Three Gypsy Joker Outlaw Motocycle Club Members & Associate Indicted for Violent Murder and Kidnapping in Aid of Racketeering

A federal grand jury in the District of Oregon has returned a four-count indictment charging three members and associates of the Gypsy Joker Outlaw Motorcycle Club (GJOMC) for racketeering, kidnapping and murder. The indictment was returned on June 28, and unsealed today.

The indictment was announced by Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General John P. Cronan of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Billy J. Williams for the District of Oregon; Special Agent in Charge Darek Pleasants of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosive’s (ATF) Seattle Field Division; and Chief of Police Danielle Outlaw of the Portland Police Bureau (PPB).

“The defendants allegedly violently kidnapped and murdered Robert Huggins to maintain and advance their positions in the Gypsy Joker Outlaw Motorcycle gang,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Cronan.  “This indictment is an important step toward dismantling this violent gang, and should send a clear message that the Department of Justice will bring to justice those who commit such heinous crimes on our streets.”

“Pursuing organized criminal organizations and individual members that commit violent crimes and threaten public safety is a top priority for the Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the District of Oregon,” said U.S. Attorney Williams. “We will use every law enforcement tool available to hold members of criminal organizations accountable for their violent and lawless criminal gang activity.”

“ATF remains committed to combatting violent crime organizations that endanger our communities,” said ATF Special Agent Charge Pleasants. “ATF will always stand shoulder to shoulder with our law enforcement partners to protect the public.”

“The Portland Police Bureau is proud to be a part of this collaborative effort that resulted in the indictment of people engaged in violent activity,” said Chief Outlaw. “Violent crime deeply affects our community and by working in partnership, we can use effective strategies to locate those individuals who are responsible for violence and hold them accountable.”

Mark Leroy Dencklau, 58, of Woodburn, Oregon; Earl Deverle Fisher, 48, of Gresham, Oregon; and Tiler Evan Pribbernow, 37, of Portland are charged with murder in aid of racketeering; kidnapping in aid of racketeering, resulting in death; kidnapping resulting in death and conspiracy to commit kidnapping, resulting in death.  According to the indictment, the defendants are alleged from June 30 to July 1, 2015 to have kidnapped and murdered Robert Huggins, a resident of southeast Portland, Oregon.

According to the indictment, GJOMC oversees several “support clubs” in Oregon and Washington, including the Road Brothers Northwest Motorcycle Club, Solutions Motorcycle Club, Northwest Veterans Motorcycle Club, High-Side Riders, and the Freedom Fellowship Motorcycle Club. The indictment alleges that the three men engaged in the violent actions leading to Huggins’ death for the purpose of maintaining and increasing their positions in the GJOMC criminal enterprise.

Dencklau, Fisher and Pribbernow made their initial appearances before a U.S. Magistrate Judge in Portland on July 9, 10, and 13, 2018, respectively.

An indictment is merely an allegation, and a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.  

This case was investigated by the PPB and ATF, with assistance from the Clark County, Washington Sheriff’s Office, the Oregon State Police, and the Oregon and Washington State Crime Labs. Trial Attorney Rebecca A. Staton of the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Leah K. Bolstad of the District of Oregon are prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime.