BN- It would seem that Friday the 13th was not a lucky day for the Devils Diciples Motorcycle gang members as law enforcement agents arres...
BN- It would seem that Friday the 13th was not a lucky day for the Devils Diciples Motorcycle gang members as law enforcement agents arrested thirty-one members in Michigan and Alabama, including National President Jeff Garvin Smith and National Vice President Paul Anthony Darrah, five members were previously in custody. More than 60 firearms and more than 6,000 rounds of ammunition were seized, in addition to, the eight methamphetamine manufacturing laboratories that were dismantled during the investigation. Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade for the Eastern District of Michigan and FBI Acting Assistant Director Valerie Parlave, announced today that an indictment was unsealed today charging 41 members and associates for their alleged participation in a variety of criminal offenses. The indictment alleges that the 41 Devils Diciples members and associates, including Smith and Darrah, participated in violent crimes in aid of racketeering, drug trafficking, illegal firearms offenses, obstruction of justice, illegal gambling and other federal offenses. Eighteen of the defendants, including Smith and Darrah, are charged with violations of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act by conducting their illegal enterprise through a pattern of racketeering activity which included murder, robbery, extortion, drug trafficking, obstruction of justice and other federal and state offenses. According to the indictment, the Devils Diciples is a criminal enterprise with its national headquarters in Clinton Township, Mich. The Devils Diciples operates regional chapters located in cities throughout Michigan, Alabama, Arizona, California, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and elsewhere. The Devils Diciples engage in criminal activities for financial gain, including distribution of narcotics, theft, transportation and sale of stolen motorcycles, conducting illegal gambling businesses, robbery, extortion and acts of violence. An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Each defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
