Gang members plead guilty to kidnapping

Gang members plead guilty to gunpoint kidnapping

Two members of Winnipeg street gang have admitted to a gunpoint attack against the mother of one of their criminal colleagues.

Jammal Dillinger Jacob and Michael Brandon Williams pleaded guilty Wednesday to charges including kidnapping, forcible confinement and aggravated assault. The pair, who have ties to the Mad Cowz, will be sentenced later this year.

The 40-year-old victim immigrated from South Africa and has described her ordeal as comparable to the violence she witnessed in refugee camps prior to coming to Canada. The single mother of four suffered extensive physical and emotional injuries and was placed in the federal witness-protection program. She moved out of the province, court was told.

Jacob, Williams and another gang member had known the victim for years because of their affiliation with her son. The trio decided to try to get some money out of the woman after they crossed paths with her on the street while she was looking for her son in 2007.

They took the woman to a home on the belief her son would be there. Then, they pulled out guns and held them to her head. The gang members told the woman she hadn't "thanked them" for looking after her boy when he was in prison by ensuring he wouldn't be attacked by other inmates.

They initially demanded $10,000, then changed it to $40,000 when she said she could only offer a few hundred dollars. The men beat her with the butt ends of their guns, fracturing her left sinus cavity. They also hit her with a set of weights and a pipe, poked her in the eye socket and said she and her family would be killed.

The woman convinced the men to drive her to the restaurant where she worked so she could get some cash. She ran for help as soon as she was let out of the car.

Cory Amyotte, 23, pleaded guilty earlier this summer to aggravated assault and extortion and was sentenced to four years in prison. Amyotte and Jacob have previously made headlines for refusing to testify in a high-profile murder trial.

Phil Haiart died in October 2005 after getting caught in the crossfire of a gang shootout in the West End. Jeffrey Cansanay was convicted earlier this year of second-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison.

Cory Spence was convicted of the same charge as a youth, but raised to adult court and given life in prison.

Amyotte and another gang member, Gharib Abdullah, were the targets of the bullets that hit Haiart. Cansanay previously went on trial in 2007 but was cleared by a judge who refused to allow videotaped police statements from Amyotte and Abdullah to be played in court when they both remained silent in the witness box. The Manitoba Court of Appeal later overturned the decision and ordered a new trial, saying the judge had erred.

Abdullah and Amyotte were cited for contempt of court and received precedent-setting prison terms -- four years for Amyotte, three-and-a-half for Abdullah. Both men testified when Cansanay's second trial began this spring. Abdullah told jurors he saw Cansanay open fire on him and Amyotte. Amyotte said he was in hiding at the time and didn't see anything.

Jacob was sentenced in 2008 to two years in prison for refusing to testify at Spence's trial. He was originally given three years behind bars for contempt of court but had it reduced on appeal to two years.

These gang members should not be given overly harsh sentences. Gangs often flourish in prisons and ties are often strengthened with antisocial criminal peers. Gang members readily subscribe to the prison subculture consisting of pro criminal attitudes, values and behaviours. They are often released with little to no rehabilitation, no skills, education, or assistance/support in the community and are therefore, much more likely to resort back to crime. I feel sorry for gang members because they often join due to a lack of belonging and sense of affection, respect and identity within their biological families and therefore, they fulfill these needs in other ways, for example, by joining gangs. Family conflict, neglect, abuse, dysfunction, etc. often underlies the reasons why individuals join gangs. Those issues need to be addressed effectively. I would sentence these gang members to 2 years in prison followed by community support, intensive supervision, family counseling, and community programming aimed at gang desistance. 

Former Hells Angels secures immediate release

Former Hells Angels gets deal in bar homicide

A former Manitoba Hells Angels member struck a deal with justice officials Wednesday that saw him admit to killing a man inside a Winnipeg bar in exchange for his immediate freedom.

Billy Bowden, 34, pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to two years of time already served, which was given double-time credit of four years. He was expected to be returned to the community by the end of the day.

Bowden admitted to playing a role in the November 2007 stabbing death of 24-year-old Jeff Engen inside the Empire Cabaret. A co-accused, Matt Wegier, remains before the courts and is set to go on trial in March 2011.

Prosecutor Daniel Chaput told Queen’s Bench Justice Rick Saull there were several problems with the Crown’s case against Bowden that prompted the plea bargain for a much lighter sentence than usual. Although there were more than 50 potential witnesses to the killing, Chaput said "surprisingly very few had much to say about what happened."

As well, there are no witnesses putting the knife in Bowden’s hand and the Crown can only prove he participated in the group attack.

"It was the unknowns the Crown struggled with. We couldn’t say who stabbed the victim. We couldn’t say Mr. Bowden knew a knife was present or that the victim was being stabbed," said Chaput.

He said the Crown would have sought a longer sentence against Bowden if he were convicted at trial.

"Equally, he could have been acquitted. This way, the Crown secures a manslaughter conviction and a sentence we recognize is on the low end of the spectrum," said Chaput.

Engen, a bodybuilder, was in the basement lounge of the Empire when he got into a dispute with several men about Bowden’s ex-girlfriend, court was told.

Engen was stabbed four times, including one which pierced his heart. He then climbed the stairs to get help, but collapsed near the dance floor. Despite efforts by a patron of the club to revive him, Engen died.

Witnesses said they were surprised a weapon got past the club's new security measures -- including a full-body metal detector -- which had been put in place after four people were shot and wounded there a month before Engen's stabbing.

The club's owner, Sabino Tummillo, closed the Empire's doors shortly after the stabbing and it never re-opened.

Bowden joined the Hells Angels in July 2004 but was kicked out of the gang in 2006 following an internal dispute, according to sources.

He has a lengthy criminal record which includes being caught by police with a loaded gun just two months after Engen’s slaying. He eventually pleaded guilty and was given six months of time in custody spent in custody plus a fine. Bowden admitted in court he had been carrying the gun "for his own protection."

Bowden also made headlines in March 2005 when he was shot in the leg by a gang associate in the Dirty Laundry bar at 720 Corydon Ave. The shooter was also shot and wounded by someone returning fire, but no one was ever charged. Dirty Laundry closed shortly after the incident.

This article is biased in that it says little to nothing about the defence lawyers' statements and does not mention anything relating to the defendant's background or childhood. Most often, people join gangs because they are are living in poverty and feel the need to have a sense of belonging and identity which they receive in a gang. A plea bargain is better than an acquittal though and is there is insufficient evidence as to whether this man held the knife or not. I believe that gang members need more community supports and resources, not prison. 

New rules give police more power to combat gangs

New rules give police more power to combat gangs

OTTAWA -- Prosecutors and police will have enhanced powers to tackle prostitution, illegal gambling and drug trafficking activities by organized crime under new measures announced Wednesday by the Conservative government.

The new rules expand the list of what constitutes a serious crime in the Criminal Code -- meaning offences punishable by five or more years in prison -- to activities such as keeping a common bawdy house, keeping a gaming or betting house and exporting, importing or producing illegal drugs.

Although the new rules were welcomed by police organizations, defence lawyers described them as overkill, and said the government should carefully monitor their implementation.

They are using a very blunt object, painting with a very broad brush, said David Anber, a criminal lawyer in Ottawa, arguing a lot of nickel-and-dime crooks with no links to organized crime could wind up being branded as serious offenders.

Justice Minister Rob Nicholson, who unveiled the changes at a news conference in Montreal, said the crimes being targeted are often signature activities of organized crime rings.

The new rules, quietly approved by cabinet last month, will allow police and prosecutors to more easily use tools such as wire taps while investigating those crimes, the Justice Department said in a statement.

They also will be able to seek stiffer sentences, block bail and parole eligibility and seize assets that are the proceeds of crime, it said.

The Criminal Code defines a criminal organization as three or more people acting together in criminal ventures, and the federal government estimates 750 organized crime groups are operating across the country.

David Deutscher, a University of Manitoba law professor, said the changes are part of a Conservative effort to appear "tough on crime."

"There's no indication that anybody's been clamouring for these type of amendment(s)," he said.

Deutscher said he believes the changes are a "political move." He noted the offences that will now be treated as serious aren't the "ones that attract the most severe penalties in the Criminal Code."

"I think it's generally part of a political agenda," he said.

We do not need to get tough on crime. It's unnecessary and ineffective at reducing, preventing and deterring crime. Marijuana possession and prostitution should be legal and regulated so safer conditions could be created. These people do not belong in prisons and criminalizing these activities only clogs up courts and jails unnecessarily. Crime has been decreasing and there is no need to get tough. We need to get smart and start addressing the root causes and underlying contributing factors to crime and placing less reliance on imprisonment.  

A peek inside the Hells Angels' home

A peek inside Hells' home

The Manitoba Hells Angels clubhouse -- now under provincial government ownership -- was both a Las Vegas-style party pad and a powerful, heavily fortified symbol of the gang's dominance in the criminal underworld.

Court documents obtained Wednesday by the Free Press provide a rare and detailed glimpse into the inner-workings of the notorious outlaw bikers and the place they called home.

The 2,865-square-foot Scotia Street home, currently assessed at $357,000 on the open market, was taken over by Manitoba Justice officials last week after filing a claim under the Criminal Property Forfeiture Act. It is the first time such a step has been taken in Manitoba and mirrors similar seizures in Ontario and British Columbia.

"The clubhouse serves as a symbol to rival criminal organizations of their presence and domination over unlawful activity in the area," Det.-Sgt. Ken Downs wrote in an affidavit filed in support of the court application. "It provides a base of operations, a place to make social ties and recruit new members, is a safe area to conspire about the commission of unlawful acts... and allows the Hells Angels to commit unlawful activities in secrecy."

Downs is a member of the Thunder Bay Police Service with extensive knowledge of the Canadian biker scene. He said the Manitoba chapter specifically began using the property, located behind the Kildonan Presbyterian Cemetery, because it was the last home on a dead-end street.

"This deters surveillance by rivals and police," said Downs. He said the Hells also had the home registered under the name of Leonard Beauchemin, a resident of Keewatin, Ont., with previous ties to the gang.

"This is a purposeful act done to disassociate the organized crime group from illegal profits. They are aware... it presents challenges for effective law enforcement," Downs wrote.

Beauchemin now has a month to appeal the interim order, which cites the clubhouse as a hub of criminal activity such as drug trafficking and money laundering.

Police also make the case the clubhouse had a "frat house" type atmosphere meant to build strong bonds between bikers. In several hundred pages of affidavits and photographs, police document various features of the home including an elevated stage and stripper pole where exotic dancers routinely performed, a well-stocked bar that included a running tab for all members, two full-sized video arcade games and a pool table.

The walls were covered with photographs of other Hells Angels members and chapters around the world, and crude signs including one that read "NO RATS, NO FAT CHICKS, NO GUNS." A huge portrait of founding Hells member Sonny Barger also hung above the fireplace.

There was also a VIP "Members Room" that was only open for full-patch bikers, not prospects or hangarounds. The room contained a chalkboard to allow bikers to "write out their conversations instead of speaking them for fear law enforcement had installed listening devices."

The Manitoba chapter also had a large supply of "support wear" T-shirts, hats and tuques which carried slogans such as "Silence is golden, duct tape is silver"; "When in doubt knock ' em out"; "Three can keep a secret if 2 are dead"; and "Shoot rats not drugs."

Police also provided written documentation that show the collection of monthly dues, minutes taken from monthly gang meetings known as "Church" and even lists of rules and regulations that all Hells members and associates must follow. Police say there was also an "extraordinary" surveillance system surrounding the property, which included nine hidden exterior cameras that would be monitored 24 hours a day, seven days a week by designated members assigned to work "The Shift." Some of the cameras possessed "night vision" that would allow the bikers to clearly see images in the dark.

Police included extensive details of the Hells Angels history around the world, including details on the 35 existing Canadian chapters that include an estimated 476 active members.

There are also lengthy summaries of previous surveillance done on the Manitoba bikers, including a blow-by-blow account of observations made by police monitoring their 2009 Halloween party at the clubhouse.

Besides the clubhouse, police seized two motorcycles and four vehicles on the property, plus all contents of the house such as furniture. However, most Hells Angels-related paraphernalia was already gone, seized last December during Project Divide, a major police sting operation that used a former biker associated as a paid informant who captured dozens of drug and weapons deals on audio and video surveillance.

A total of 35 people were arrested, and 22 have already pleaded guilty and received lengthy prison sentences. Police launched two similar projects in 2007 and 2005 which have left the Manitoba chapter reeling.

www.mikeoncrime.com

STRICT CODE OF CONDUCT: A list of rules to be followed

Like any clubhouse, the Hells Angels had a strict set of rules that all members, associates and visitors were expected to follow. Police detailed many of these in court documents obtained Wednesday by the Free Press. They included the following:

HAVE ON YOU AT ALL TIMES:

Your house key and gate opener

Pens and a note pad

Lighter and rolling papers

Condoms and gum

Rolaids and Tylenol

Winnipeg phone list and phone or pager

TO DO:

Learn to roll a smoke.

Wear your vest at all times to parties, every time you're on your bike or at the clubhouse.

Never leave your vest lying around, hang it up and show respect. Never leave it in an unsafe area like your truck or car.

Take pride in yourself and your club.

Shake every member's hand right. Don't rush. Repeat names. Get to know your members, including their smoke brand, coffee size and what they want in it.

Hells Angel's clubhouse raided and seized

Hells' clubhouse raided, seized

It looks like it's the end of the road for a haven for Hells Angels after the clubhouse on a serene stretch of Scotia Street was raided.

Manitoba Justice officials, with the support of Winnipeg police, moved in Thursday morning to take control of the well-known biker hangout after the province obtained a court order allowing the property to be seized.

Manitoba Justice filed an interim court order, which triggered the raid. Early in the day police had blocked off the entire street, located behind the Kildonan Presbyterian Cemetery. Later, only the property itself was off-limits.

The house has allegedly been used as a site to plan and carry out criminal activity such as money laundering. That makes it liable for forfeiture under the Criminal Property Forfeiture Act.

No arrests were made related to the seizure, said Gord Schumacher, director of the province's criminal property forfeiture unit.

"We go after property, not people," he said.

"It pretty much looks like a clubhouse. It's a bar, basically," said Schumacher, describing the inside of the house, which he said had a "decent layout."

"It's a place where the Hells Angels hang their hats."

A source said the two associates of the biker gang in the clubhouse at the time of the raid were told to leave.

Besides the clubhouse, police seized two motorcycles and four vehicles on the property, plus all contents of the house such as furniture. However, most Hells Angels-related paraphernalia was already gone, seized in December during Project Divide, a major police gang operation, and two previous projects as well.

Schumacher said the property owner, Leonard Beauchemin, has 40 days to file a statement of defence to refute the province's allegations.

Beauchemin lives in Ontario. He is not a full-patch Hells Angels member, Schumacher said.

The legal trigger for Thursday's raid allows for proceeds from unlawful acts and property used in an unlawful acts to be forfeited to the government. The property at 2679 Scotia St., which contains a large one-storey building set far back into the well-kept yard, is at the end of the quiet, tree-lined street, flanked by a clearing to the north and the Red River to the east.

The Hells Angels do not own the Scotia Street property, said Winnipeg defence lawyer Jay Prober.

Prober said he is representing a client involved with the seizure though he could not specify who. He has put calls in to Manitoba Justice officials regarding the action.

"We'll have to see whether it's an illegal or a legal seizure," said Prober, who is trying to retrieve items of clothing belonging to his client he said were taken in the raid.

Neighbours, who did not wish to be identified, said they are relieved about the raid but doubt it will be the end of the ordeal. One neighbour said property values on the street have fallen as much as 20 per cent because of the biker gang clubhouse.

Hells clubhouse seized

Manitoba Justice officials and Winnipeg police seized the Hells Angels Winnipeg clubhouse Thursday.

The property, located at 2679 Scotia St., has been seized under the provincial Criminal Property Forfeiture Act, a civil law that allows property used in unlawful acts to be seized by the government.

The law is often used to seize houses that served as marijuana grow operations, but in a statement released Thursday, Manitoba Justice said it alleges the Scotia Street clubhouse was being used by the biker gang "as a place to plan and carry out criminal activity."

The allegations have not been proven in court, but the clubhouse was seized Thursday under an interim court order.

Hells Angels' clubhouse seized in Winnipeg

The Manitoba government has temporarily seized a Hells Angels clubhouse in Winnipeg and is seeking court permission to take it over permanently.

Manitoba Justice has filed a statement of claim in the Court of Queen's Bench for the forfeiture of the property and its contents at 2679 Scotia St. in the city's Rivergrove area.

Justice Department spokesman Gordon Schumacher said the property has been used as a place to plan and carry out criminal activity.

"There are a number of offences that we are alleging took place here, including money laundering, breaches of the Liquor Control Act, proceeds of crime, amongst others. And it's based on those charges that were here today."

Police said the Scotia Street home has been a Hells Angels Clubhouse for just over a decade.

An interim order has allowed the province to seize the property immediately, according to a news release issued by the province.

The claim alleges the property was used as a place to plan and carry out criminal activity. That makes it subject to forfeiture under Manitoba's Criminal Property Forfeiture Act.

According to the legislation, proceeds from unlawful acts and property used in an unlawful act may be forfeited to the government by order of the court. Along with real estate, items such as cash and vehicles can also be forfeited.

Proceeds from the sale of forfeited property are placed in a fund to support activities such as:

• Compensating victims of the unlawful activity.
• Remedying the effects of the unlawful activity.
• Promoting safer communities by funding programs that reduce or prevent crime or enhance the practices and training of law enforcement agencies.
• Covering the costs of the court application and seizing, managing and selling property ordered forfeited by a court.

Property ordered forfeited by a court can be sold, donated or destroyed.

The province hasn't indicated what it plans to do in this case.

A total of 35 statements of claim have been filed since the legislation was enacted in 2004.

Seized clubhouse PR
Taking away the clubhouse of the Hells Angels’ Manitoba chapter — at least temporarily — isn’t going to eliminate the outlaw motorcycle gang’s presence, a street source says.
Hells Angels members won’t have an official hangout if they lose the clubhouse but it won’t put an end to the chapter, the source said.
“It’s good PR for the police but the band will still march on even without a place to chill,” the source said.
A Hells Angels clubhouse in Oshawa, Ont., was seized by that province’s government and demolished in March. Similar seizures have occurred in other Canadian cities.
The Manitoba government’s move to take control of the biker club’s lair is the latest chapter in the back-and-forth saga between organized crime and law enforcement in Manitoba.
Lately, law enforcement seems to be coming out on top against Hells Angels members and associates.
Police have had tremendous success in finding trusted people to flip and become paid informants to infiltrate the Hells Angels or Zig Zag Crew, its so-called street crew.
Many Hells Angels members and associates are serving lengthy prison sentences or are in custody awaiting the resolution of charges.
The number of Manitoba Hells Angels members on the street is unclear.
Three long-term undercover projects — Defence, Drill and Divide — by the Manitoba integrated organized crime task force resulted in charges against more than 60 people between 2006 and 2010. The clubhouse was raided each time.
Manitoba Justice officials and Winnipeg Police Service officers moved in and temporarily seized the clubhouse at 2679 Scotia St. on Thursday under the provincial Criminal Property Forfeiture Act, a civil law that allows property used in unlawful acts to be seized by the government.
In court documents the government alleges the clubhouse was being used “as a place to plan and carry out criminal activity.”
The province has started legal proceedings to take over the secluded property. The property’s legal owner, Leonard Beauchemin, has 40 days to file a statement of defence.

Just because the house was raided and seized, does not mean the Hells Angels will disappear. They will find another house where they can plan their criminal activities.  This is not the end of the Hells Angels.

The clubhouse was ALLEGEDLY used to plan and carry out criminal activities. Shouldn't the state have to PROVE the property was used as a place to plan and carry out criminal activity, instead of simply "allege"? There should be a court decision prior to a seizure. This is a clear invasion of civil liberties. Plus, it has not been proven that ALL the individuals who lived in the house were involved in this so-called planning, yet all of their items are being seized! 

I have trouble with the logic here.

The house is owned by some guy that lives in Ontario.

I'm guessing that he rented the house out.

Now he has 40 days to file a statement of defence??? For what??? Charging too much rent??

To me, this is no different if I rent a property that I own to a person or persons and they do something illegal inside that house....does that mean I forfeit my house??? Makes no sense as the landlord has very little control over what is done behind the closed doors of his rented property. He/she cannot just walk in unannounced to look at what is happening at any given time. They have to give notice to the tenant.

The article states that the house has a nice layout and the yard is well kept. If I'm the landlord I would think of this as a model tenant. Rent is paid, yard is maintained.

I dunno...

I wonder if the government would have tried this if the house the Hells Angels rented was some $20,000 hovel on Magnus and not maintained....I think not. 

Does this mean that if any level of government passes a law that is clearly an invasion of Canadian civil liberties (found to be criminal) their offices can be seized and sold? haha.

Are people losing their homes they unknowingly rent to people who turn around and used them for grow operations? did the HA actively plan criminal activity from the house or were they somewhere else? How does one prove that?

Some other questions.

I see many (including the press) state that the Hells Angels is a criminal organization and that they are all committing crimes. This is derived from the theory that some of the Hells Angels are in prison for crimes. Therefore all of them are active in that endeavour.

Okay. Based on that theory.

[Take] Winnipeg Police Service officers ... charged or convicted of serious crimes. .

The question I have is this. Did they plan those crimes in their homes and cars? Did the government seize their "stuff". Based on the logic for the seizure of the HA clubhouse the law should have taken the stuff of these officers. Also, because they were WPS officers does that mean that all WPS officers are criminals?

My point being that just because one person from a group of friends or co-workers commits a crime does not mean that everyone else is guilty too.

I know...people will not like what I say here. However, I ask these questions in an effort to get people thinking. If we let the government tread on the rights of one group, what group is next?

Freedom is important...many good people fought and died for us to have it. [edited]

"The claim alleges the property was used as a place to plan and carry out criminal activity. That makes it subject to forfeiture under Manitoba's Criminal Property Forfeiture Act."


Shouldnt the state have to prove the property was used as a place to plan and carry out criminal activity rather than just 'allege'?

I am no fan of HA, but there should be a court decsion prior to seizure?

"The claim alleges the property was used as a place to plan and carry out criminal activity. That makes it subject to forfeiture under Manitoba's Criminal Property Forfeiture Act."

With the same rationale , most political offices , lawyers offices ,police stations and churches should be seized under this act as well.

This legislation is awful. They don't have to prove anything to take your property, just have a suspicion and your house and car are seized. How does this stuff stand up against the charter ?

They will just move to a new place.

are we living in Canada, the Governments can just walk in and take what they want under these conditions?....I am not a Hell's Angel fan by any means but the way this is happening doesn't seem right...

The Crown alleges that criiminal activity were carried out here so the property is to be forfeited?

There, but for the Grace of God , go you or I.

Nothing proven, but alleged.

Seriously, what kind of legislation is this?! Complete invasion of civil liberties, if the government is under no obligation to prove anything before seizing property! They just have to "allege" something! How does that stand up against the Charter? That is wrong. Nothing has been proven, merely alleged. 

Siblings headed to prison for drug deals

Siblings headed to jail for drug deals

Three members of the same Winnipeg family are headed to prison after admitting to their roles in a massive Hells Angels drug dealing network.

Full-patch biker Sean Wolfe, his half-brother, David Single and his half-sister, Patricia Walsh, appeared together Thursday morning to deal with charges stemming from their December 2009 arrest.

Wolfe pleaded guilty to conspiracy to traffic cocaine and was sentenced to nine years in prison. Single pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking and received seven-and-a-half years behind bars. Walsh also pleaded guilty to trafficking and was given six years custody.

All of the sentences were joint-recommendations between Crown and defence lawyers.

The trio were targeted as part of "Project Divide,", which saw police utilize gang associate Michael Satsatin who was paid $450,000 to work as an undercover informant who helped investigators capture dozens of drug and weapons deals on audio and video surveillance.

Police charged 33 members and associates of the Hells Angels following the 13-month probe, which involved more than 300 police officers in Manitoba and British Columbia. A total of 18 accused have now pleaded guilty and been sentenced to various periods of custody.

Wolfe is a long-time Hells associate who was promoted several years ago from the Zig Zag Crew, the so-called puppet club of the notorious biker gang. He is a former model and the cousin of hockey player Riley Cote, one of the National Hockey League's most feared enforcers who laces up the skates for the Philadelphia Flyers.

Police describe Wolfe in court documents "as a person one should not cross."

"He is not only highly respected but feared by numerous individuals and has the propensity to resort to violence," one of the investigating officers wrote in his affidavit for Project Divide.

Walsh was in tears during her initial court appearance following her arrest and claimed to have no criminal involvement or understanding of why she'd been arrested.

Crown attorney Chris Mainella told court Walsh was involved in several separate cocaine transactions carried out on behalf of Wolfe. Her arrest warrant included allegations she drove her two young children to school before heading to a meeting with Satsatin, who was sold seven ounces of cocaine in April 2009. Police say Single met with the agent at the Tuxedo Park Shopping Centre to discuss drug transactions.

Hells Angels get multi terms for drug deals
A family that commits crime together does time together.
Three members of the same Winnipeg clan learned that Thursday after pleading guilty to their roles in a massive Hells Angels drug-dealing network.
Full-patch biker Sean Wolfe admitted to conspiracy to traffic cocaine and was sentenced to nine years in prison. His half-brother, David Single, admitted to possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking and received seven-and-a-half years behind bars. Wolfe's half-sister, Patricia Walsh, also admittedy to trafficking cocaine and was given six years in custody.
All sentences were joint recommendations from Crown and defence lawyers.
The trio were targeted as part of Project Divide, which saw police utilize gang associate Michael Satsatin, who was paid $450,000 to work as an undercover informant and help investigators capture audio and video of dozens of drug and weapons deals during surveillance.
Police charged 33 members and associates of the Hells Angels following the 13-month probe, which ended in December 2009 and involved more than 300 police officers in Manitoba and British Columbia. A total of 20 accused have now pleaded guilty and been sentenced to various periods of custody.
Wolfe, 33, is a longtime Hells associate who was promoted several years ago from the Zig Zag Crew, the so-called puppet club of the notorious biker gang. He is a former model and the cousin of hockey player Riley Cote, one of the National Hockey League's most feared enforcers, who plays for the Philadelphia Flyers.
Police describe Wolfe in court documents "as a person one should not cross. He is not only highly respected, but feared by numerous individuals and has the propensity to resort to violence," one of the investigating officers wrote in his affidavit for Project Divide.
Crown attorney Chris Mainella told court Walsh, 36, was involved in several separate cocaine transactions carried out on Wolfe's behalf. Police say Single, 34, met with the agent at the Tuxedo Park Shopping Centre to discuss drug transactions.
As part of their sentence, the three agreed to forfeit several items seized by police as proceeds of crime.

I do not believe that drug, property, non-violent or mentally ill offenders should be imprisoned. Prison should always be a last resort, not over-relied upon. Only the most dangerous offenders who pose a risk to public safety should be imprisoned. Imprisoning non violent offenders is dangerous, because it causes further overcrowding and increases their chances of re-offending when released due to pro-criminal attitudes, values, behaviours in prison, the prevalence of drugs and gangs and the negative prison subculture. Prison serves no purpose for these siblings. I would also like to know more about the mitigating factors in this case. When there are more Hells Angels on the streets, there are less street gangs. Street gangs are often more violent than criminal organizations and they are known to kill rival gang members, shoot in broad daylight, etc. The HA make an effort not to create trouble with non-gang members. The Hells Angels are much more organized than street gangs such as the Manitoba Warriors, Indian Posse, Mad Cowz, etc. If drugs were legalized and sold and regulated by the government, criminal organizations and gangs would be out of business. It would eliminate the underground black market for drug dealing and would free up court space and reduce overcrowding. Prohibition only causes more harm and problems and crime.

Drugs should be legalized and regulated. That would free up court space and reduce prison overcrowding and eliminate the need for the underground drug market.  

Gang member sentenced to 10 years for assault

Gang member chooses 10 year sentence

Other option of dangerous offender label

A street gangster with a long history of violence agreed to be sentenced Thursday to 10 years in prison rather than face the prospect of being designated a dangerous offender.

Indian Posse member Marcel Charlette, 38, pleaded guilty to assault causing bodily harm in connection with a January 24 incident that left the 19-year-old female victim suffering a broken jaw.

If Charlette had been labelled a dangerous offender he could have been held in custody until justice officials deemed it safe to release him.

Crown attorney Cindy Sholdice told court he meets all the criteria of a dangerous offender.

Weaknesses in the Crown’s case resulted in a plea bargain that saw the Crown stay a charge of sex assault cause bodily harm. Charlette pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of assault causing bodily harm and agreed to the maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.

Charlette and another man were arrested after a woman told police she had been raped at a Selkirk Avenue rooming house. The victim said she was walking home from a bar on Main Street when she was jumped and dragged to a Selkirk address.

“At the residence, she said there was a camera and (Charlette) had a folding knife and told her to smile for pictures and if she didn’t he would stab her,” Sholdice said.

When the second man left the suite to have a shower, Charlette pulled off the victim’s shirt, beat her and raped her, she told police. She said she escaped after Charlette passed out beside her.

When arrested, Charlette admitted assaulting the woman but said she came to his suite willingly and that the sex was consensual.

Police reviewed a security tape of a Main Street hotel that showed the victim and her aunt socializing with the two men and leaving the hotel at the same time, Sholdice said.

Investigators sought out the victim’s aunt weeks later but by that time she had committed suicide, Sholdice said.

In 1990, Charlette was sentenced to six years in prison for killing a two-year-old boy. He was 17 at the time but sentenced as an adult. Charlette was later convicted of assaulting the boy’s grandmother a day before the killing and sentenced to six months.

Charlette was on statutory release when he beat a woman and left her lying unconscious in the snow. The woman was found with her pants unzipped and pulled down. She refused a sexual assault examination.

Charlette was convicted in 1996 of aggravated assault and sentenced to 3 1/2 years in prison.

I would like to know more about this man's background, defence lawyer statements and more about the situational circumstances surrounding his previous crimes. This article is biased as it fails to mention any of these things. 10 years is far too harsh for assault, in my opinion. 

Gang associate quickly returns to crime after release from prison

Gang associate quickly returns to crime after release from prison-- receives 99 month prison term

A Manitoba gang associate wasted no time jumping back into the criminal lifestyle after getting released from prison.

Benjamin Morris Zapata walked out of Stony Mountain penitentiary on July 21, 2009 after being released on parole with strict conditions. Less than 48 hours later, Zapata was attending a high-profile meeting in Winnipeg where he was granted full-patch status with the Zig Zag Crew, the so-called "puppet club" of the Hells Angels in Manitoba.

Zapata, 28, then spent the next few months carrying on sanctioned gang business and arranging a large cocaine dealer with another gangster who was secretly working as a police agent as part of a massive undercover sting operation.

All of this was occurring while he was on parole with orders to not to have any contact with gang members or associates. And with Zapata already having five prior drug-related convictions on his criminal record.

"I truly regret what’s happened here. Sorry to everyone I’ve disappointed," Zapata - who goes by tne nickname of "Little Mikey" - told a Winnipeg courtroom Thursday. He pleaded guilty to drug trafficking and was convicted of participating in a criminal organization and conspiracy to launder proceeds of crime after a 15-minute "trial" which saw the Crown simply recite the allegations and his lawyer offer up no objections or rebuttal evidence.

In essence, Zapata was conceding he was guilty without having to be seen as pleading guilty, court was told. Zapata was then sentenced to 99 months in prison (8 years, 3 months), in addition to seven months of time already served. On paper, his sentence is just under nine years total.

Queen’s Bench Chief Justice Marc Monnin warned Zapata those numbers will only grow larger for future offences, given his horrible record which included a three-year prison sentence for his last drug crime. As well, Crown attorney Chris Mainella said Zapata is unlikely to get early release from prison given his history.

"Prison officials tends to keep gang members in prison as long as they can," he said.

Zapata was one of 33 people arrested last December as part of "Project Divide," in which police used their informant to secretly record drug and weapons deals going down. He is the 15th accused to plead guilty, and his sentence is the longest handed down so far.

Zapata was living in Brandon following his release from Stony and was essentially in charge of the region, court was told. He was caught on audio and video surveillance bragging about the lucrative drug market in the western Manitoba city and how he could inflate his prices as a result. Zapata eventually sold 10 ounces of highly-diluted cocaine to the police agent for $8,000.

Prisons are the schools of crime and longer prison sentences have been shown to increase chances of re-offending due to the negative prison subculture, environment, influences, gangs, drugs and pro-criminal attitudes, values and behaviours. This man likely became MORE involved in the gang lifestyle through prison. Often inmates are released with little assistance, support and guidance. They are often released with little rehabilitation, life skills, risk management skills, no housing, unemployed, little support from family/friends and financial difficulties. It's no wonder many return to a life of crime! What would you expect, under these circumstances?! Simply telling inmates not to have contact with specific people, is not a focused enough order. They need more supervision and more specific guidelines to follow. I believe that the criminal justice system needs to be reformed to place more emphasis and focus on rehabilitation, reform, restoration and crime prevention. We need less reliance on prisons and more on alternative community sanctions, as they can better address the root causes and contributing factors to crime. There needs to be more assistance and support given to released inmates to help them successfully reintegrate into society. There also needs to be more programming available to them to help them learn the skills they need to survive on the outside. 

If drugs were legalized and controlled and regulated by the government, we wouldn't be overcrowding our prisons with drug offenders. Legalization would remove drugs from violent gang members and dealers and put them into the control of governments. This sounds much safer to me! Drug abuse should be a health issue not a criminal justice issue. More money must be spent on crime prevention and addiction treatments as opposed to imprisoning more drug offenders for longer periods. That does not solve the long term drug problem. This man did not participate in any violent criminal activities and I do not believe that he is a danger to the public's safety. Non-violent drug offenders should NOT be imprisoned. It just causes further unnecessary overcrowding.     

Blackberry drug scheme nets man a 7 year prison sentence

Blackberry drug scheme nets 7 year term

A British Columbia gang associate has been sentenced to more than seven years in prison for a drug and weapons smuggling scheme that was done almost entirely on his Blackberry.

Dan Hawkins, 29, pleaded guilty Tuesday to his role in "Project Divide," a Manitoba-based undercover police sting operation that led to 33 arrests last December.

Crown attorney Chris Mainella told a Winnipeg courtroom how Hawkins used his wireless device - which some users jokingly call "crackberries" because of their addictive nature - to conduct his illicit deals with a secret police agent.

"It’s very sophisticated, anonymous, not traceable to an individual user and very difficult for the police to catch," Mainella said Tuesday.

Hawkins wasn’t an original target of the police project, which aimed to take down members and associates of the Hells Angels and their so-called puppet club, the Zig Zag Crew. But he entered the scene in early 2009 after police intercepted conversations which alluded to him being able to provide cocaine and weapons from the West Coast.

The agent, former Zig Zag treasurer Michael Satsatin, began to converse with Hawkins about a deal for 12 ounces of cocaine in exchange for $16,000. They first met in July 2009 to consummate the deal at the Moxie’s restaurant in Linden Woods.

"Hawkins told the agent all subsequent communications would be via Blackberry," said Mainella. Hawkins and Satsatin then exchanged 58 Blackberry messages over the following days, which were being monitored by police and culminated with the drugs being delivered to the agent outside the Rona store on Kenaston Boulevard.

Police also intercepted messages talking about a proposed deal which would see Hawkins help sell the agent two prohibited handguns. However, no firearms were ever sold because a Manitoba gang associate who was going to facilitate the exchange became sick with colon cancer, court was told.

Hawkins is the 14th accused to plead guilty to his charges. He was given an 85-month sentence less single-time credit for the seven months he has already spent in custody. He submitted a letter to Queen’s Bench Justice Marc Monnin in which he apologized for his actions.

"I was driven by selfishness and greed and took the easy way out," he said.

I would be interested in knowing more about the mitigating factors of this offender and the defence lawyer statements. I believe that 7 years is much too harsh. Prisons are the schools of crime, have negative influences, the prison subculture, gangs, drugs and pro-criminal attitudes, values and behaviours also exist. Longer prison sentences have been shown to increase the chances of re-offending. That does not increase public safety in the long term and is not in our best interests. We need to address the root causes of this man's criminal behaviour. 

Gangs behind latest killings-- slayings of two young men was not random

Gangs behind latest killings -- slayings of two young men not random

Winnipeg's two most recent slayings were likely street gang shootings, and though they are apparently not linked, they are also not the random violence they first appeared to be.

Darren Walsh, 24, was gunned down on July 4 while standing at a Main Street bus stop in the middle of the afternoon. Police charged Jheruel Mananghaya with second-degree murder. He allegedly stepped off a bus, crossed the street and opened fire with a long gun -- a rifle or shotgun.

Sources told the Free Press Monday Walsh's killer is thought to have hidden his weapon in a weed whacker box while riding on the bus. As well, Mananghaya is believed to be an associate of the Redlined Crew, an upstart gang that has ties to the Hells Angels and was recently flagged by police in court documents.

"He's been spotted in the company of several Redlined members," a police source said. Police initially said the killing may have been a random attack but later revealed Walsh and Mananghaya had previously worked together at a local mattress factory. No motive for the incident has been made public.

"This was likely a targeted attack on the victim," the source said.

Dylan Ferland, 18, was shot dead July 8 while standing outside a McKenzie Street home he was visiting. Police have made no arrests but are appealing for potential witnesses to come forward. Ferland was a known associate of the Native Syndicate street gang. His older brother is a full-fledged member who is currently in prison.

"This was very likely a territorial and/or rival gang dispute," the source said Monday.

The homicides -- numbers nine and 10 of the year -- come on the heels of another brazen gang-related killing that happened in May and remains unsolved. Kyle Earl, 14, was gunned down while sitting on the front steps of a Toronto Street home in the late afternoon. He had ties to the Indian Posse street gang.

Police anticipated a long summer of gang violence, in court documents the Free Press obtained earlier this year. They cited the recent collapse of the Hells Angels as creating a toxic environment on the streets.

"Tensions are extremely high... violence is imminent," a veteran Winnipeg police officer wrote in a February affidavit.

Police singled out as cause for concern the same Redlined Support Crew gang to which Mananghaya has been linked.

Police said the Hells Angels created the group to stand up to other criminal networks that might try to muscle in on their drug turf. Redlined members were stockpiling weapons and were preparing to take out rivals "by any means necessary," police added.

The court document was used last month to obtain a search warrant for the East Kildonan home of a man linked to the Redlined gang in which a loaded handgun was found hidden in the backyard.

Police said the group made their first big impression in mid-January when they allegedly lured a member of another new local gang, the Rock Machine, to an auto-repair shop on St. Mary's Road that has connections to the Hells Angels.

"He was attacked by several members of the Redlined Support Crew and suffered a vicious beating. Two members of the Hells Angels were also present," police wrote. The victim was rushed to hospital and required emergency surgery. He has not been co-operative with police and so far no charges have been laid.

Police said the Redlined and Rock Machine gangs were trying to fill the vacuum created by an undercover sting operation dubbed Project Divide that ended last December. Police used a career criminal-turned secret agent to infiltrate the Hells Angels, resulting in the arrests of 34 members and associates. Police say every member of the Zig Zag Crew, the Hells Angels' puppet club, was put behind bars while only a handful of Hells Angels remain free. With the demand for drugs as high as ever, the criminal underworld was thrown into turmoil.

Attack outside Winnipeg club nets gang member 4 years

Attack outside Winnipeg club nets gang member a nearly 5 year sentence

WINNIPEG - The first mistake the former treasurer of a city gang made was beating a man outside an Exchange District nightclub. His second error was working with Zig Zag crew members to get potential witnesses to lie about what happened – all while police had tape rolling.

Corey Lee Gingera, 33, was in court Friday on charges stemming from a beating outside the Alive in the District nightclub in January 2009.

He was sentenced to 59 months in prison on charges of assault causing bodily harm, conspiracy to participate in a criminal organization, conspiracy to launder proceeds of crime, and counselling others to obstruct justice. Gingera will do a total of 51 more months in prison due to credit for time he’s already served. He’ll also have a lifetime weapons prohibition and must provide DNA.

Police surveillance video nailed Gingera for conspiring with fellow Zig Zag crew members regarding ways to get club staff to give inaccurate statements to police about the assault, which left the victim with a broken eye socket and other injuries.

What Gingera didn’t know is that police recorded his meetings with Zig Zag crew members with the help of an undercover agent, and the club had video surveillance which captured him participating in the group attack.

Crown prosecutor Chris Mainella said Gingera’s attempt to conspire with others to obstruct justice was part of Project Divide, one of the largest undercover police operations in the province’s history.

Gingera was also sentenced for conspiring with the gang to launder proceeds of crime and for trying to recruit new members to the Zig Zags, a puppet club for the Hells Angels. Mainella said there was a "constant need" for the Zig Zags to recruit new members to keep up with their criminal enterprises.

"The work is dangerous," he said, adding a number of gang members are "maimed and killed" in the course of their gang lifestyle.

Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Colleen Suche said she hoped Gingera would use his time behind bars to improve himself.

Gingera is the fifteenth person to be sentenced in connection with Project Divide. Thirty-three suspects were arrested and charged in the operation.

I disagree with 4 years prison time for this man. Prisons are the schools of crime filled with negative influences, pro-criminal attitudes and behaviours, drugs, gangs and the prison subculture. This man will likely only become further entrenched in the gang lifestyle through prison. Rehab programs have long waiting lists and are not as well designed as community programs. Often, inmates are released with no rehabilitation, life skills, assistance or support. I believe that some prison time is warranted for this man, due to the nature of the attack, but not 4 years. I believe he should have received a sentence of 2 years less a day in provincial prison combined with a conditional sentence. 

Drug trafficking auto mechanic sentenced to 4 years prison

Project Divide target pleads guilty

Stuart Richer liked to run with gangsters and party with strippers.

He might still be a free man if he didn’t add drug dealing to the mix.

Richer, 44, pleaded guilty to one count of drug trafficking and was sentenced Friday to four years in prison.

Richer was one of 33 people arrested in a year-long police investigation dubbed Project Divide that targeted members and associates of the Zig Zag Crew, the so-called “puppet club” of the Manitoba Hells Angels.

As in similar stings police enlisted the aid of a paid criminal agent, Zig-Zagger Michael Satsatin, to ensnare criminal targets.

Richer wasn’t an original target of the investigation, but came to police attention through his association with accused Zig-Zagger Ronald Normand.

Police surveillance captured Richer “facilitating” the sale of 55 grams of crystal meth to Satsatin.

Court heard Richer ran errands for Normand and chauffeured him about town for “debt collections.”

Richer received little money for his time — high times in low places were reward enough. Police surveillance captured Richer at a Hells Angels-controlled strip bar, bragging how he received “VIP treatment.”

“It seems to be that Mr. Richer’s interest in working with these individuals is the thrill of the gang lifestyle and access to young women and Mr. Richer was prepared to do these odd jobs from time to time,” said Crown attorney Chris Mainella.

Richer is an auto mechanic with no prior criminal record. A police search of his Anola home found it “full of Hells Angels ‘support wear,’ the kind of items you can’t purchase at your local department store,” Mainella said.

Justice Morris Kaufman rejected defence lawyer Danny Gunn’s argument that Richer’s actions were not motivated by greed.

“I’m not sure where there is a distinction between being greedy for money and being greedy for a good time,” Kaufman said. “He is doing it for a payoff, it just happens to be not primarily money, it’s more like what money can buy.”

I completely disagree with 4 years in prison. I believe that prison should always remain a last resort and not be over-relied upon. All other lesser restrictive measures should be considered first. I believe that only the most dangerous and violent criminals should be sentenced to prisons, not the mentally ill, addicts, first time offenders, non-violent, property or drug offenders. Imprisoning non-violent drug offenders only creates further overcrowding, increased tensions and levels of violence in prisons. This man was a first time offender who made a mistake and got caught up in that lifestyle for a short period. He is not violent, he is not dangerous and he should not be in prison. Prisons are the schools of crime filled with negative influences, subculture, drugs, gangs and pro-criminal attitudes and behaviours. This man will likely become more involved in the gang lifestyle through prison and will receive little assistance when released. Non-violent drug offenders should receive a community sanction, such as a conditional sentence or probation. This man should have received a conditional sentence for his involvement with counseling. 

Gang prevention programs may lose funding

Anti-gang groups may lose funding

Five Winnipeg groups with mandates to keep kids out of gangs are facing the possibility of shutting down unless they can find new funding.
All have been getting cash through federal grants from the National Crime Prevention Program but the funding will cease in the next year and some say it will put kids back on the street and into the hands of gangs.
"We are now just getting a handle on what's working, what's not working. Unfortunately, we [won't be able to] go further with it to make it work at 100 per cent," said Lionel Houston, who works with aboriginal teens at Circle of Courage, a prevention and intervention program for aboriginal male youth between the ages of 12 and 17.
It costs about $9,000 to put a teen through the program as opposed to $80,000 a year to keep a prisoner in jail, Houston noted.
The groups have written to Public Safety Minister Vic Toews asking for help and got a boost Thursday from Winnipeg mayor Sam Katz, who said he would go to bat for the programs.
"[The gang situation] is a major problem in Winnipeg; a major problem in the city of Winnipeg," he said.
"I've been saying for years we have a gang problem."
Katz had not heard federal funding to the groups was being cut but said he values what they do and doesn't want to see them fold up.
"This is an issue that, and I can assure you … I'll find out exactly what's happening," he said.

I know why their funding is being cut... because the government has decided to waste money imprisoning more people for longer periods! $10 billion! They need to place more emphasis and invest more money in crime prevention programs that address the root causes of crime, such as gang prevention groups. If they cut funding, they are likely to see an increase in gang activity. Prevention programs like this are what will increase public safety, not imprisoning more people. 

So, another case of short term gain (a bit of money saved by cutting programs) over long term pain (cost of prison, the perpetuation of crime and gangs as a viable lifestyle, hundreds or thousands of people hurt by gang activities).

Yeah, really smart.

You really truly want violent gangs to go away then they should combine their energies towards the promotion of the personal freedom over your own body. The reason these violent gangs exist is due to prohibition which limits your personal freedom.

The violent gangs which are primarily fuelled by "drug money" would no longer exist if people had the personal freedom and ability to legally purchase or grow whatever food or medicine that works for them.

Live free. End prohibition. Until then, we will all do EVERYTHING backwards or in a nonsensical way to some extent.

Prohibition is the biggest issue that is preventing positive progress of the human race.

Stop crime at the root and then we wouldn't have to build more prisons! 

Shuurre....

Lets "get tough on crime"! Throw 'em in jail...billions for extra prisons to house the miscreants!

...oh...wait...if we get 'em young enough, we might actually save taxpayers millions and billions by attacking the problem where it begins, in CHILDHOOD!

Now maybe, just maybe, these programs were poorly run, or someone was using the money inappropriately. It just seems interesting that the Federal Conservatives announce a multi-billion dollar plan to "get tough on crime" at the same time they cut funding for programs that are designed to cut crime off at the pass. It just doesn't make sense.

 

So our Conservative government plans to get tough on crime by cutting funding to anti-gang programs?

Yeah, that'll work.

Gang member convicted, sentenced and imprisoned in speedy criminal trial

Gang member convicted, sentenced, jailed in speedy criminal trial
Hells associate found guilty, given 51 month term

A Manitoba Hells Angels associate who didn’t want to be seen as pleading guilty to gang-related charges was instead found guilty Monday after what was likely the fastest trial in judicial history.
The unusual hearing lasted just a few minutes and included Crown and defence lawyers calling no witnesses and making no submissions. The only evidence was an agreed statement of facts which was provided to the judge for review days earlier.
Queen’s Bench Justice Glenn Joyal had no choice but to make the obvious ruling, paving the way for a sentencing hearing to begin almost immediately. Raymond Brown, 44, was then given 51 months in prison (4 years and 3 months), in addition to five months of time already served, under a joint-recommendation from Crown and defence lawyers. His offences include participating in a criminal organization, conspiracy to launder proceeds of crime and trafficking marijuana.
Prosecutor Chris Mainella said a lot of gang members – especially high-ranking ones such as Brown – don’t want to be seen as admitting responsibility and would rather put justice officials to the test of proving their case. He said Preston’s way of dealing with his case is similar to the “No Contest” plea that exists in the United States.
Brown was one of 33 people arrested last winter as part of “Project Divide,” in which police used a secret agent to infiltrate the gang by using a former Hells associate as a paid informant. He is the 13th to deal with his charges..
Brown has been a member of the Zig Zag Crew – the “support” club for the Hells Angels – since 2006 and has previously served as president, court was told. He was caught on audio and video surveillance in June 2009 arranging for a three-pound marijuana deal during a lunch meeting with the agent at McDonald’s. The drugs and $8,400 cash were then exchanged later that day in a parking lot near an outdoor inner-city swimming pool.
Brown was also overheard by police barking out orders to several other Zig Zag members, which includes collecting monthly individual dues of $150 and paying a monthly gang fee to the Hells Angels of $1000.
“Basically the Zig Zag Crew were buying a criminal licence from the Hells Angels,” said Mainella.
Brown has a minor, dated criminal record and has previously worked as a commercial trucker. He is the father of four children, aged four to 19.

Agreed facts are the only evidence as gang member found guilty
A Winnipeg gang member and drug dealer was sentenced to prison Tuesday after an unusual trial in which the only evidence was an agreed statement of facts.
Raymond Bruce Brown, a former president of the Zig-Zag Crew street gang, pleaded guilty to one count of trafficking in marijuana but not guilty to conspiracy to participate in a criminal organization and conspiracy to launder proceeds of crime.
Brown, 44, stood trial on the conspiracy charges. Justice Glenn Joyal heard no witnesses.
“The accused is accepting the facts as laid out by the Crown ... and is not calling any evidence,” defence lawyer Neil Kravetsky told Joyal. “I have been instructed not to make any submissions to you. (Brown) understands the consequences of his actions.”
Joyal said the evidence against Brown was overwhelming and found him guilty of conspiring to recruit new members to the Zig-Zag Crew and conspiring to launder drug money on behalf of the Hells Angels.
Joyal sentenced Brown to a total of 56 months in prison, minus credit for five months time served.
Brown was one of nearly three dozen people arrested late last year as part of a year-long investigation dubbed Project Divide. Nearly all of those arrested were members or associates of the Zig-Zag Crew street gang, the so-called “puppet club” of the Manitoba Hells Angels.
Police surveillance caught Brown making a deal to sell Zig-Zagger turned paid police agent Michael Satsatin three pounds of marijuana for $8,400.
Court heard Brown didn’t join the gang until 2006 or 2007, when he was already 40 years old. His only prior drug conviction was in the mid-1980s when he was arrested for selling one gram of marijuana at Oktoberfest.

I disagree with 4 years in prison. How will prison help this man? It will not serve any purpose. Based on the offences for which this man was convicted of, it does not appear that he is a major danger to society and should not be imprisoned for that length of time, especially since his minor, criminal record is dated and only consisted of one marijuana offence and the fact that he has a family. Prison is a negative environment filled with negative influences of gangs and drugs. It does not facilitate rehabilitation. Prisons also fail at addressing the root causes of crime and especially, of why individuals join gangs, as there are many underlying factors. Marijuana use should be legalized and regulated. It is no more harmful than alcohol and legalization would help free up the courts, reduce prison overcrowding and remove drugs from the hands of violent gang members. This man should have received a 2 year conditional sentence in the community, with community service, employment assistance, etc. 

Man sentenced for beating fellow gang members' mother

Man sentenced for beating fellow gang members' mother

A Winnipeg street gangster has been sentenced to four years in prison for beating a fellow gang member’s mother.

Corey Nelson Amyotte, 23, pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and extortion.

“This was a horrible, unprovoked assault on a woman he had known all his life,” Crown attorney Carla Dewar told court Monday.

Amyotte and two other members of the Mad Cowz street gang attacked the woman in February 2007, telling her she owed them $10,000 for “protecting” her son while he was in jail.

The victim — now living out of province in witness protection — knew Amyotte since he was a baby and spent time with his father in an African refugee camp 22 years ago, Dewar said.

Court heard the 43-year-old woman had been looking for her missing son when she came across Amyotte, who claimed to have seen him. Amyotte lured her to a West End house where he and two other men beat her with a pipe, a dumbbell, and the butt of a gun.

The men shoved the woman into a car and drove her to the restaurant where she worked. The woman convinced her attackers to stay in the car while she went inside to get them some money. The woman ran straight through the restaurant and flagged down a passing motorist.

“The driver thought she was a prostitute and asked if she was working,” Dewar said. “She said yes just to get a ride.”

When the man saw the bruises on her face, he drove the woman straight home, Dewar said.

Co-accused Jammal Dillinger Jacob and Michael Brandon Williams remain before the court.

In June 2007, Amyotte was sentenced to four years in prison after he refused to testify at the trials of two men arrested in the shooting death of innocent bystander Phil Haiart. The sentence was later reduced on appeal to three years.

Violent extortion attempt lands gangster in prison
THE mother of an imprisoned Winnipeg gang member was terrorized at gunpoint by several of her son's criminal colleagues during a violent attempt to extort $40,000 from her.
Details of the February 2007 incident emerged for the first time Monday at the sentencing hearing for one of the attackers. The victim -- who immigrated from South Africa -- described her ordeal as comparable to the violence she witnessed in refugee camps prior to coming to Canada.
"This day brought it all back to her. This was a horrible, unprovoked assault," Crown attorney Carla Dewar said.
The single mother of four suffered extensive physical and emotional injuries and was placed in the federal witness-protection program.
She moved out of the province, court was told.
Cory Amyotte, 23, pleaded guilty to numerous offences including aggravated assault and extortion. On Monday, he was given four years in prison under a joint recommendation from Crown and defence lawyers.
Amyotte had known the victim for years and was involved in the Mad Cowz street gang, along with the woman's son.
Dewar said Amyotte and several gang members decided to try to get some money out of the woman after they crossed paths with her on the street while she was looking for her son.
They took the woman to a home on the belief her son would be there. Then, they pulled out guns and held them to her head.
The gang members told the woman she hadn't "thanked them" for looking after her boy when he was in prison by ensuring he wouldn't be attacked by other inmates.
Amyotte initially demanded $10,000, then changed it to $40,000 when she said she could only offer a few hundred dollars.
The men beat her with the butt ends of their guns, fracturing her left sinus cavity. They also hit her with a set of weights and a pipe, poked her in the eye socket and said she and her family would be killed.
The woman convinced the men to drive her to the restaurant where she worked so she could get some cash. She ran for help as soon as she was let out of the car.
Two others charged in connection with the 2007 beating remain before the courts.
Amyotte recently made headlines for refusing to testify in a high-profile murder trial.
Phil Haiart died in October 2005 after getting caught in the crossfire of a gang shootout in the West End. Jeffrey Cansanay was convicted last month of second-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison.
Cory Spence was convicted of the same charge as a youth, but raised to adult court and given life in prison.
Amyotte and another gang member, Gharib Abdullah, were the targets of the bullets that hit Haiart. Cansanay previously went on trial in 2007 but was cleared by a judge who refused to allow videotaped police statements from Amyotte and Abdullah to be played in court when they both remained silent in the witness box. The Manitoba Court of Appeal later overturned the decision and ordered a new trial, saying the judge had erred.
Abdullah and Amyotte were cited for contempt of court and received precedent-setting prison terms -- four years for Amyotte, three-and-a-half for Abdullah.
Both men testified when Cansanay's second trial began this spring. Abdullah told jurors he saw Cansanay open fire on him and Amyotte. Amyotte said he was in hiding at the time and didn't see anything.

This article offers limited information and fails to report on any mitigating factors of the accused or any of the defence lawyer's statements, which is biased, not objective. I feel that 4 years for aggravated assault is too harsh. This man is a gang member whose gang and drug ties will likely strengthen while in prison, not lessen. Prison is a negative environment with negative influences and will not address the root causes and underlying factors contributing to his criminal behaviour. This man needs to learn anger management. 

West End residents march in the streets in an effort to curb the violence

The violence has to stop -- West End residents take to the streets to reclaim them

Several hundred residents from the West End marched peacefully through their neighbourhood Tuesday night in a bid to reclaim it from the violence and gangs that appear to be tightening their grip on the community.

The march was the neighbourhood's response to the shootings last week that claimed the life of 16-year-old Kyle Earl and injured his 13-year-old friend, Byron Cook -- in what police said was a targeted gang attack -- and wounded two sisters, aged eight and 10 years, 24 hours later when bullets flew through their front window.

Police say the girls' house was wrongly targeted.

"People have to come forward and speak out and that's what we're doing here," Maria Ludington, 46, who moved here as a young teen from the Philippines, said. "For too long people have been silent, been scared. Now, we've got to speak up."

The community march drew people of all ages and ethnic backgrounds; Asians, aboriginals, Filipinos and blacks from Africa and the Caribbean; short and tall, blind and newborns. Children wore colourful handmade hats. Children and adults carried homemade signs that visibly stated what the march meant to them all: 'I want to be safe', 'stop the violence', 'no more guns', 'I want respect'.

"I'm here because I'm hoping somehow this can help the violence stop," said Nelson Landon, 14, a friend of Cook's. "The violence has to stop."

A handful of politicians and known community activists joined the residents, including Premier Greg Selinger, Justice Minister Andrew Swan, MLA Rob Altemeyer, city councillor Harvey Smith, Nick Ternette and former MLA Marianne Cerilli.

But the evening belonged to the residents. It's a place they love, where they want to raise their children, but they are concerned about the hold violence and gangs have taken in the community.

Carol Spicer, 59, said she recently returned to the neighbourhood after living almost three years in Chase, B.C.

"Something has happened to this city while I was away... it's gotten worse," Spicer, who lives on Sherbrook Street, said. "Look at the people, even the white people... they're bedraggled. Something has happened to Winnipeg."

Mathieu and Alana Manaigre are raising two young children in the neighbourhood they say is the nicest in the city.

"People ask us all the time, every day, why we live here," Mathieu Manaigre, an IT consultant, said.

"I've lived everywhere in this city, in Linden Woods and Island Lakes, but the neighbours here are the best, we have a great sense of community," said Alana Manaigre.

She was at her Toronto Street home when the shootings occurred and saw the heavily armed police tactical units swarm the streets.

"It's scary. You don't want that kind of stuff happening where you live and where you want to raise your kids," she said.

"We're concerned about the violence but at the same time we don't find it unsafe," Mathieu Manaigre said.

Ludington said all her neighbours work, some even two jobs, including herself. She said the powers that be in this city have turned their back on the West End.

"Look at the sidewalks, the roads; they're all crumbling, cracked and crooked. We pay taxes, too, but our kids don't have any place to play."

Nelson Landon came to the march, bringing with him a group of younger kids from Rossbrook House, where he works as a supervisor. Nelson said his older brother and sister have said the area has changed for the worse and he's worried -- about himself, his friends and the young kids who clearly look up to the big, hulking 14-year-old.

"There's more drugs. Everyone thinks you're in a gang just because you're big. Before, people would just beat each other up but now, people are getting seriously injured and killed," Nelson said. "This has got to stop."

Anne and Vic Pereira came out Tuesday night because their church, the First Lutheran Church, is smack in the middle of this neighbourhood. Anne's family goes back four generations to this community -- her great, great grandfather was the church's first pastor.

"We feel that we're part of this neighbourhood and we have a responsibility to help people make a change in their lives," Anne Pereira said. "There is so much strength here. This is an opportunity for the people of this neighbourhood."