Not guilty of sparking an Aug. 8, 2006, gunfight at Custer State Park during the Sturgis motorcycle rally.

Jurors in Sioux Falls on Nov. 20 found Chad Wilson, 33, a Canadian citizen who lives in San Diego, and John Midmore, 35, a dual Canadian-Australian citizen of Valparaiso, Ind., not guilty of sparking an Aug. 8, 2006, gunfight at Custer State Park during the Sturgis motorcycle rally. Three Outlaws Motorcycle Club members and two women with them were injured. Prosecutors said Wilson and Midmore tried to kill their rivals but Wilson testified he fired in self-defence after they were confronted during a rest stop at Legion Lake Resort. Midmore was released on bail hours after the verdict. Wilson was indicted days later on a federal charge of being a non-immigrant alien in possession of a firearm. He was transferred to Rapid City, where he is scheduled to stand trial Feb. 10. Wilson testified he fired several rounds with a handgun and had other guns in his truck. Jurors initially were split.
"Right from the get-go we decided we should have a vote to see where everybody stood," the juror said. "And it was five for not guilty, five for guilty and two for not decided." The voting worked toward not guilty, then back toward guilty and ultimately ended over problems with some of the evidence, he said. "The entire jury felt that the scene had not been managed as well as it could have been. And eventually it ended up in a contradiction to some of the evidence relating to the number of shots fired," he said. "That probably was the thing that ended up getting us to the point where we eventually got to the unanimous decision." During the trial, the defence lawyer queried investigators at length about how people were allowed to walk through the parking lot and pick up and move shell casings, clothing and even a gun. Prosecutors countered rescue personnel and law-enforcement officers at the scene were most concerned with saving the lives of the people shot, some of whom lost a lot of blood. During the second day of deliberating, jurors said they couldn't reach a decision. The judge had them keep at it and after another day they ultimately found the men not guilty of all charges. "A couple of the people who insisted on not guilty were making it very clear it would be a cold day in hell before they could consider anything different," the juror said. The man said though several jurors expressed concern for their safety, he couldn't say if it affected anyone's vote. Several Hells Angels bikers attended the trial. Prosecutors still want to try Wilson and Midmore on a more serious charge of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, which carries a punishment of life in prison if convicted. Defence lawyers have asked the judge to dismiss the charge, arguing it would amount to double jeopardy - being tried twice for the same crime. Prosecutors argued the attempted murder and conspiracy charges are separate crimes, so another trial would not amount to double jeopardy.

Iron Horsemen Motorcycle Club, accused of running an elaborate drug ring in Maine

The trial of several members of the Iron Horsemen Motorcycle Club, accused of running an elaborate drug ring in Maine, has been pushed back until at least March because another defendant has been charged by a federal grand jury.Ramon Dellosantos, 39, of Haverhill, Mass., made his initial appearance and arraignment at U.S. District Court in Portland on Tuesday.Standing beside defense attorney Elliot Weinstein of Boston, Dellosantos pleaded not guilty to the single charge of conspiracy to possess and distribute cocaine and marijuana.Dellosantos became the 20th defendant charged in the case, which is among the largest drug-conspiracy cases ever prosecuted in Maine.Federal prosecutors say members and supporters of the Iron Horsemen funneled drugs from Massachusetts to Maine, where they were distributed throughout the state. The ring operated from at least 2004 until December of 2007, Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Perry has said in court documents.Richard Szpyt, president of the Maine chapter of the Iron Horsemen, is the alleged ringleader. Prosecutors seek to have his properties in Haverhill, Mass., and Old Orchard Beach, plus the property of a co-defendant in Albany Township, turned over to the government. The house in Old Orchard Beach served as the state headquarters for the Iron Horsemen.

A grand jury indicted 19 defendants in March, and Dellosantos was indicted in October. Some of them face multiple charges and face a minimum of 10 years in prison if convicted.

Three of the defendants have already pleaded guilty, and await sentencing. Charles Green of East Dixfield and Bruce Hill of Limerick pleaded guilty to conspiracy. Kelley Monahan of Newfield pleaded guilty to using a telephone to facilitate the distribution of marijuana.The rest of the defendants are waiting for the trial, although some or all of them could reach plea agreements in the meantime with the U.S. Attorney's Office.The case is tentatively on the March 2 trial list for Chief U.S. District Judge George Singal.Weinstein said neither he nor his client, Dellosantos, would comment. Perry, the prosecutor, said federal court rules prohibit him from discussing details of the case.According to court documents, federal investigators obtained wiretaps in the summer of 2007, and they captured "thousands of conversations and electronic communications," between the defendants. Other evidence includes seized notebooks, drugs and weapons at Szpyt's property on Ross Road in Old Orchard.The Iron Horsemen is one of the largest motorcycle clubs active in Maine. The club has chapters nationwide, with concentrated pockets in Maryland, Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana.Along with other clubs, including Hells Angels, Saracens and Bandidos, the Iron Horsemen are classified by law enforcement agencies as "outlaw motorcycle gangs." Drug investigators in Maine say motorcycle club members have played significant roles in the state's drug trade since the 1970s.

Outlaw motorcyle gang was said to have been involved in theft of pearls

In Western Australia, outlaw motorcyle gang was said to have been involved in theft of pearls; in the Northern Territory, OMCGs had purchased fishing licences; and in South Australia, enforcement stakeholders believed that OMCGs had been involved in the illegal abalone trade," the report says. "These gangs were also reported to have purchased fishing vessels to distribute illicit drugs." In the Northern Territory, companies and family groups are illegally profiting from large-scale and well-organised shark "finning", in which fins are sliced from illegally caught sharks and smuggled to Asia, where they are in huge demand. In NSW, entire racks of oysters are being stolen from oyster farms using lifting equipment on the back of vehicles. Money laundering, including the use of underground banks to illegally move money into and out of Australia, is also linked to the seafood black market. The criminology institute's general manager of research, Judy Putt, co-author of the report, said there was widespread concern among fisheries officers that Australia's existing regulations were inadequate to deal with the growing threat posed by organised crime. The report, based on a survey of more than 300 fisheries officers and consultations with law enforcement agencies, warns that as some types of seafood become rarer and more expensive they will increasingly attract organised crime groups. "Systematic criminal activity, which is more likely to target vulnerable and most valuable species, escalates not only the seriousness of the illegal activity but also its effects, through an increase in criminal activity generally, such as environmental offences, theft, fraud, quarantine violation, tax evasion and serious crimes against people, including murder," the report says. International trafficking of fish products between organised crime groups is arranged "as and when the need arises".

All of the fisheries officers surveyed in the study believed there was organised crime involvement in illegal fishing in their jurisdictions, with 26 per cent saying there was "a lot" and 58 per cent responding there was "some".

"The sector is also characterised by seasonal work, which can attract individuals with involvement in criminal activity such as poaching and drug distribution," the report says. "These structural factors can reduce the resistance of the sector to organised criminal activity."
According to the report, poachers are becoming more sophisticated in their efforts to avoid detection, with illegal divers in Tasmania and Victoria using re-breathers to hide their bubbles, working at night with underwater lights and using global positioning systems.

Former Outlaws motorcycle gang member Ronald Stahlman was arrested

former Outlaws motorcycle gang member has been indicted in northeast Ohio in a murder from nearly 30 years ago. Authorities say 52-year-old Ronald Stahlman was arrested Dec. 8 in Arizona by a federal task force that pursues fugitives. He was indicted yesterday by a Trumbull County grand jury in the 1979 stabbing death of 18-year-old Bernard Williamson in Warren. Authorities say the suspect had been using an alias since an arrest warrant was issued for him in 1979. He's now locked up in Phoenix awaiting extradition.