Hells Angels Guilty Under RICO

(Seattle, Washington) Three Hells Angels gang members were convicted yesterday by a federal jury of racketeering and conspiracy. Richard "Smilin' Rick" Fabel, 49, Rodney Rollness, 46, and Joshua Binder, 31, face long prison terms upon sentencing.

According to Jeffrey Sullivan, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Washington, the convictions under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization (RICO) statute show that the Hells Angels is not a harmless social organization that sells T-shirts and ride motorcycles.

The victory was by no means complete. After 13 days of deliberations, the jury returned a not-guilty verdict on a witness-tampering charge and deadlocked on 10 charges, including the only two against a fourth defendant, Ricky Jenks, 29, of Spokane. Sullivan said the government will seek new trials for all four defendants on each of those 10 charges.

Nonetheless, there are likely some sad faces in the clubhouse.