts from the butcher shop' such as real blood from livestock and tissue from a lung that was placed around the actor's head to make it look like he was shot in the head. Jay showed the bloodied Mongol jacket and photos of the 'murder' to members of the Hells Angels - which was enough to convince them to make him a full member of the gang, but the initiation did not take place immediately. 'I was more gangster than I was a husband or father or federal agent. That's a very dangerous place to be,' Jay confessed. 'My wife had a conversation with me at one point. She said, "You know what? You're out there saving the world and solving everybody else's problems, and your own family's melting down before your eyes". 'And it was true. And at the time, I'm not sure if I cared or at least cared as much as I should have.' According to attorney Kerrie Droban, who appears in the documentary series, the ATF feared Jay was 'almost at the point of no return' and that they were 'losing control of their operative'. It was decided that the investigation would end before Jay received his full patch. Operation Black Biscuit led to the arrest of 36 Hells Angels members and associates, 16 of whom were later indicted on charges ranging from murder to racketeering to drug trafficking. However, many charges were dismissed despite the evidence and the remaining Hells Angels negotiated a plea deal, which became a source of frustration for Jay and his team. 'You commit two years of your life in the blood, sweat and tears to watch it fall apart on the steps of the courthouse,' he said. 'I wanted to leave a legacy. And there is no legacy to leave. I wanted to finish with a reputation and respect and dignity and admiration. And it wasn't there.' The end of the operation also led to death threats against Jay and his family once the truth of his identity was revealed. He was forced to move 'every two weeks' in an effort to find somewhere safe for his family. 'Black Biscuit has been over for 20 years and I'm still trying to get back to my ordinary life,' Jay added. Jay continued to work as on undercover assignments after that operation ended, adding: 'I used all those experiences and all those things that I learned from the Hells Angels and tried to continue to put those in play in other investigations. 'I definitely believe that I was infiltrating the Hells Angels, they were infiltrating me. It is impossible to be immersed in that lifestyle for two years and not be partially impacted by it. 'I think that doing this job and the way I did it for as long as I did it and having this long-term deep-cover experience with the Hells Angels, I don't know how it doesn't change your DNA.
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
How the Most Notorious Rolling Stones Tour Was Nearly Derailed by the 'World's Dumbest Bomber' 53 Years Ago Today
How the Most Notorious Rolling Stones Tour Was Nearly Derailed by the 'World's Dumbest Bomber' 53 Years Ago Today originally appeared on Parade. When the Rolling Stones set out on their infamous 1972 tour, they already knew a thing or two about how wild life on the road could get (with their notorious 1969 concert at Altamont Speedway featuring security by the Hells Angels and a fatal stabbing being the most obvious example). Still, they were hardly prepared for just how eventful the chaotic trek across North America would turn out to be — with a stop in Montreal proving to be particularly explosive (pun intended). On the morning of July 17, 1972 — with the Stones scheduled to play Montreal Forum later that evening — someone detonated dynamite under one of the band's equipment trucks. While the perpetrator was never identified, the Stones' press agent later referred to the individual as the "world's dumbest bomber," per Ultimate Classic Rock. Speaking about the incident at the time, Mick Jagger wondered, "Why didn't the cat leave a note?" Thankfully, no one was hurt in the blast (the only damage was to the equipment and some nearby windows), but the bombing prompted an investigation from authorities which delayed the show — further angering a rowdy crowd of fans who ended up rioting over the discovery that hundreds of counterfeit tickets had been sold. During the show, Jagger was hit in the leg by a 40-ounce bottle thrown from the audience. "Not good," he was quoted as saying after the performance. "It wasn't good." As People reported, both Jagger and drummer Charlie Watts opened up about the frightening experience later, with Watts admitting he was "worried" about getting "blown up." 'I was frightened for everybody that some motherf---er put a bomb in the hall in the middle of the show, and some kids were gonna get hurt," Jagger the Most Notorious Rolling Stones Tour Was Nearly Derailed by the 'World's Dumbest Bomber' 53 Years Ago Today first appeared on Parade on Jul 17, 2025 This story was originally reported by Parade on Jul 17, 2025, where it first appeared.
Toronto Sun
22-07-2025
- Toronto Sun
More than 100 Hells Angels members barred from Calgary businesses but no arrests
Police say there was minimal impact on the public from the weekend gathering A checkpoint marks the entrance road to the Hells Angels' clubhouse in southeast Calgary on Saturday, July 19, 2025. Gavin Young/Postmedia Dozens of Hells Angels members were barred from city businesses but police laid no charges against any of the hundreds who came to the city for an annual national gathering over the weekend. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Operators of businesses throughout the city notified law enforcement about the presence of the motorcycle club members, 145 of whom were then ejected under the province's Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Act, said city police. 'No arrests were made in relation to these ejections,' police said in a press release. About 10 tickets were issued to Hells Angels members for traffic or parking violations, they added but the public impact from the bikers' presence was minimal. 'Due to the plan and resources in place by the Calgary Police Service (CPS) and other law enforcement agencies, the disruption from the city-wide Hells Angels Motorcycle Club event held from July 18-20, 2025, in Calgary, was reduced considerably,' said police. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Those actions are taken to prevent the bikers from intimidating members of the public. A senior member of the club said the only irritant for he and his colleagues was being barred from restaurants and other businesses and the event otherwise went without incident. 'Nothing ever happens during them, I've never heard of any issues' said the man, who chose anonymity. City police said they closely monitored club members they consider part of an organized criminal group and that plainclothes intelligence officers from across the country were also present. Club members were well aware of the police presence but weren't put-off by it, he said. 'I have no complaints – we're so used to it it doesn't even faze us,' said the man who insists he and his Calgary colleagues are simply working men in a motorcycle club. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Most of the gathering was held at the Hells Angels' Calgary clubhouse on 84 St. S.E. where a circus tent was set up for a party held Friday and Saturday. The senior member said about 600 full-fledged members and those with support clubs were serenaded by an AC/DC tribute band and consumed 'a lot' of beer but used shuttle buses to avoid impaired driving to hotels. He said hosting their colleagues from across Canada was a point of pride to the two local chapters whose members number about 25. 'It was originally supposed to be in Nanaimo but there was some reason they couldn't put it on,' he said. 'We've done it in the past, it's something we thrive on.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. A national gathering held in Calgary in 2017 to mark the 20th anniversary of the club's establishment in the city passed without incident. Last summer, the Hells Angels set up a chapter in Lethbridge, an event closely-monitored by police there. In February 2001, the trial began in the case of former Calgary club president Kenneth Szczerba, who was of plotting to blow up the homes of alderman Dale Hodges and two other people. Hodges was a strong opponent of the Angels' clubhouse being built. Szczerba was later found guilty. City police raided the Angels' Calgary clubhouse in Ogden and other locations in March 2001, seizing 11 kilograms of cocaine and other drugs, along with weapons. Charges were laid against 43 people, eight of them members of the club's chapter. BKaufmann@ X: @BillKaufmannjrn Sunshine Girls Television Canada Columnists Sunshine Girls
Edmonton Journal
22-07-2025
- Edmonton Journal
More than 100 Hells Angels members barred from city businesses but no arrests at annual gathering
Dozens of Hells Angels members were barred from city businesses but police laid no charges against any of the hundreds who came to the city for an annual national gathering over the weekend. Article content Operators of businesses throughout the city notified law enforcement about the presence of the motorcycle club members, 145 of whom were then ejected under the province's Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Act, said city police. Article content Article content 'Due to the plan and resources in place by the Calgary Police Service (CPS) and other law enforcement agencies, the disruption from the city-wide Hells Angels Motorcycle Club event held from July 18-20, 2025, in Calgary, was reduced considerably,' said police. Article content Those actions are taken to prevent the bikers from intimidating members of the public. Article content A senior member of the club said the only irritant for he and his colleagues was being barred from restaurants and other businesses and the event otherwise went without incident. Article content 'Nothing ever happens during them, I've never heard of any issues' said the man, who chose anonymity. Article content Article content City police said they closely monitored club member s they consider part of an organized criminal group and that plainclothes intelligence officers from across the country were also present. Article content Club members were well aware of the police presence but weren't put-off by it, he said. Article content 'I have no complaints – we're so used to it it doesn't even faze us,' said the man who insists he and his Calgary colleagues are simply working men in a motorcycle club. Article content Most of the gathering was held at the Hells Angels' Calgary clubhouse on 84 St. S.E. where a circus tent was set up for a party held Friday and Saturday. Article content The senior member said about 600 full-fledged members and those with support clubs were serenaded by an AC/DC tribute band and consumed 'a lot' of beer but used shuttle buses to avoid impaired driving to hotels.
