After a four-month trial, a federal jury in the Eastern
District of Michigan convicted six members of the Devils Diciples Motorcycle
Gang today, including the national president, national vice president and
national warlord, for their participation in various criminal acts, including
violent crimes in aid of racketeering, methamphetamine production and
trafficking, illegal firearms offenses, obstruction of justice, illegal
gambling and other federal offenses.
Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice
Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Barbara L. McQuade of the Eastern
District of Michigan and Special Agent in Charge Paul M. Abbate of the FBI’s
Detroit Field Office made the announcement.
“For too many years the Devils Diciples spread fear and
violence throughout Michigan and the country,” said Assistant Attorney General
Caldwell. “This outlaw motorcycle gang
thrived on intimidation and its ability to avoid prosecution – but no
longer. Through these convictions, we
have decimated the gang and its leadership and helped secure justice for the
communities they harmed.”
"These defendants were responsible for violence and
trafficking in methamphetamine in Macomb County and across the country,” said
U.S. Attorney McQuade. “We are grateful
for the work of the investigating agencies and the jury to bring them to
justice."
“The defendants in this case perpetrated a broad range of
violent criminal activities in support of their illegal enterprise,” said
Special Agent in Charge Abbate. “Today’s
convictions, which targeted the leadership of this criminal organization,
reflect the hard work and dedication of federal, state and local law
enforcement, the Department of Justice Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and
Gang Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of
Michigan.”
Devils Diciples national President Jeff Garvin Smith, aka
“Fat Dog,” 60, of Mt. Clemens, Michigan; National Vice President Paul Anthony
Darrah, aka “Pauli,” 50, of Macomb Township, Michigan; and National Warlord
Cary Dale Vandiver, aka “Gun Control,” 56, of Sand Mountain, Alabama, were all
found guilty by a jury of engaging in a RICO conspiracy, methamphetamine
trafficking conspiracy, conspiracy to obstruct justice, violent crimes in aid
of racketeering and various substantive charges. Another prominent leader, Vincent John
Witort, aka “Holiday,” 64, of Fontana, California, and a methamphetamine cook,
Patrick Michael McKeoun, aka “Magoo,” 60, of Birmingham, Alabama, were found
guilty of engaging in a RICO conspiracy and methamphetamine trafficking conspiracy. David Randy Drozdowski, aka “D,” 38 of Fair
Haven, Michigan, was found guilty by a jury of committing violent crimes in aid
of racketeering and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Scott William Sutherland, aka “Scotty Z,” 49,
of Redford, Michigan, was acquitted by the jury of various charges, but
previously pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. Sentencing hearings will be scheduled at a
later date before U.S. District Judge Robert H. Cleland of the Eastern District
of Michigan.
According to evidence presented at trial, the Devils
Diciples (which is intentionally misspelled) is a motorcycle gang with its
national headquarters in Clinton Township, Michigan. The Devils Diciples operated regional
chapters in cities throughout Michigan, Alabama, Arizona, California, Illinois,
Indiana, Ohio and elsewhere, and engaged in criminal activities for financial
gain.
Evidence presented at trial demonstrated that membership in
the Devils Diciples is based in part on successful completion of a probationary
period, followed by formal approval by one or more members or leaders. Members, commonly referred to as “full
patched members,” are required to own Harley Davidson motorcycles and are
required to follow orders from the gang’s leadership, including orders to
assault, threaten and intimidate others, to transport and distribute drugs, to
lie to law enforcement and to hide or destroy evidence. Members are also required to follow the
Devils Diciples by-laws and attend regular meetings referred to as “church.”
According to evidence presented at trial, Smith was the
National President and Darrah was the National Vice President of the gang. In those roles, they were responsible for
overall management of the activities of the other Devils Diciples members and
chapters, including giving final approval to any activity generally affecting
the gang as a whole. Vandiver was the
National Warlord – or enforcer – of the gang.
With other gang members, the leaders also participated directly in
criminal activities both for financial gain on behalf of the Devils Diciples,
and to protect the gang and its members.
Specifically, the evidence showed that in late 2007, Smith
and Darrah were involved in the shooting of a Devils Diciples member who failed
to abide by the gang’s rules. And, in
August 2008, Smith violently assaulted the girlfriend of another Devils
Diciples member because he believed she disrespected him and the gang.
Additionally, the evidence showed that Smith possessed state
and federal law enforcement manuals regarding outlaw motorcycle gangs marked
“For Official Use Only” and “Law Enforcement Sensitive,” and numerous documents
related to criminal matters involving members of the Devils Diciples, including
police reports, search warrants, affidavits, indictments and witness interview
transcripts. The evidence showed that
the documents were used for the purposes of counter-surveillance and to
identify suspected informants.
The other defendants were also full patched members of the
gang, who committed several other acts of violence.
For example, in August 2003, Witort and other gang members
robbed, kidnapped and attempted to murder members of the gang’s Arizona Chapter
for violating the gang’s rules. Inside
the Arizona clubhouse, the victims were bound with duct tape and zip ties, and
severely beaten with firearms, tasers, knives, and other weapons. The victims were then loaded into the bed of
a pick-up truck, driven out into the desert, dumped into ravines, and left to
die. The evidence showed that Witort and
Smith helped to plan the beatings and that Smith later congratulated one of the
participants, telling him in a letter that the Devils Diciples were “all proud
of you.”
Additionally, the evidence demonstrated that in 2012, at a
bar in Chesterfield Township, Michigan, Drozdowski and another Devils Diciples
member assaulted a perceived rival motorcycle gang member for being present in
Devils Diciples territory. The victim
was knocked unconscious and suffered multiple fractures to his face and
jaw. Drozdowski and the other Devils
Diciples member then ripped the leather vest off of the unconscious victim.
In addition to the defendants convicted today, 21 members
and associates of the Devil’s Diciples have been pleaded guilty to various crimes
as result of this investigation. The
investigation further resulted in the seizure of more than 60 firearms and more
than 6,000 rounds of ammunition and the dismantling of eight methamphetamine
manufacturing laboratories across the country.
The case was investigated by the FBI, the Michigan State
Police, the Macomb County Sheriff’s Office and the County of Macomb Enforcement
Team (COMET), with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and
Explosives, and the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office. The case is being prosecuted by the Criminal
Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for
the Eastern District of Michigan.
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