[53] Chapters were then founded in Italy in 2001[54] and on the Channel Islands in 2003. Additionally, prosecutor Eric Fuchs asked Ojemann about the difference between Bandidos in Houston and those in San Antonio. Hasnt the motorcycle world been taken over by lawyers, doctors, and advertising executives, all those self-proclaimed chromosexuals who pull back their hair in neat ponytails and don designer sunglasses and expensive black leather jackets so that they can take leisurely rides through the countryside on sunny weekend afternoons? We even believed that, just for fun, they had sex with dead women. As he turned westbound to exit onto Highway 20, the motorcycle went off the road, according to the Washington State Patrol. Less than a month after the Benesh shooting, eight Bandidos were found stuffed inside abandoned vehicles in a field in Canada. They obviously had their own business to discuss. (To protect their privacy, Pike asked me not to name the school.) George Wegers was born in Whatcom County in Washington State around 1953. Weve got guys who own their own businesses, guys who work for oil companies, guys who are in the computer industry. 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. The renegade motorcycle gang? But the Bandidos kept right on growing, opening new chapters throughout the country. They hit Johnstons successor, George Wegers, who lived in Washington State, and 27 other Bandidos and their associates in that area with a RICO indictment. The Bandidos deny that they're "white supremacists.". 2006 - Jeff Pike is questioned by Canadian law enforcement in relation to the deaths of 8 Bandidos MC members, known as the No Surrender Crew and based out of Ontario, Canada, who were shot in the head by another Bandidos member on 8 April, 2006, the event was known as the Shedden Massacre.Law enforcement were attempting to determine if this was a killing ordered or organized by by the . [26] The "Fat Mexican" bears a resemblance to the Frito Bandito a cartoon mascot of the Fritos corn chips brand and according to Bandidos lore, Chambers took the club's name and logo from the mascot. Under terms of the plea agreement entered into on May 5, 2006, WEGERS must move out of, and refrain from working in . About the only thing they get these days are speeding tickets., Although federal investigators in the 2005 RICO indictment claimed that Bandidos were sometimes required to pay the club a road tax (a percentage of their proceeds derived from criminal activities), Ed Winterhalder, a former Bandido from Oklahoma who quit the club in 2003, told me that only 10 percent of todays Bandidos make a living through crime. Please received our heartfelt condolences. Chambers was sentenced to two consecutive life terms in prison, leading some police officials to speculate that the Bandidos, without their founder, would disband. This is the one and only official Facebook page for George Wegers, the former National and International President of the largest motorcycle club. 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. "[12] By the early 1970s, the club had over one hundred members, including many Vietnam War veterans. Although Pikes assistants had told a few of the members that he was letting a reporter come to the funeral, many had no idea who I was. The brotherhood. The group, which the feds have linked to numerous criminal activities, has grown into an international organization. Nice Greek boy and former rugby player from a good family who thought he could clean up the club from the inside. [3], The club has 303 chapters worldwide, located in twenty-two countries in North America, Oceania, Europe and Asia. The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act was used to indict Bandidos in 2005. Guillermo Contreras is a San Antonio Express-News staff writer. The penalty is a far cry from what George Wegers, 53, was facing when the government charged him and 25 other Bandidos in June 2005 with a long list of crimes that included kidnapping, drug trafficking, extortion and witness-tampering. [41], The first Australian chapter was formed in 1983, in Sydney, by former members of the Comanchero Motorcycle Club. His preference was also to slow down expansion, particularly internationally. And as soon as Wegers was gone, the feds quickly began circling his successor, Jeff Pike, who lives just north of Houston. In 1998 George Wegers became the International President of the Bandidos Motorcycle Club,Jeff Pikewas the Vice President for much of this time. They are not Boy Scouts, but they are not outlaws. George Wegers pleads guilty to racketeering charges, in exchange for 14 other charges against him being dropped. I hope you dont believe all that bullshit the feds are feeding you, he said in a surprisingly cheerful voice. [10][11], The Bandidos Motorcycle Club was founded by 36-year-old dockworker Donald Eugene Chambers on March 4, 1966, in San Leon, Texas. Police say the letter has a different meaning standing for "murder" or "meth." [46], There are approximately ninety Bandidos chapters in Europe. [55], The Bandidos formed its first chapter in the Netherlands in 2014. He was dressed in his favorite black T-shirt, black jeans, and his Bandidos vest. 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. Old Bandidos who had retired from the club years ago showed up, many of them with backs and hips so creaky they were barely able to throw their legs over their choppers, and the new generation of Bandidos also came, sitting astride $30,000 custom-made Harleys with perfect pinstriping. When I walked in, F.O., who was there with his Old Ladies, leaned into my ear and said, Buddy, it would behoove you to buy some beers. GEORGE WEGERS, 53, of Bellingham, Washington, was sentenced today to 20 months in prison, three years of supervised release and $10,000 fine for RICO Conspiracy (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization). We are made to known about his death on September 23, 2020. For the 1967 film, see, Bandidos MC criminal allegations and incidents, "Law agencies prep, keep watch, as outlaw biker club rides in for holiday weekend | St George News", "Number of Hells Angels charters and Bandidos chapters worldwide", "Bandidos: 5 things to know about second-most dangerous motorcycle gang | USA Today", "FBI and DEA arrest top Bandidos Motorcycle Leaders in San Antonio, Houston", "How the Bandidos became one of the world's most feared biker gangs", "Texas Monthly: "The Gang's All Here" by Skip Hollansworth", "Milperra - the spark that started the bikie violence", Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, "Biker wars dredge up something rotten in the state of Denmark", Hells Angels under pressure as outlaw motorcycle clubs from across the globe expand into Canada, "USA Based Motorcycle Clubs kicking out or shutting down chapters overseas. This is significantly less time than the 20 years that the federal sentencing guidelines could have seen him facing. Just like the Rotary Club, each chapter was required to have a weekly meeting where attendance was taken and dues paid. [5] Patches denoting a member's rank and chapter are worn, as are various other patches which have specific meanings. Initially indicted on drug and gun counts that would have left him facing a minimum of 15 years and up to life in prison, Ojemann said he pleaded guilty in Houston federal court to reduced charges. Tier 1 gangs like the Tango Blast pose the greatest threat to Texas due to ties "with Mexican cartels, large membership numbers, high levels of transnational criminal activity and organizational effectiveness." Cut one, we all bleed, the Bandidos warnand the blood has never stopped flowing, often from internal strife as much as external battles.. The European Bandidos proved themselves to be just as aggressive as their American counterparts, setting off a turf war with Europes Hells Angels and at one point firing anti-tank grenades at two Hells Angels clubhouses in Denmark. Each situation is different. Loved by many, loved by few. You know, if the feds spent as much time investigating a police department as they do investigating us, theyd eventually catch someone breaking a law. Here are 21 facts about this group of motorcycling enthusiasts. A screening process is carried out to prevent infiltration by law enforcement. George Wegers is Dead : Death, Obituary, Cause of Death, Memorial, Funeral 360NG totally feeling remorsed to announce the death of a loved one 'George Wegers '. ", "Ex-Bandido says national president kicked predecessor out over TV interview", "Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs: Aspects of the One-Percenter Culture for Emergency Department Personnel to Consider", "Are the Bandidos Named After A Corn Chip Mascot? There was booze and drugs everywhere. The priests and brothers who staff Niagara University are known as Vincentians, a name derived from their founder, St. Vincent de Paul. 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. William "Big G" Ojemann, a Bandidos member from 2008 until 2013, said George Wegers, who was the Bandidos' president from 1998 until his arrest in 2005, had his Bandidos patches revoked by . George Wegers was born in Whatcom County in Washington State around 1953. Bandidos Book Out in Bad Standings: Inside The Bandidos Motorcycle Club The Making Of A Worldwide Dynastyby Edward Winterhalder. Having once infiltrated the Bandidos for three years in a landmark police operation, Alex Caine is uniquely positioned to reveal the untold story of the Hells Angels' fiercest rivals. They also like the phrase "Cut one, we all bleed.". Ojemann said he and another national member were tasked with trying to find Lammins. One Bandido popped a wheelie on his Harley-Davidson and rode on his back tire for at least thirty yards. We are made to known about his death on September 23, 2020. We mourn with the family of George Wegers for this great loss. 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. But defense lawyers for Pike and Portillo attacked Ojemanns testimony as self-serving, or of being fabricated to wrongly accuse their clients in order to save himself from lengthy prison time in his own drug case. [5] In the United States, the majority of the club consists of white and Hispanic males. Get down! he shouted again. But would they call that entire department a criminal enterprise? The cops drive by here just about every day just to see what Im up to. [59], The first chapter opened in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates in 2016 and it is considered the first international motorcycle club to open in the Middle East. John (Boxer, Prize) Muscedere. [36] Another requirement is that Bandidos must follow the philosophy "All members are your brothers and your family", and must "not fear authority and have a general disdain for the rules of society". Even a handful of European Bandidos had flown in for the occasion, borrowing motorcycles from members of the San Antonio chapter so they too could ride. [12] Chambers named the club in honor of the Mexican bandits who lived by their own rules, and he recruited members from biker bars locally in Houston as well as in Corpus Christi, Galveston, and San Antonio. And, there were some Bandidos members in those chapters who, when arrested, were found to have pictures of Osama bin Laden at their homes, DeGuerin said. But when I got older, people would talk about himtalk about his love of adventure, he said. 1701 N. Main St. Higginsville, MO, 64037. After the service, all the Bandidos headed to their bikes. The feds thought that they finally had us with that one, that there would be no one left to run the club, chuckled Schmick, who, along with Hodge, was given a five-year sentence. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. 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. February 2023 Reader Quiz: What Did You Learn? One member was nicknamed Log Cabin because he loved drinking whiskey from a Log Cabin syrup bottle. I attempted to eavesdrop on a conversation among some of the older Bandidos, thinking I might hear some interesting anecdotes about the club. Those words never came out of my mouth, Ojemann answered. 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. When the hearse stopped, members of Chucos own San Antonio chapter carried his casket to the grave site. See the Crime / In The Media section below for further information. Are you starting to understand? he said. These so-called outlaws are the remaining 1 percent. Although the club was made up mostly of white males, Chambers welcomed Hispanics, and for a couple of years, there was one black man who rode with the club. Texas Monthly reported that the feds considered the gang an "organized criminal enterprise" that used "intimidation, extortion, violence and threats of violence against rival motorcycle clubs" to maintain "its power, territory and profits." But thats where the comparisons ended. Early on the morning of Wednesday, March 16, George tried and failed once more to reach his wife. [29], The Bandidos' mottos include "Cut one, we all bleed",[9] "God forgives, Bandidos don't",[1] "Our colors don't run"[30] and "We are the people our parents warned us about". How Florence ButtNot Her SonLaunched the H-E-B Empire. [43], The Bandidos have a small but growing presence in New Zealand after a rocky start in 2012. We dont do TV, Ojemann testified, recalling a conversation he said he had with Pike in 2012. He wanted the badass bikers who cared about nothing except riding full time on their Harley-Davidsons. And the truth is that I sometimes do get jealous of all the time he spends with the club. My father, a straitlaced Presbyterian minister, took our family to Galveston for a vacation. Wegers has heart problems and high blood pressure and regularly saw three different doctors. 03:13. 5 talking about this. "Bandidos" redirects here. They become Bandidos because they love being known as the badasses. Pike, however, did not seem the slightest bit defensive when I mentioned the cops theories. God, Daddy was famous for the way he could throw a punch. The passing of George Wegers. Ojemann agreed with that, and with DeGuerins assertion that Pike was disappointed with Ojemann for his involvement in drugs. Rev. SEATTLE - The president of the Bandidos motorcycle club was sentenced to 20 months in prison Friday in a deal that will allow him to retain his position in the 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. Obviously, said Rodriguez, Benesh didnt follow their advice. George (Crash) Kriarakis. They also commonly wear a unique patch (known as the "Heart Patch") consisting of a round patch in Bandidos colors on the front upper left of the colors (vest), as worn by the member. 20 talking about this. He was a fan of keeping the club out of the media, laying a low profile. He was as lean as a plank, with light brown hair that fell to the bottom of his neck and sideburns that went down to his jaw line, and he stared at the camera with a cocky, youll-never-bring-me-down expression. 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. If you needed violence done, you put in a call to San Antonio., Ojemann said Houston had to be more laid back., It was the big boss backyard, Ojemann said. The gang's founder died of cancer in 1999. Shop Now. In the past couple of years alone, police around the country have arrested Bandidos for everything from drug dealing and kidnapping to possession of illegal weapons and trafficking in stolen vehicles. We are brothers until the day we die. [57][58], In 2001, the Bandidos were established in Thailand via a merger with the Diablos Motorcycle Club in Pattaya. When a beloved brother died last summer, more than four hundred bikers thundered into San Antonio for his funeral. Next to the Harleys was his Bandidos vest, hanging from a coat rack. They love the tough biker persona. Jesus, my fing cholesterol, one of them said. He told his friends that he was naming his club the Bandidos, in honor of the Mexican bandits who refused to live by anyones rules but their own, and he began recruiting his first members not only out of Houston but also out of the biker bars in Corpus Christi, Galveston, and San Antonio. This entry was posted George (Bandido George) Wegers, once the most powerful Bandido in the world, lies today in a nursing home, broke and without any status in the club. Suddenly, the Bandidos heard a sound in the distance, a distinct whomp-whomp-whomp. Canadian authorities were curious to learn if Pike had ordered the shooting of the eight Bandidos to remind other members just what would happen to them if they too turned against the club. 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