No Angel
Page 36
OMO: Outlaw motorcycle organization.
One Percenter: Moniker stemming from a 1947 Hollister biker riot, following which the American Motorcyclist Association stated that “ninety-nine percent of motorcycle riders are law-abiding citizens and only one percent are outlaws.”
One Percenter Diamond: The diamond-shaped “1%” patch of the One Percenter symbol. See also flash, tabs.
open carry: Refers to a state’s laws that allow the exposed and often unlicensed possession of a firearm.
OTB: “Over the bars”; euphemism for a bike crash; aka “digger,” “eat asphalt,” “nipple surf,” “superman.”
P: Abbreviation for “president” of a motorcycle club.
packing double: Two people on one bike—almost always a man driving and a woman riding. See also riding bitch style.
Panhead: A Harley-Davidson engine style in use from 1948 to 1965; so called because its cylinder head resembled a roasting pan. Other engine styles are Knucklehead (pre-1948), Shovelhead (1966–84), and V-Twin (1985 to present).
paid informant: An informant who is in the employ of law enforcement, but is not a law enforcement officer. This type of informant is a mercenary, and he or she is not working off any charges, as with a CI.
patch: Biker’s vest (see also colors, cut); also a full member, i.e., a biker who has received his center patch and rockers, denoting full membership.
Patch, the: Nickname for the Black Biscuit task force headquarters in Phoenix, short for “Pumpkin Patch.”
patch over: To give up one’s club affiliation in order to become a member of another club; can refer to an individual member or to an entire club.
poker run: A run where riders stop at various locations to receive a playing card, and at the end of which the holder of the best poker hand wins a predetermined prize.
Pinks: The Mongols’ disrespectful nickname for members of the Hells Angels (red and white make pink).
prospect: A prospective member; a member in training.
punked: To be embarrassed or humiliated; forced to show cowardice.
rat: A person who has turned informant; also the act of informing; see also snitch, CI.
rat pack: A fight in which several people severely beat a single victim; any fight in which one group vastly outnumbers another and whose aim is severe injury.
RICO: Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. A federal statute that provides for extended penalties for criminal acts performed as part of an ongoing criminal organization.
rig: A holster used to carry firearms.
riding bitch style: Two patches riding one bike, as if the one on the back were a “bitch” (a rare occurrence). See also packing double.
rocker: A curved cloth patch that resembles the shape of a rocking chair’s rocker. The top rocker contains the club’s name and is stitched on the back of the vest across the shoulders; the bottom rocker contains the member’s charter location and is stitched on the back of the vest across the waist. Together with the center patch, the rockers comprise the three-piece patch of a full member of an outlaw motorcycle club. See also center patch, three-piece patch.
Roofies: Slang for Rohypnol, a powerful hypnotic drug also known as the “date rape drug.”
run: Biker rally.
SAC: Special Agent in Charge. See also ASAC.
scooter: Motorcycle.
secretary: A club officer responsible for a charter’s paperwork, such as church “minutes” and financial accounts; aka “treasurer.”
sergeant at arms: A club officer responsible for security, weaponry, and intra-charter discipline; aka “warlord,” “enforcer.”
snitch: A person who has turned informant; also the act of informing. See also rat, CI.
SoCal: Southern California.
soft tail: A Harley-Davidson frame style with a rear suspension.
SOS: “Sons of Silence,” a Colorado Springs, Colorado, motorcycle club.
support club: A club designated to support another club; aka “duck club.”
tabs: The various small patches sewn onto the front and sometimes sides of a biker’s vest. See also flash.
TCB: “Take care of business”; i. e., to do whatever is necessary for the club.
teener: A sixteenth-ounce of narcotics, usually methamphetamine or cocaine.
three-piece patch: Collectively, the three patches found on the back of a vest worn by a member of an outlaw motorcycle club. See also center patch, patch, rocker.
tweaker: A methamphetamine user.
top rocker: See rocker.
UC: Undercover operator.
vice: Vice president of a motorcycle club; also short for vice squad, a law enforcement division dedicated to investigating vices like prostitution and gambling.
World Run: Usually an annual rally that all club members are required to attend.
Acknowledgments
OPERATION BLACK BISCUIT was conducted by numerous law enforcement officers, some not mentioned in the body of this story. Their personal sacrifices to our mission, both large and small, and the sacrifices made by their families, were no less than my own. Their omissions or limited descriptions are not intentional and are in no way meant to belittle their value. I greatly enjoyed their partnership and consider them valued friends. I’d like to thank them for their support, patience, and tolerance during our many months together. Without them I wouldn’t have made it through.
These men and women are among law enforcement’s best and brightest, and together they constituted an investigative Dream Team:
Alan “Foot” Futvoye; Andrew “Wallstreet” Worrell; Angelo “Calzone” Calderone; Bill Phillips; Billy Guinn; Blake “Bo” Boteler; Bob Swietzer; Brett Coombs; Carlos “Boxer” Baixuali; Carlos “Los” Canino; Chris “Chrisser” Bayless; Chris “Cricket” Livingstone; Chris “Elvis” Hoffman; Chuck “Big Cheese” Schoville; Craig “Triple C” Caridine; Dan “Mach One” Machonis; Dan “Rap” Raponi; Darrell “Cole” Edwards; Darrin “Koz” Kozlowski; David “Luke” Luther; Duane “Bubba” Williams; Dwayne Haddix; Eric “Big E” Harden; Eric “Otter” Rutland; Gayland Hammack; Greg “Sugarbear” Cowan; Hope MacAllister; Jenna “JJ” Maguire; Jerry Petrilli; Jessie “Breeze” Summers; Jim “Jimbo” Langley; Joe “Joey Lunchbucket” Slatalla; John “Babyface” Carr; John Ciccone; John Cooper; John “JDub” Williams; John “Johnny Mac” MacKenzie; J. P. “Sergeant” Wilson; Karen Evanoski; Kim Balog; Les Robinson; Lori Reynolds; Lou DeTiberiis; Marc “Grinder” Wood; Mark “Demon” Demas; Marty Dietz; Marvin Richardson; Michael Gillooly; Michael Kemp; Michelle White; Mike “Spike” Johnson; Mike Will; Nick “Buddha” Susuras; Nicole “Nikki” Strong; Pantano Christian Church; Paul “Pablo” Hagerty; Rachael Ehrlich; Ray Brotherson; Scott “Hydro” Hite; Sean “Spider-Man” Hoover; Shannon “Cook” Sheel; Shawn “Woody” Wood; Steve “Gundo” Gunderson; Steve “High Plains Drifter” Hauser; Steve Ott; Steve Trethewey; Tara Crubaugh; Tom Allen; Tom “Teabag” Mangan; Tracy Feminia; “Uncle” Don White; Vince “Vinnie D” Cefalu; Virginia O’Brien; William “Billy” Queen; William “Timmy” Long.
My special thanks to Nils Johnson-Shelton, who took the time to research and understand a complex story, possessed the talent to explain it accurately, and had the courage to write a truthful and honest book.
Thanks to Adam Lawrence for helping to take one thing off my plate by securing song lyric permissions.
And, last but not least, both Nils and I would like to thank our outstanding and dedicated editor, Rick Horgan at Crown, who believed in and fought hard for this telling of my story, and Richard Pine and Libby O’Neill, our faithful and indispensable agents at Inkwell Management.
Copyright
First published in the United States by Crown Publishers, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York
www.crownpublishing.com
First published in Great Britain in 2009 by Canongate Books Ltd, 14 High Street,
Edinburgh, EH1 1TE
This digital edition first published in 2009 by Canongate Books
Copyright © Jay Dobyns and Nils Johnson-Shelton, 2009
The moral right of the authors has been asserted
“Easy”
Words and Music by Lionel Richie
© 1977 (Renewed 2005) JOBETE MUSIC CO., INC. and LIBREN MUSIC
All Rights Controlled and Administered by EMI APRIL MUSIC INC.
All Rights Reserved, International Copyright Secured. Used by Permission
“Be Like That”
Words and Music by Brad Arnold and Christopher Henderson
© 2000 Escatawpa Songs/Songs of Universal, Inc. Patrick
Universal/MCA Music Limited.
Used by Permission of Music Sales Limited.
All Rights Reserved. International Copyright Secured.
Every effort has been made to trace copyright holders and obtain permission for the use of copyright material. Be publisher apologises for any errors or omissions and would be grateful if notified of anycorrections that should be incorporated in future reprints or editions of this book
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available on request from the British Library
ISBN: 978 1 84767 528 6
Design by Debbie Glasserman
www.meetatthegate.com
Table of Contents
Bikers, Cops, and Motorcycle Clubs Involved in Operations Riverside and Black Biscuit
Note to the Reader
PART I. THE END
1. Birdcalls
PART II. THE BEGINNING
2. My sucking chest wound
3. “You’re looking at the loves of my life is what you’re looking at.”
4. Hoedown at Harrah’s
5. Black Biscuit BBQ
6. Rudy wanted to know where I did my time
PART III. THE MIDDLE
7. Too broke for Sturgis, where Timmy learned the fine art of fetching sauerkraut
8. Jesus Hates a Pussy
9. First night in Mesa
10. I wanna what?
11. Why’d Jack give me that rock?
12. Teaching Teacher
13. Feeding Smitty his cake
14. “Fuck your guns!”
15. Good-bye, Carlos
16. We want you
17. Gimme a B! Gimme an I! Gimme an R! Gimme a D!
18. Five years in the desert
19. Arresting Rudy Kramer
20. Hello, JJ
21. Pep talk
22. “Motherfucker, if I ever see you in this town again I will fucking bury you in the desert where
23. Inhale … Exhale … Inhale … Exhale …
24. Jingle bells, Batman smells, etc.
25. The Solo temporaries
26. Will you be mine?
27. “9-1-1! 9-1-1! Get out of the house!”
28. The Iron Skillet
29. “Look, lady, it’s not like I don’t give a fuck what you’re saying, but I don’t give a fuck what
30. Hoover’s hit
31. No more Solos
32. Big Lou and Gayland Hammack run some game
33. “Get me that brown mustard, not that yellow shit.”
PART IV. THE END, AGAIN
34. Hydroxycut highway
35. Bottom rockers are us
36. Call to arms
37 ….
38. Hate and money
39. The bust
Epilogue
Where Are They Now?
Plates
Author’s Note
Glossary