Local Hells Angels Deny Involvement With Meth Ring Debt Collector Claimed 2 Biker Clubs’ Backing; Sentencing Set For Seven People In Operation
The president of the Spokane chapter of the Hells Angels said Wednesday that his motorcycle club had “nothing whatsoever” to do with a large methamphetamine ring.
Witnesses at a three-day hearing in U.S. District Court testified that the Hells Angels and fellow biker club the Gypsy Jokers were the behind-the-scenes enforcement arm of the dope ring.
One of the defendants, Richard “Butch” Forrest, is a member of the Iron Horsemen, whose members frequently associate with the Hells Angels.
A man who collected drug debts testified that he would tell those with delinquent bills that the meth ring had the backing of the outlaw motorcycle gangs.
“We’re not the muscle for anybody,” Hells Angels president Richard “Smilin’ Rick” Fabel said Wednesday.
“Idiots do this to us - try and cure their problems using the Hells Angels name,” Fabel said.
“We had nothing whatsoever to do with this,” he said.
A member of the local Hells Angels chapter, “Mouldy Marvin” Gilbert, was listed among names on drug customer lists seized by drug task force investigators, testimony revealed.
“People use our Hells Angels name to scare people, and that’s not what we’re all about,” Fabel said.
Seven people involved in the meth ring will be sentenced next week in federal court.
U.S. District Judge Robert Whaley scheduled the sentencing dates and times at the conclusion of the evidence hearing. It was held to present evidence about the amount of methamphetamine and cocaine distributed by members of the drug ring.
Drug business records and testimony about who organized and directed the operation also were presented. The judge’s rulings on the amount of drugs and who played “organizer roles” in the conspiracy will affect the length of sentences under federal guidelines.
On Wednesday, sentencing is set for Jack Thomas Lamere, 29; Debra L. Cochran, 29; Monica Faye Forrest, 36; and Shannon Green, 25.
On Oct. 16, Richard “Butch” Forrest II, 38; and Cheryl M. Rogers, 25, are scheduled to be sentenced.
Sentencing for the seventh defendant, Deborah Longo, 27, is set for Oct. 17.
, DataTimes