1 00:00:08,285 --> 00:00:10,187 The Hells Angels are one of the world's 2 00:00:10,221 --> 00:00:12,789 most infamous outlaw motorcycle clubs. 3 00:00:14,558 --> 00:00:17,060 Notorious for their bloody rivalries. 4 00:00:21,465 --> 00:00:22,733 Only a few people alive 5 00:00:22,766 --> 00:00:24,401 know the truth about the inner workings 6 00:00:24,435 --> 00:00:25,869 of the Angels, 7 00:00:25,902 --> 00:00:27,471 but no one has ever been willing to break 8 00:00:27,504 --> 00:00:30,107 the club's code of silence 9 00:00:30,141 --> 00:00:31,742 until now. 10 00:00:33,877 --> 00:00:37,514 George Christie led the Ventura, California, Hells Angels charter 11 00:00:37,548 --> 00:00:41,051 from 1978 to 2011. 12 00:00:41,084 --> 00:00:44,588 Now, after being excommunicated by his former brothers, 13 00:00:44,621 --> 00:00:47,057 he is revealing the secrets of the Hells Angels, 14 00:00:47,090 --> 00:00:48,225 telling the true story 15 00:00:48,259 --> 00:00:49,226 of who they are, 16 00:00:49,260 --> 00:00:50,561 what they stand for, 17 00:00:50,594 --> 00:00:52,163 and how they have spent decades 18 00:00:52,196 --> 00:00:54,231 battling the law because of it. 19 00:00:59,703 --> 00:01:02,573 Look, the Hells Angels do live outside the law, you know? 20 00:01:02,606 --> 00:01:06,977 We don't adhere to all the laws that society throws down to us, 21 00:01:07,010 --> 00:01:08,512 but as an organization, 22 00:01:08,545 --> 00:01:11,081 we are not a criminal entity. 23 00:01:11,114 --> 00:01:13,417 Law enforcements makes all these wild accusations, 24 00:01:13,450 --> 00:01:15,719 says all these incredible things, 25 00:01:15,752 --> 00:01:16,853 and nobody responds, 26 00:01:16,887 --> 00:01:19,089 so I want to tell my story my way 27 00:01:19,122 --> 00:01:21,225 and how I perceived it because, you know, 28 00:01:21,258 --> 00:01:23,994 it's a mighty thin slice of ham that doesn't have two sides. 29 00:01:24,027 --> 00:01:25,529 Well, this is my side. 30 00:01:31,735 --> 00:01:34,471 When I first started riding as a outlaw biker, 31 00:01:34,505 --> 00:01:38,509 the police didn't have the same interest in us 32 00:01:38,542 --> 00:01:40,377 that they do now. 33 00:01:40,411 --> 00:01:43,714 Their interest wasn't about you being a part 34 00:01:43,747 --> 00:01:46,383 of a criminal element or criminal organization. 35 00:01:46,417 --> 00:01:49,152 They were just interested in what you were doing in that town 36 00:01:49,186 --> 00:01:51,422 and, you know, were you gonna pay for your gas 37 00:01:51,455 --> 00:01:53,023 when you stopped in the gas station? 38 00:01:53,056 --> 00:01:54,458 You know, as long as you kept moving, 39 00:01:54,491 --> 00:01:55,692 the cops didn't bother you. 40 00:02:00,096 --> 00:02:01,298 For the longest time, 41 00:02:01,332 --> 00:02:03,667 the Hells Angels really just exist 42 00:02:03,700 --> 00:02:10,173 on the outskirts of society in Southern California. 43 00:02:10,207 --> 00:02:12,243 We don't want the public to be with us. 44 00:02:12,276 --> 00:02:14,177 We don't want the law to be with us. 45 00:02:14,211 --> 00:02:16,313 When we go down the highway, 46 00:02:16,347 --> 00:02:18,382 it's all we want-- to be left alone. 47 00:02:18,415 --> 00:02:21,318 The civilian population saw them as a bunch 48 00:02:21,352 --> 00:02:24,221 of motorcycle riders, beer drinkers, 49 00:02:24,255 --> 00:02:26,623 occasionally hell-raisers, 50 00:02:26,657 --> 00:02:29,693 and law enforcement didn't take them seriously. 51 00:02:29,726 --> 00:02:32,095 Things were a lot different back in those days. 52 00:02:35,466 --> 00:02:36,700 Back in those days, 53 00:02:36,733 --> 00:02:38,769 if you're breaking the speed limit 54 00:02:38,802 --> 00:02:41,037 or, you know, you're rolling through a stop sign, 55 00:02:41,071 --> 00:02:43,440 there was a understanding between the two factions 56 00:02:43,474 --> 00:02:45,842 that if a cop put on his red lights 57 00:02:45,876 --> 00:02:47,278 and you got away from him, 58 00:02:47,311 --> 00:02:48,912 they didn't cry about it, 59 00:02:48,945 --> 00:02:50,981 and if you get caught, you don't cry about it either. 60 00:02:51,014 --> 00:02:53,350 You stand there and you take your medicine. 61 00:02:53,384 --> 00:02:55,452 It turned into a cat and mouse game. 62 00:02:55,486 --> 00:02:57,153 Unwritten rules of the road, 63 00:02:57,187 --> 00:02:59,290 I guess is what you'd call 'em. 64 00:02:59,323 --> 00:03:01,892 The cops saw the Hells Angels as kind of bothersome 65 00:03:01,925 --> 00:03:03,627 and maybe a bit rowdy. 66 00:03:03,660 --> 00:03:05,562 They were probably a little jealous of all the fun 67 00:03:05,596 --> 00:03:06,930 the bikers were having. 68 00:03:06,963 --> 00:03:11,535 That all changes in the late '60s and the 1970s. 69 00:03:11,568 --> 00:03:14,871 The Hells Angels got seriously involved in drugs. 70 00:03:14,905 --> 00:03:17,408 That was around the hippie movement. 71 00:03:17,441 --> 00:03:20,110 The law enforcement are trying to play catch-up, 72 00:03:20,143 --> 00:03:22,012 so they form special squads 73 00:03:22,045 --> 00:03:25,649 of cops that are gonna go after the Hells Angels. 74 00:03:25,682 --> 00:03:28,985 Biker cops from the ATF, the FBI, 75 00:03:29,019 --> 00:03:30,854 local sheriff's departments. 76 00:03:30,887 --> 00:03:32,556 These guys know the Hells Angels. 77 00:03:32,589 --> 00:03:34,190 They understand the Hells Angels, 78 00:03:34,224 --> 00:03:38,562 and so you have this war between bikers and biker cops. 79 00:03:38,595 --> 00:03:40,597 And once in a while, the cops win, 80 00:03:40,631 --> 00:03:42,999 and once in a while, the Hells Angels win. 81 00:03:44,935 --> 00:03:46,970 The first time I took part in a battle 82 00:03:47,003 --> 00:03:49,005 between the Hells Angels and the cops 83 00:03:49,039 --> 00:03:51,141 was also my first raid. 84 00:03:51,174 --> 00:03:55,045 I had just become member of the LA chapter. 85 00:03:55,078 --> 00:03:57,414 One of the prospects one day was out riding... 86 00:03:59,383 --> 00:04:01,151 And the cop puts on his lights, 87 00:04:01,184 --> 00:04:05,188 and this prospect decides he's not gonna pull over, 88 00:04:05,221 --> 00:04:07,391 and he throws it in low gear, takes off. 89 00:04:07,424 --> 00:04:09,125 The chase is on. 90 00:04:09,159 --> 00:04:12,329 Now he's sitting on top of this 1,200 cubic inch motor 91 00:04:12,363 --> 00:04:13,697 with straight pipes. 92 00:04:13,730 --> 00:04:15,198 You know, you can barely probably 93 00:04:15,231 --> 00:04:17,868 hear the siren behind you if he's got it turned on. 94 00:04:17,901 --> 00:04:19,269 What he doesn't realize 95 00:04:19,302 --> 00:04:23,874 is this young cop called in for chopper support. 96 00:04:23,907 --> 00:04:26,176 So he slowly loses the cop, 97 00:04:26,209 --> 00:04:29,480 and he's not hearing the-- this chopper hovering behind him 98 00:04:29,513 --> 00:04:31,415 and over him. 99 00:04:31,448 --> 00:04:35,285 And the chopper follows this prospect right to the clubhouse. 100 00:04:37,854 --> 00:04:39,656 The cops are starting to pull up. 101 00:04:39,690 --> 00:04:41,191 Of course he runs into the clubhouse, 102 00:04:41,224 --> 00:04:45,195 which gives the police the right to run in there and pursue him 103 00:04:45,228 --> 00:04:49,032 because they have a pursuit going on, and, you know, 104 00:04:49,065 --> 00:04:51,034 the next thing you know, we've got complete chaos. 105 00:04:54,070 --> 00:04:55,539 Half the guys went out the back. 106 00:04:55,572 --> 00:04:57,741 Some of the guys stayed in the house and didn't come out. 107 00:05:00,210 --> 00:05:03,447 And it was a standoff for hours, 108 00:05:03,480 --> 00:05:05,949 and ultimately, you know what? 109 00:05:05,982 --> 00:05:07,718 We lost. 110 00:05:07,751 --> 00:05:09,486 Some of us got arrested, 111 00:05:09,520 --> 00:05:13,657 and the prospect not only got a ticket, but later, 112 00:05:13,690 --> 00:05:16,493 Old Man John, president of the Los Angeles chapter, 113 00:05:16,527 --> 00:05:19,530 gave him a little bit of a ass-kicking. 114 00:05:19,563 --> 00:05:21,965 That was the first raid I was ever in. 115 00:05:21,998 --> 00:05:24,935 It seemed like that broke this unwritten law 116 00:05:24,968 --> 00:05:26,937 between Hells Angels and the local police, 117 00:05:26,970 --> 00:05:28,605 and anything went after that. 118 00:05:31,642 --> 00:05:33,410 Nothing would ever be the same. 119 00:05:33,444 --> 00:05:36,547 The game we were playing with cops was no longer a game. 120 00:05:36,580 --> 00:05:39,149 It was either kill or be killed. 121 00:05:41,618 --> 00:05:44,655 In the '70s, the Hells Angels are the world's leading 122 00:05:44,688 --> 00:05:46,457 outlaw motorcycle gang. 123 00:05:46,490 --> 00:05:47,824 They're the champ. 124 00:05:47,858 --> 00:05:49,092 No one's better. 125 00:05:49,125 --> 00:05:51,294 No one's more recognized. No one's bigger. 126 00:05:51,327 --> 00:05:55,131 I don't view them as just motorcyclists anymore. 127 00:05:55,165 --> 00:05:57,067 They have their criminal enterprise, 128 00:05:57,100 --> 00:06:01,004 be it narcotics or prostitution or what have you. 129 00:06:01,037 --> 00:06:04,174 The problem with drug dealing 130 00:06:04,207 --> 00:06:07,778 was that it immediately attracted the attention 131 00:06:07,811 --> 00:06:09,513 of the feds. 132 00:06:09,546 --> 00:06:13,617 The Hells Angels are a target of the US Department of Justice. 133 00:06:13,650 --> 00:06:15,919 Unable to catch the Angels red-handed, 134 00:06:15,952 --> 00:06:18,354 they turn to a law enacted in 1970 135 00:06:18,388 --> 00:06:19,923 by President Richard Nixon 136 00:06:19,956 --> 00:06:22,425 aimed at taking out the 137 00:06:22,459 --> 00:06:23,794 the RICO Act. 138 00:06:25,929 --> 00:06:28,799 There were simultaneous raids on the homes of the Hells Angels 139 00:06:28,832 --> 00:06:31,502 in several Northern California cities. 140 00:06:31,535 --> 00:06:33,704 Arrested at the headquarters of the Hells Angels, 141 00:06:33,737 --> 00:06:35,706 long-time leader Ralph Sonny Barger 142 00:06:35,739 --> 00:06:37,140 and his wife Sharon. 143 00:06:37,173 --> 00:06:38,742 Over the next couple of days, 144 00:06:38,775 --> 00:06:41,978 32 members of the gang or associates were arrested. 145 00:06:42,012 --> 00:06:45,215 Charges ranged from murder to drug dealing. 146 00:06:45,248 --> 00:06:47,317 In the late '70s, the feds wanted to show 147 00:06:47,350 --> 00:06:50,854 that we were the same type of organization as the Mafia. 148 00:06:50,887 --> 00:06:53,490 In fact, they called us the Mafia on wheels, 149 00:06:53,524 --> 00:06:57,093 and they came at us with a RICO trial. 150 00:06:58,895 --> 00:07:00,096 When people hear RICO, 151 00:07:00,130 --> 00:07:02,766 they think of Mafia or organized crime, 152 00:07:02,799 --> 00:07:03,900 and that's what it's about. 153 00:07:03,934 --> 00:07:06,236 It's a way to get a wider network 154 00:07:06,269 --> 00:07:08,171 of criminal conspirators 155 00:07:08,204 --> 00:07:10,941 so that just being part of a planning meeting, 156 00:07:10,974 --> 00:07:12,275 just participating, 157 00:07:12,308 --> 00:07:17,380 facilitating a crime, can impose stiffer penalties. 158 00:07:17,413 --> 00:07:19,616 The feds' position on the RICO trial 159 00:07:19,650 --> 00:07:25,288 was that we were doing business as a illegal enterprise, 160 00:07:25,321 --> 00:07:28,358 so their main goal wasn't just taking down Sonny 161 00:07:28,391 --> 00:07:29,960 or other Hells Angels. 162 00:07:29,993 --> 00:07:32,696 What they wanted to do is decimate the club 163 00:07:32,729 --> 00:07:35,065 like they had done to the mob before. 164 00:07:35,098 --> 00:07:38,034 If our members are convicted, 165 00:07:38,068 --> 00:07:43,840 the Hells Angels in America will become an illegal organization. 166 00:07:43,874 --> 00:07:47,744 The 1979 RICO trial targeted the Oakland chapter, 167 00:07:47,778 --> 00:07:50,113 and specifically Sonny Barger. 168 00:07:50,146 --> 00:07:51,748 But make no mistake. 169 00:07:51,782 --> 00:07:56,219 This was a battle for survival of all the Hells Angels. 170 00:07:56,252 --> 00:07:57,721 We didn't ask for this fight, 171 00:07:57,754 --> 00:08:00,123 but the government had decided to bring it to us, 172 00:08:00,156 --> 00:08:06,229 and we were ready for it. 173 00:08:06,262 --> 00:08:08,231 Coming up. 174 00:08:08,264 --> 00:08:09,532 they are nothing more than a group 175 00:08:09,566 --> 00:08:12,335 of free-spirited motorcycle enthusiasts, 176 00:08:12,368 --> 00:08:14,504 but law enforcement is determined to prove 177 00:08:14,537 --> 00:08:16,673 they are in fact a criminal organization 178 00:08:16,707 --> 00:08:18,842 whose leaders profit from the illegal activities 179 00:08:18,875 --> 00:08:20,744 of their underlings. 180 00:08:20,777 --> 00:08:23,013 The Angels' first trial under the RICO Act 181 00:08:23,046 --> 00:08:24,447 is about to begin. 182 00:08:24,480 --> 00:08:27,818 If convicted, the Oakland chapter could be disbanded. 183 00:08:27,851 --> 00:08:30,754 The trial began on October 4th, 1979, 184 00:08:30,787 --> 00:08:33,023 at San Francisco's federal courthouse. 185 00:08:33,056 --> 00:08:36,292 18 members of the gang were charged with racketeering 186 00:08:36,326 --> 00:08:39,930 and a conspiracy to violate federal racketeering laws. 187 00:08:39,963 --> 00:08:42,532 They thought this RICO law was a new weapon. 188 00:08:42,565 --> 00:08:44,768 They had decided to take us down with it, 189 00:08:44,801 --> 00:08:46,036 and they went to town 190 00:08:46,069 --> 00:08:49,272 when it came to listing all of our alleged crimes. 191 00:08:49,305 --> 00:08:52,643 The charges range from murder and attempted murder 192 00:08:52,676 --> 00:08:55,511 to bribery of law enforcement officers 193 00:08:55,545 --> 00:08:58,815 to large-scale distribution of methamphetamine, 194 00:08:58,849 --> 00:09:00,684 heroin, and cocaine. 195 00:09:02,485 --> 00:09:04,520 If you want to go after the Hells Angels 196 00:09:04,554 --> 00:09:06,289 or anybody else under RICO, 197 00:09:06,322 --> 00:09:08,458 in effect, you've got a double burden, 198 00:09:08,491 --> 00:09:10,093 because you have to prove the crime-- 199 00:09:10,126 --> 00:09:11,461 you have to prove the drug deal, 200 00:09:11,494 --> 00:09:12,729 the cocaine shipment, 201 00:09:12,763 --> 00:09:14,164 or the murder-- 202 00:09:14,197 --> 00:09:17,367 but then you have to prove that this was part of a conspiracy, 203 00:09:17,400 --> 00:09:19,469 that this was part of a criminal plan. 204 00:09:19,502 --> 00:09:21,972 It's a matter of putting crimes together 205 00:09:22,005 --> 00:09:25,942 and proving that a syndication or organization 206 00:09:25,976 --> 00:09:28,812 exists for the purpose of criminal acts. 207 00:09:31,181 --> 00:09:32,683 It didn't sell to the jury. 208 00:09:32,716 --> 00:09:35,686 It was something they just couldn't prove. 209 00:09:37,688 --> 00:09:38,755 Unlike the Mafia, 210 00:09:38,789 --> 00:09:40,924 the Hells Angels have a structure and code 211 00:09:40,957 --> 00:09:42,125 within each chapter. 212 00:09:44,227 --> 00:09:46,229 We are not structured nationally. 213 00:09:46,262 --> 00:09:50,200 In fact, we're actually disorganized. 214 00:09:50,233 --> 00:09:53,536 The autonomy of each charter is so great 215 00:09:53,569 --> 00:09:55,706 that we're all heading in different directions. 216 00:09:57,340 --> 00:10:00,276 Money doesn't go up in the Hells Angels. 217 00:10:00,310 --> 00:10:02,412 Money stays where it's made, 218 00:10:02,445 --> 00:10:04,114 and people do their best 219 00:10:04,147 --> 00:10:06,216 not to let anybody know what they're doing. 220 00:10:06,249 --> 00:10:09,485 The feds an the cops don't want to grasp the fact, 221 00:10:09,519 --> 00:10:10,821 and they won't swallow their pride 222 00:10:10,854 --> 00:10:12,022 and go, "Hey, you know what? 223 00:10:12,055 --> 00:10:15,191 Let's indict these guys on an individual basis." 224 00:10:15,225 --> 00:10:17,193 They want to paint this picture 225 00:10:17,227 --> 00:10:18,929 that we're this criminal organization 226 00:10:18,962 --> 00:10:20,764 and this criminal entity. 227 00:10:20,797 --> 00:10:21,998 You know what? 228 00:10:22,032 --> 00:10:23,800 If everybody's involved and you can prove it, 229 00:10:23,834 --> 00:10:25,301 they're gonna go down at once, 230 00:10:25,335 --> 00:10:28,604 but they just couldn't prove that because most of the members 231 00:10:28,638 --> 00:10:30,506 are so damn greedy, 232 00:10:30,540 --> 00:10:32,508 they're not sharing anything with anybody. 233 00:10:32,542 --> 00:10:34,244 Building the prosecution case 234 00:10:34,277 --> 00:10:37,513 cost an estimated $3 million. 235 00:10:37,547 --> 00:10:39,449 The trial took ten months 236 00:10:39,482 --> 00:10:41,651 and resulted in a hung jury. 237 00:10:43,286 --> 00:10:46,689 The Hells Angels have an incredible structure 238 00:10:46,723 --> 00:10:48,792 of attorneys and defense teams 239 00:10:48,825 --> 00:10:53,429 who are brilliant in legally avoiding accountability, 240 00:10:53,463 --> 00:10:57,100 and ultimately, that might be their biggest trick. 241 00:10:57,133 --> 00:11:00,503 That failure, in 1979, 242 00:11:00,536 --> 00:11:03,306 had an effect for years and years, 243 00:11:03,339 --> 00:11:08,444 because federal prosecutors were extremely shy about using RICO 244 00:11:08,478 --> 00:11:10,246 to go after any organization. 245 00:11:10,280 --> 00:11:12,048 Not just motorcycle gangs, 246 00:11:12,082 --> 00:11:14,484 but other organizations as well. 247 00:11:14,517 --> 00:11:16,887 The feds' embarrassing loss only escalates 248 00:11:16,920 --> 00:11:19,389 the tension between them and the Hells Angels. 249 00:11:19,422 --> 00:11:21,825 The stage is set for a dramatic confrontation 250 00:11:21,858 --> 00:11:23,393 with George Christie himself, 251 00:11:23,426 --> 00:11:24,627 who by the early '80s 252 00:11:24,660 --> 00:11:27,864 is one of the most powerful Angels in America. 253 00:11:27,898 --> 00:11:30,533 The feds time their next attempt to take down the Angels 254 00:11:30,566 --> 00:11:32,268 to the 1984 Olympics 255 00:11:32,302 --> 00:11:36,172 next door to Christie's Ventura chapter in Los Angeles. 256 00:11:36,206 --> 00:11:39,242 The summer Olympics begin in Los Angeles next Saturday. 257 00:11:39,275 --> 00:11:42,078 The Olympic torch arrived today. 258 00:11:42,112 --> 00:11:43,679 The 1984 Olympics 259 00:11:43,713 --> 00:11:47,951 were turning into this really huge worldwide event. 260 00:11:47,984 --> 00:11:50,686 I wasn't sure that I would have even had an interest 261 00:11:50,720 --> 00:11:53,523 to go or participate, 262 00:11:53,556 --> 00:11:54,624 but something happened. 263 00:11:56,492 --> 00:11:58,394 The late '70s and early '80s 264 00:11:58,428 --> 00:12:00,230 had seen several terrorist strikes 265 00:12:00,263 --> 00:12:02,165 against the US interests overseas, 266 00:12:02,198 --> 00:12:04,000 including bombings of US embassies 267 00:12:04,034 --> 00:12:05,701 in Lebanon and Kuwait. 268 00:12:07,103 --> 00:12:09,172 The feds are on red alert, 269 00:12:09,205 --> 00:12:12,142 and the Los Angeles Olympics are considered a prime target 270 00:12:12,175 --> 00:12:14,144 for a terrorist attack. 271 00:12:14,177 --> 00:12:18,481 The ATF unit from Ohio started nosing around town, 272 00:12:18,514 --> 00:12:21,784 and they were making allegations and cavalier comments 273 00:12:21,818 --> 00:12:23,954 that we would supply weapons to terrorists 274 00:12:23,987 --> 00:12:25,388 to disrupt the Olympics. 275 00:12:28,024 --> 00:12:30,760 They had been showing these different merchants 276 00:12:30,793 --> 00:12:32,495 pictures of dead bodies 277 00:12:32,528 --> 00:12:35,465 and petitioning them to keep their ears open, 278 00:12:35,498 --> 00:12:41,071 and had they heard anything about us moving any weapons? 279 00:12:41,104 --> 00:12:43,206 But there's something that they didn't know. 280 00:12:43,239 --> 00:12:44,574 They didn't realize 281 00:12:44,607 --> 00:12:47,610 that we were very integrated into the community, 282 00:12:47,643 --> 00:12:49,079 and I started getting phone calls 283 00:12:49,112 --> 00:12:51,747 from some of the merchants in town. 284 00:12:53,850 --> 00:12:56,119 I knew that we had to get in front of this, 285 00:12:56,152 --> 00:12:58,688 but I didn't know how. 286 00:12:58,721 --> 00:13:02,625 Before Christie can act, the feds strike first. 287 00:13:06,362 --> 00:13:07,964 One particular afternoon, 288 00:13:07,998 --> 00:13:12,068 this unit of ATF guys shows up at the clubhouse. 289 00:13:12,102 --> 00:13:13,436 They want everybody's name. 290 00:13:13,469 --> 00:13:14,871 They want pictures of everybody. 291 00:13:14,905 --> 00:13:18,508 They want to be able to identify them. 292 00:13:18,541 --> 00:13:20,376 I immediately start demanding 293 00:13:20,410 --> 00:13:21,912 where in the hell the warrant is. 294 00:13:21,945 --> 00:13:24,514 What's going on here? 295 00:13:24,547 --> 00:13:26,382 Next thing you know, the Ventura police show up. 296 00:13:26,416 --> 00:13:28,919 The Ventura police are going, "What are you guys doing here? 297 00:13:28,952 --> 00:13:30,220 "How come we didn't get a phone call? 298 00:13:30,253 --> 00:13:31,587 "Where's the warrant? 299 00:13:31,621 --> 00:13:32,788 "Is this a federal warrant? 300 00:13:32,822 --> 00:13:34,925 Is it a local warrant?" 301 00:13:34,958 --> 00:13:35,959 And you know what? 302 00:13:35,992 --> 00:13:38,228 There's no warrant. 303 00:13:38,261 --> 00:13:41,564 The ATF has no choice but to back down, 304 00:13:41,597 --> 00:13:44,334 but Christie decides it's time to take the offensive. 305 00:13:46,903 --> 00:13:50,473 The Olympic torch spirit has captured many people. 306 00:13:50,506 --> 00:13:53,243 One of them is 36-year old George Christie, 307 00:13:53,276 --> 00:13:55,345 a tattooed veteran who is also leader 308 00:13:55,378 --> 00:13:58,381 of the Ventura, California, Hells Angels. 309 00:13:58,414 --> 00:14:04,020 There was a torch relay being run from Greece to Los Angeles. 310 00:14:04,054 --> 00:14:06,456 We thought that would be something 311 00:14:06,489 --> 00:14:09,759 for us to show that we not only were patriots, 312 00:14:09,792 --> 00:14:13,296 but we had no intentions of disrupting the Olympics, 313 00:14:13,329 --> 00:14:16,132 and in fact, we were gonna participate in the Olympics. 314 00:14:16,166 --> 00:14:18,668 Christie qualified to carry the torch after he and the group 315 00:14:18,701 --> 00:14:22,238 collected $3,000 for the Special Olympics charity. 316 00:14:22,272 --> 00:14:24,374 We're not terrorists, we support the Olympics, 317 00:14:24,407 --> 00:14:26,709 and we're not out to cause anybody a problem. 318 00:14:26,742 --> 00:14:29,079 The group left the local clubhouse in formation, 319 00:14:29,112 --> 00:14:30,380 headed toward the event 320 00:14:30,413 --> 00:14:32,615 that would make Hells Angels history. 321 00:14:32,648 --> 00:14:35,551 At the site, Christie took off with the crowd's approval. 322 00:14:35,585 --> 00:14:38,088 USA! USA! 323 00:14:38,121 --> 00:14:41,691 And at the beginning of this tunnel of American flags, 324 00:14:41,724 --> 00:14:46,562 it says "America salutes the Hells Angels," 325 00:14:46,596 --> 00:14:48,464 and that says it all. 326 00:14:48,498 --> 00:14:52,235 What started out to be a propaganda tool 327 00:14:52,268 --> 00:14:55,471 for the government comes back and bites 'em in the ass. 328 00:14:55,505 --> 00:14:58,208 By the end of the run, George Christie was a star 329 00:14:58,241 --> 00:14:59,609 with people wanting to meet the man 330 00:14:59,642 --> 00:15:01,711 who had carried the torch. 331 00:15:01,744 --> 00:15:03,813 I think one of the things that really aggravated me 332 00:15:03,846 --> 00:15:05,681 about the ATF was that, you know, 333 00:15:05,715 --> 00:15:08,951 they questioned our sincerity in the torch relay. 334 00:15:08,985 --> 00:15:13,289 They were appalled that we would have the audacity 335 00:15:13,323 --> 00:15:17,360 to participate in such a patriotic event. 336 00:15:17,393 --> 00:15:19,862 Once again, George Christie and the Hells Angels 337 00:15:19,895 --> 00:15:22,198 have managed to thwart the federal government's plan 338 00:15:22,232 --> 00:15:23,899 to take them down. 339 00:15:23,933 --> 00:15:26,836 But it won't be long before they try again, 340 00:15:26,869 --> 00:15:28,704 more aggressively than ever. 341 00:15:32,775 --> 00:15:35,211 The torch relay came and went. 342 00:15:35,245 --> 00:15:37,680 Everything was getting back to normal, 343 00:15:37,713 --> 00:15:39,649 and I get a phone call. 344 00:15:41,217 --> 00:15:43,753 It came in from the clubhouse, 345 00:15:43,786 --> 00:15:47,390 and they're saying I got to get down there. 346 00:15:47,423 --> 00:15:49,359 What had happened is 347 00:15:49,392 --> 00:15:51,094 David Ortega and a couple of the other guys 348 00:15:51,127 --> 00:15:54,864 are standing around in the clubhouse. 349 00:15:54,897 --> 00:15:56,699 David said he hears a sound 350 00:15:56,732 --> 00:15:59,669 of metal 351 00:15:59,702 --> 00:16:03,039 hitting the floor. 352 00:16:03,073 --> 00:16:05,075 And then he sees this object. 353 00:16:05,108 --> 00:16:09,745 He said he followed it across the floor of the clubhouse, 354 00:16:09,779 --> 00:16:11,414 and he's thinking to himself, 355 00:16:11,447 --> 00:16:13,416 "Why would anybody 356 00:16:13,449 --> 00:16:17,120 throw a trailer hitch into the clubhouse?" 357 00:16:17,153 --> 00:16:19,989 Well, it wasn't a trailer hitch. 358 00:16:20,022 --> 00:16:21,591 It was a grenade. 359 00:16:23,859 --> 00:16:30,933 And then it exploded. 360 00:16:30,966 --> 00:16:33,936 proving to be even more elusivells Angel 361 00:16:33,969 --> 00:16:35,838 thseveral indictmentsus.r fighting o 362 00:16:35,871 --> 00:16:37,173 by the federal government, 363 00:16:37,207 --> 00:16:40,810 the Hells Angels are riding high, 364 00:16:40,843 --> 00:16:43,279 until an attack puts them on edge. 365 00:16:43,313 --> 00:16:45,548 You know, it's normally about a ten-minute ride 366 00:16:45,581 --> 00:16:48,984 from my house at that time to the clubhouse, 367 00:16:49,018 --> 00:16:51,187 but I made it there in about half the time, 368 00:16:51,221 --> 00:16:55,091 and when I got there, David Ortega was all bloodied up, 369 00:16:55,125 --> 00:16:56,626 probably going into shock. 370 00:16:58,794 --> 00:17:02,865 The thing that saved David-- there was a steel chair. 371 00:17:02,898 --> 00:17:07,870 It redirected the explosion in the clubhouse. 372 00:17:07,903 --> 00:17:09,939 The grenade, just by coincidence, 373 00:17:09,972 --> 00:17:11,307 blew up under the chair, 374 00:17:11,341 --> 00:17:13,343 and it sprayed each wall. 375 00:17:15,245 --> 00:17:16,646 David was severely injured. 376 00:17:16,679 --> 00:17:18,348 He spent several days in the hospital, 377 00:17:18,381 --> 00:17:22,017 and he took metal out of his body for years after that. 378 00:17:24,053 --> 00:17:25,855 It was a scene. 379 00:17:25,888 --> 00:17:28,191 The sheriff's bomb squad was there. 380 00:17:28,224 --> 00:17:29,459 The ambulance was there. 381 00:17:29,492 --> 00:17:31,394 The fire department was there. 382 00:17:31,427 --> 00:17:33,463 And who else shows up on the scene? 383 00:17:35,865 --> 00:17:39,969 The ATF agents show up as well. 384 00:17:40,002 --> 00:17:43,973 The authorities are unable to uncover any leads, 385 00:17:44,006 --> 00:17:46,309 but the Hells Angels, led by Christie, 386 00:17:46,342 --> 00:17:48,478 begin their own investigation. 387 00:17:51,814 --> 00:17:53,849 Part of the evidence that was found 388 00:17:53,883 --> 00:17:57,187 was a spoon from that grenade. 389 00:17:57,220 --> 00:18:01,257 A spoon is a device that comes down around the grenade. 390 00:18:01,291 --> 00:18:04,160 You pull the pin out, the spoon has a spring. 391 00:18:04,194 --> 00:18:08,231 It separates from the grenade and starts the timing device. 392 00:18:08,264 --> 00:18:12,302 So the spoon was laying there right in front of the clubhouse, 393 00:18:12,335 --> 00:18:15,805 and on this spoon is a lot number 394 00:18:15,838 --> 00:18:17,840 of where this grenade comes from. 395 00:18:19,542 --> 00:18:21,744 I hired a private investigator, 396 00:18:21,777 --> 00:18:23,379 a former FBI agent. 397 00:18:23,413 --> 00:18:25,080 He starts tracing 398 00:18:25,114 --> 00:18:27,082 the lot number, 399 00:18:27,116 --> 00:18:28,083 and where do you think 400 00:18:28,117 --> 00:18:30,420 the serial numbers were traced back to? 401 00:18:30,453 --> 00:18:32,788 An armory in Akron, Ohio, 402 00:18:32,822 --> 00:18:34,957 where the ATF unit had come from. 403 00:18:39,395 --> 00:18:41,731 When people from the news media asked me, 404 00:18:41,764 --> 00:18:43,466 "Do you have any suspects, George?" 405 00:18:43,499 --> 00:18:45,067 I said, "Yeah, I got a lot of suspects, 406 00:18:45,100 --> 00:18:47,237 and law enforcement's right at the top of the list." 407 00:18:47,270 --> 00:18:48,571 I mean, it's a personal opinion. 408 00:18:48,604 --> 00:18:50,573 Do I know? No, I don't know. 409 00:18:50,606 --> 00:18:54,176 But what's gonna stop some rogue ATF agent 410 00:18:54,210 --> 00:18:55,845 from throwing a grenade in the clubhouse? 411 00:18:55,878 --> 00:18:57,813 Nothing. 412 00:19:00,716 --> 00:19:03,586 The feds' next attempt to take down the Hells Angels 413 00:19:03,619 --> 00:19:07,056 is part of a focused and more coordinated investigation. 414 00:19:14,163 --> 00:19:15,431 In the drizzle at dawn, 415 00:19:15,465 --> 00:19:17,800 the FBI stormed down a Manhattan street, 416 00:19:17,833 --> 00:19:19,702 led by agents in an armored van, 417 00:19:19,735 --> 00:19:21,804 carrying sledgehammers and shotguns 418 00:19:21,837 --> 00:19:23,473 to raid the New York headquarters 419 00:19:23,506 --> 00:19:27,109 of the Hells Angels motorcycle gang. 420 00:19:27,142 --> 00:19:29,579 Several Hells Angels on the east coast 421 00:19:29,612 --> 00:19:34,149 got caught in Operation Roughrider. 422 00:19:34,183 --> 00:19:38,621 Operation Roughrider was a case that started from the FBI 423 00:19:38,654 --> 00:19:40,523 out of the New York area, 424 00:19:40,556 --> 00:19:44,226 and it expanded to California. 425 00:19:44,260 --> 00:19:47,730 The raid captured $2 million worth of narcotics, 426 00:19:47,763 --> 00:19:51,066 and more than 125 arrests were made. 427 00:19:51,100 --> 00:19:54,637 The goal of Roughrider was to interdict members 428 00:19:54,670 --> 00:19:56,672 of the Hells Angels that may have been involved 429 00:19:56,706 --> 00:19:58,941 in methamphetamine sales and distribution 430 00:19:58,974 --> 00:20:00,142 throughout the country. 431 00:20:03,513 --> 00:20:08,117 Having learned a hard lesson from the 1979 RICO fiasco, 432 00:20:08,150 --> 00:20:10,453 the feds started coming after individuals 433 00:20:10,486 --> 00:20:12,522 so they could get their convictions. 434 00:20:12,555 --> 00:20:16,859 The case involved an undercover FBI agent 435 00:20:16,892 --> 00:20:19,862 who came out here to buy methamphetamine 436 00:20:19,895 --> 00:20:23,799 from several members in the Oakland chapter. 437 00:20:23,833 --> 00:20:28,904 The organization that I worked for had fairly significant funds 438 00:20:28,938 --> 00:20:30,473 to purchase drugs, 439 00:20:30,506 --> 00:20:34,209 and we provided surveillance and assistance to the FBI 440 00:20:34,243 --> 00:20:35,711 on that matter. 441 00:20:35,745 --> 00:20:37,780 The feds made the money and the drugs 442 00:20:37,813 --> 00:20:40,215 available to the individuals 443 00:20:40,249 --> 00:20:42,318 that they ultimately wound up indicting. 444 00:20:42,352 --> 00:20:45,888 Without the participation of the feds 445 00:20:45,921 --> 00:20:47,657 and the money that they made available, 446 00:20:47,690 --> 00:20:50,560 the members wouldn't have been in the position 447 00:20:50,593 --> 00:20:52,161 to purchase the narcotics. 448 00:20:52,194 --> 00:20:54,096 No crime would have been committed. 449 00:20:54,129 --> 00:20:57,032 That's my perspective on the whole 450 00:20:57,066 --> 00:20:58,267 Operation Roughrider. 451 00:20:59,802 --> 00:21:02,338 One of the detained is Sandy Alexander, 452 00:21:02,372 --> 00:21:05,341 the New York Hells Angels chapter president. 453 00:21:05,375 --> 00:21:08,243 The east coast gang leader climbed down a fire escape 454 00:21:08,277 --> 00:21:10,713 right into the arms of the FBI. 455 00:21:10,746 --> 00:21:14,183 Sandy Alexander was very visual, 456 00:21:14,216 --> 00:21:15,818 and he was very vocal, 457 00:21:15,851 --> 00:21:17,887 and when he got busted, 458 00:21:17,920 --> 00:21:19,389 it made me come to terms 459 00:21:19,422 --> 00:21:22,925 with the fact that if they could bust him, 460 00:21:22,958 --> 00:21:24,259 they could bust me. 461 00:21:24,293 --> 00:21:28,498 That means any Hells Angel leader could get indicted. 462 00:21:28,531 --> 00:21:31,033 Christie escapes Operation Roughrider's sweep 463 00:21:31,066 --> 00:21:32,234 through California. 464 00:21:32,267 --> 00:21:33,703 He's safe, 465 00:21:33,736 --> 00:21:37,106 but the overly cautious leader is anything but in the clear. 466 00:21:42,044 --> 00:21:44,346 It's now about 1986. 467 00:21:44,380 --> 00:21:45,881 This guy shows up at the clubhouse. 468 00:21:45,915 --> 00:21:47,282 His name is Mike Mulhern, 469 00:21:47,316 --> 00:21:48,784 and I'm not sure who he is, 470 00:21:48,818 --> 00:21:49,852 but he seems like somebody 471 00:21:49,885 --> 00:21:51,854 I should probably pay attention to. 472 00:21:53,756 --> 00:21:56,358 So I make some inquiries, 473 00:21:56,392 --> 00:21:58,360 and I find out who Mike Mulhern is. 474 00:21:58,394 --> 00:22:01,497 Mike Mulhern is one of the top three guys 475 00:22:01,531 --> 00:22:03,766 at this particular point in time in La eMe. 476 00:22:03,799 --> 00:22:05,535 For the people that don't know what La eMe is, 477 00:22:05,568 --> 00:22:08,438 it's the Mexican Mafia, and they control the prisons. 478 00:22:08,471 --> 00:22:09,705 They run the prisons. 479 00:22:11,641 --> 00:22:13,409 La eMe is one of the world's 480 00:22:13,443 --> 00:22:15,911 most violent and notorious gangs. 481 00:22:15,945 --> 00:22:19,148 Their motto is "Blood in, blood out," 482 00:22:19,181 --> 00:22:21,984 meaning you must kill to be admitted to the gang, 483 00:22:22,017 --> 00:22:24,153 and also to get out. 484 00:22:24,186 --> 00:22:25,621 Well, this was a dangerous guy, 485 00:22:25,655 --> 00:22:29,559 and if he was talking, I should be listening. 486 00:22:29,592 --> 00:22:31,293 So, you know, he came by a few times, 487 00:22:31,326 --> 00:22:32,828 and we interacted socially. 488 00:22:32,862 --> 00:22:34,029 No big thing. 489 00:22:34,063 --> 00:22:36,532 One of these afternoons, he stopped by, 490 00:22:36,566 --> 00:22:40,335 and he asked me if I knew a guy named Tom Chaney, 491 00:22:40,369 --> 00:22:42,371 and I did. 492 00:22:42,404 --> 00:22:45,207 He had been a hang-around 493 00:22:45,240 --> 00:22:47,843 for the Ventura Hells Angels for a short period of time. 494 00:22:51,013 --> 00:22:52,247 So Mike explained to me 495 00:22:52,281 --> 00:22:56,385 that this guy had run a bill up with them, 496 00:22:56,418 --> 00:23:01,190 and they wanted us to stand good for the bill. 497 00:23:01,223 --> 00:23:03,292 It was $10,000, and I said, 498 00:23:03,325 --> 00:23:04,627 "I'm not paying his bill," 499 00:23:04,660 --> 00:23:06,829 and I go, "Nobody from Ventura's paying his bill, 500 00:23:06,862 --> 00:23:09,064 "and I can assure you nobody outside of Ventura's 501 00:23:09,098 --> 00:23:10,566 gonna pay his bill." 502 00:23:13,168 --> 00:23:15,571 Mike approached me-- 503 00:23:15,605 --> 00:23:18,774 I would say close to 20 times. 504 00:23:18,808 --> 00:23:22,111 One of my final conversations with him is, 505 00:23:22,144 --> 00:23:23,112 "You know what, George? 506 00:23:23,145 --> 00:23:24,914 "I wanted to say it one last time. 507 00:23:24,947 --> 00:23:26,381 It's a debt, and it needs to be paid," 508 00:23:26,415 --> 00:23:27,683 and I said, 509 00:23:27,717 --> 00:23:29,018 "We are not gonna pay that debt. 510 00:23:29,051 --> 00:23:30,219 It ain't gonna happen," and he goes, 511 00:23:30,252 --> 00:23:32,354 "You know what that means." 512 00:23:32,387 --> 00:23:34,524 He goes, "That means I'm gonna kill him." 513 00:23:36,659 --> 00:23:38,494 Now I'm exasperated, 514 00:23:38,528 --> 00:23:44,166 and I say something that I'm gonna live to regret. 515 00:23:44,199 --> 00:23:45,901 I said, "Well, you know, if he was here, 516 00:23:45,935 --> 00:23:48,303 I'd kill him myself." 517 00:23:48,337 --> 00:23:49,972 With that, 518 00:23:50,005 --> 00:23:53,643 Mike gets a smile on his face, shakes hands with me, 519 00:23:53,676 --> 00:23:55,811 walks out the door, and he says, 520 00:23:55,845 --> 00:23:58,280 "Hey, George, thanks." 521 00:23:58,313 --> 00:24:00,015 A couple of weeks pass 522 00:24:00,049 --> 00:24:01,717 and I get a phone call. 523 00:24:01,751 --> 00:24:05,888 "Hey, just so you know, man. Chaney's dead." 524 00:24:05,921 --> 00:24:09,859 And within several days, 525 00:24:09,892 --> 00:24:12,027 I'm arrested by the FBI. 526 00:24:18,300 --> 00:24:20,069 George Christie is a top Hells Angel official 527 00:24:20,102 --> 00:24:23,573 whose careful strategies have kept him out of jail. 528 00:24:23,606 --> 00:24:25,841 But that could change soon. 529 00:24:25,875 --> 00:24:28,077 He has inadvertently given the okay 530 00:24:28,110 --> 00:24:31,747 for the execution of Tom Chaney, a former associate. 531 00:24:31,781 --> 00:24:36,485 He is taken to a federal prison to await murder charges. 532 00:24:36,518 --> 00:24:39,454 I was charged with conspiracy to commit murder. 533 00:24:39,488 --> 00:24:41,891 I was facing 20 years on one count 534 00:24:41,924 --> 00:24:43,458 and life on the other count, 535 00:24:43,492 --> 00:24:46,428 and I was given... 536 00:24:46,461 --> 00:24:47,429 no bail. 537 00:24:49,298 --> 00:24:50,966 When I got my paperwork, 538 00:24:51,000 --> 00:24:55,671 I was shocked to find out who had set me up, 539 00:24:55,705 --> 00:24:57,840 'cause it was Mike Mulhern. 540 00:24:57,873 --> 00:25:00,576 For ten years, he'd been playing both sides of the fence. 541 00:25:00,610 --> 00:25:04,313 Everything we'd been talking about had been recorded. 542 00:25:04,346 --> 00:25:06,949 Michael Mulhern, a member of the Mexican Mafia, 543 00:25:06,982 --> 00:25:09,952 is also an informant on the US Government payroll 544 00:25:09,985 --> 00:25:12,254 whose mission is to obtain evidence 545 00:25:12,287 --> 00:25:14,590 that will convict George Christie. 546 00:25:14,624 --> 00:25:17,559 The feds have actually staged the death of Tom Chaney, 547 00:25:17,593 --> 00:25:20,696 who's alive and in a witness protection program, 548 00:25:20,730 --> 00:25:23,465 and they're trying to pin the murder on Christie. 549 00:25:23,498 --> 00:25:25,234 These guys are elaborate. 550 00:25:25,267 --> 00:25:28,638 They actually went to all the trouble 551 00:25:28,671 --> 00:25:32,107 of acting like they killed him somewhere in the prison. 552 00:25:32,141 --> 00:25:35,177 They called an ambulance. They shut the yard down, 553 00:25:35,210 --> 00:25:39,248 and then they put this show on for all the inmates. 554 00:25:39,281 --> 00:25:42,451 They wheeled him out and loaded him into an ambulance 555 00:25:42,484 --> 00:25:44,019 and drove him out of the prison, 556 00:25:44,053 --> 00:25:46,822 and that was his exit from the prison. 557 00:25:54,229 --> 00:25:57,900 During the trial, Barry Tarlow, who was my lawyer at the time, 558 00:25:57,933 --> 00:25:59,301 started trying to figure out 559 00:25:59,334 --> 00:26:02,037 how much money Mike Mulhern had been paid. 560 00:26:02,071 --> 00:26:04,439 It was about $250,000, 561 00:26:04,473 --> 00:26:08,477 and he admitted on the stand that he had a bonus coming 562 00:26:08,510 --> 00:26:11,781 if he could get a conviction against me. 563 00:26:11,814 --> 00:26:13,348 Tarlow turns to the jury. 564 00:26:13,382 --> 00:26:16,652 He goes, "Not only are you paying this rat 565 00:26:16,686 --> 00:26:18,187 to entrap my poor client," 566 00:26:18,220 --> 00:26:19,955 he goes, "You're giving him a bonus!" 567 00:26:19,989 --> 00:26:22,457 And the jurors are looking at each other, 568 00:26:22,491 --> 00:26:24,193 and they're looking at the US attorney, 569 00:26:24,226 --> 00:26:25,661 and they're looking at the agents 570 00:26:25,695 --> 00:26:27,562 that are sitting next to the US attorney, 571 00:26:27,596 --> 00:26:30,032 and then Tarlow drops the bomb. 572 00:26:30,065 --> 00:26:31,934 He goes, "The money comes from you. 573 00:26:31,967 --> 00:26:33,602 It's the taxes you pay." 574 00:26:36,605 --> 00:26:37,907 Christie's defense 575 00:26:37,940 --> 00:26:41,877 is able to get all the charges against him dismissed. 576 00:26:41,911 --> 00:26:43,612 There's a lot of people that didn't understand 577 00:26:43,645 --> 00:26:44,714 how I beat that case, 578 00:26:44,747 --> 00:26:46,916 and, you know, what they don't realize 579 00:26:46,949 --> 00:26:51,020 is I had no intent on this guy being murdered, 580 00:26:51,053 --> 00:26:53,889 but if they wanted to murder him, 581 00:26:53,923 --> 00:26:55,590 I wasn't gonna shed a tear over it. 582 00:26:55,624 --> 00:26:58,093 I said, "Yeah, I was gonna let this guy die," 583 00:26:58,127 --> 00:26:59,461 but I said "What I did 584 00:26:59,494 --> 00:27:01,330 was not against the law." 585 00:27:01,363 --> 00:27:03,565 So, in the eyes of the law, 586 00:27:03,598 --> 00:27:04,867 he's innocent. 587 00:27:04,900 --> 00:27:07,602 I just think people have to look at his own words 588 00:27:07,636 --> 00:27:09,872 and make up their own minds. 589 00:27:09,905 --> 00:27:11,173 Look, 590 00:27:11,206 --> 00:27:14,376 if Mike Mulhern had never been brought to the clubhouse 591 00:27:14,409 --> 00:27:17,847 by the feds, none of this would have ever happened. 592 00:27:17,880 --> 00:27:21,751 They tried to drag me into a scenario that they created, 593 00:27:21,784 --> 00:27:23,185 and you can't do that. 594 00:27:23,218 --> 00:27:24,353 That's entrapment. 595 00:27:27,289 --> 00:27:30,359 After a year-long trial, I get found not guilty, 596 00:27:30,392 --> 00:27:32,728 and I was a free man again. 597 00:27:34,363 --> 00:27:35,865 Victorious once again, 598 00:27:35,898 --> 00:27:39,534 Christie wastes no time celebrating his good fortune. 599 00:27:43,572 --> 00:27:45,240 I jumped on my bike, 600 00:27:45,274 --> 00:27:48,911 rode back to Ventura, 100 miles per hour, 601 00:27:48,944 --> 00:27:53,615 and I start organizing a party for the jurors. 602 00:27:53,648 --> 00:27:55,117 You know, I wanted to thank the people 603 00:27:55,150 --> 00:27:58,220 that saw right through the government's BS, 604 00:27:58,253 --> 00:27:59,822 and I wanted to do something 605 00:27:59,855 --> 00:28:03,258 that was really gonna rub raw on the feds. 606 00:28:03,292 --> 00:28:06,361 So I talked to the lawyers about it, 607 00:28:06,395 --> 00:28:08,663 and we sent invitations out to everybody. 608 00:28:08,697 --> 00:28:10,299 About half of the jurors showed up, 609 00:28:10,332 --> 00:28:12,768 and we had a hell of a party. 610 00:28:12,802 --> 00:28:14,703 Law enforcement was not happy. 611 00:28:17,639 --> 00:28:19,975 The feds continued to go after the Hells Angels 612 00:28:20,009 --> 00:28:21,710 by any means necessary, 613 00:28:21,743 --> 00:28:23,212 and the club knows it. 614 00:28:23,245 --> 00:28:25,547 We were at a level of paranoia 615 00:28:25,580 --> 00:28:27,817 that I had never experienced before. 616 00:28:27,850 --> 00:28:30,285 People were starting to mistrust each other. 617 00:28:30,319 --> 00:28:32,087 People were looking at each other funny. 618 00:28:32,121 --> 00:28:35,024 Some of the individuals were having their houses swept. 619 00:28:35,057 --> 00:28:37,793 We actually came up with stickers. 620 00:28:37,827 --> 00:28:39,394 We used to put 'em on all the phones 621 00:28:39,428 --> 00:28:41,363 in all the clubhouses, you know, 622 00:28:41,396 --> 00:28:44,033 "Watch what you say on this phone. 623 00:28:44,066 --> 00:28:46,802 Someone else is listening." 624 00:28:46,836 --> 00:28:48,603 But just because you're paranoid 625 00:28:48,637 --> 00:28:50,539 doesn't mean they're not watching you. 626 00:28:52,975 --> 00:28:55,310 But what's really making the Hells Angels nervous 627 00:28:55,344 --> 00:28:56,445 are the feds' attempts 628 00:28:56,478 --> 00:28:59,081 to turn members facing prosecution or jail time 629 00:28:59,114 --> 00:29:00,850 into rats who will report 630 00:29:00,883 --> 00:29:03,218 on their brothers' illegal activities. 631 00:29:03,252 --> 00:29:05,687 The club has to find a way to fight back. 632 00:29:08,690 --> 00:29:10,059 One of the old ways 633 00:29:10,092 --> 00:29:12,627 to find out if somebody was working for the cops or not 634 00:29:12,661 --> 00:29:15,230 was throw some drugs out on the table 635 00:29:15,264 --> 00:29:18,800 and tell 'em to stick their nose in those rails. 636 00:29:18,834 --> 00:29:19,801 Was it foolproof? 637 00:29:19,835 --> 00:29:22,972 No, but if somebody was an informant 638 00:29:23,005 --> 00:29:24,339 or somebody was a cop, 639 00:29:24,373 --> 00:29:26,608 they would have to explain in a courtroom 640 00:29:26,641 --> 00:29:29,211 at some later date why they were snorting drugs. 641 00:29:31,546 --> 00:29:33,748 One strategy for identifying informants 642 00:29:33,782 --> 00:29:36,585 is to appoint security officers. 643 00:29:36,618 --> 00:29:38,820 We went through several security officers, 644 00:29:38,854 --> 00:29:40,522 but it's kind of a thankless job. 645 00:29:40,555 --> 00:29:45,027 It's not a romantic job because you're constantly on guard, 646 00:29:45,060 --> 00:29:47,262 and you're questioning people, 647 00:29:47,296 --> 00:29:48,998 and you have to give them the benefit of the doubt 648 00:29:49,031 --> 00:29:50,866 because they're your brothers. 649 00:29:50,900 --> 00:29:53,668 Christie chooses a former high-ranking eagle scout 650 00:29:53,702 --> 00:29:54,836 named Marty Cada 651 00:29:54,870 --> 00:29:57,639 to be his security officer. 652 00:29:57,672 --> 00:30:01,510 He's charged with sniffing out possible informants. 653 00:30:01,543 --> 00:30:05,580 We've got this one individual we're focusing on. 654 00:30:05,614 --> 00:30:07,282 He's not behaving properly. 655 00:30:07,316 --> 00:30:09,952 He's acting very strange. 656 00:30:09,985 --> 00:30:11,420 He would come into a room, 657 00:30:11,453 --> 00:30:14,623 and he would engage and open up a topic of conversation, 658 00:30:14,656 --> 00:30:16,391 and then get up and leave 659 00:30:16,425 --> 00:30:17,993 and leave his cell phone there 660 00:30:18,027 --> 00:30:19,962 because it was a microphone. 661 00:30:19,995 --> 00:30:21,830 We were positive he was an informant, 662 00:30:21,863 --> 00:30:25,034 but being positive is not good enough. 663 00:30:28,137 --> 00:30:31,373 Coming up... 664 00:30:31,406 --> 00:30:33,775 After scoring several high-profile victories 665 00:30:33,808 --> 00:30:36,011 against law enforcement in the 1980s, 666 00:30:36,045 --> 00:30:37,612 the 1990s are proving 667 00:30:37,646 --> 00:30:40,916 to be more dangerous times for the Hells Angels. 668 00:30:40,950 --> 00:30:42,617 The feds are planting informants 669 00:30:42,651 --> 00:30:44,486 everywhere to gather information, 670 00:30:44,519 --> 00:30:47,289 and in leader George Christie's stronghold in Ventura, 671 00:30:47,322 --> 00:30:49,324 he and security chief Marty Cada 672 00:30:49,358 --> 00:30:53,295 grow suspicious of one particular prospect. 673 00:30:53,328 --> 00:30:56,565 They devise a plan to uncover the truth. 674 00:30:56,598 --> 00:30:58,367 Between Marty and I, we came up with some pretty 675 00:30:58,400 --> 00:30:59,969 ingenious stuff. 676 00:31:00,002 --> 00:31:02,938 We number every member in the club. 677 00:31:02,972 --> 00:31:04,073 We write the numbers, 678 00:31:04,106 --> 00:31:06,308 and you put 'em into the fishbowl, 679 00:31:06,341 --> 00:31:09,244 and then, right before the meeting, 680 00:31:09,278 --> 00:31:11,446 Marty pulls a number out of the fishbowl. 681 00:31:13,949 --> 00:31:16,318 And then he takes 'em into the bathroom, 682 00:31:16,351 --> 00:31:18,253 and then he strip searches them. 683 00:31:18,287 --> 00:31:20,389 So that creates a lot of controversy, 684 00:31:20,422 --> 00:31:22,791 and, you know, I tell everybody, 685 00:31:22,824 --> 00:31:24,259 "Well, you know what? 686 00:31:24,293 --> 00:31:25,727 "You want to eliminate the rats? 687 00:31:25,760 --> 00:31:27,829 That's what we do." 688 00:31:27,862 --> 00:31:29,664 We call his number every week. 689 00:31:32,667 --> 00:31:33,969 One particular night, 690 00:31:34,003 --> 00:31:37,139 he went from member to member trying to buy drugs, 691 00:31:37,172 --> 00:31:39,841 which made no sense whatsoever, 692 00:31:39,874 --> 00:31:44,046 because this guy had always had his own drugs. 693 00:31:44,079 --> 00:31:46,915 I was out of state, so they put him on the clubhouse phone, 694 00:31:46,948 --> 00:31:48,650 and I said, "I'm flying back in town. 695 00:31:48,683 --> 00:31:50,285 I'll be back at00 tonight." 696 00:31:50,319 --> 00:31:52,287 I said, "I want you at the clubhouse." 697 00:31:52,321 --> 00:31:54,489 I go, "You got some questions to answer." 698 00:31:56,325 --> 00:31:57,859 That was the last time we saw him. 699 00:31:57,892 --> 00:32:00,395 He went out of the clubhouse and took off. 700 00:32:04,733 --> 00:32:06,235 Despite these small victories, 701 00:32:06,268 --> 00:32:08,670 it's not a good time to be a Hells Angel. 702 00:32:08,703 --> 00:32:10,872 According to federal law enforcement agencies, 703 00:32:10,905 --> 00:32:13,975 the war on drugs is boiling over in the 1990s, 704 00:32:14,009 --> 00:32:15,210 and the Justice Department 705 00:32:15,244 --> 00:32:18,580 identifies outlaw bikers with over 300 clubs, 706 00:32:18,613 --> 00:32:19,881 5,000 members, 707 00:32:19,914 --> 00:32:22,884 and at least 10,000 hang-arounds as a criminal network 708 00:32:22,917 --> 00:32:24,453 responsible for trafficking 709 00:32:24,486 --> 00:32:26,088 $1 billion worth of drugs 710 00:32:26,121 --> 00:32:29,024 and other illegal activities each year. 711 00:32:29,058 --> 00:32:31,993 Ventura president George Christie has so far avoided 712 00:32:32,027 --> 00:32:35,164 being caught in the federal government's waves of arrests, 713 00:32:35,197 --> 00:32:37,399 but that's about to change. 714 00:32:40,835 --> 00:32:42,271 I'm over at the clubhouse, 715 00:32:42,304 --> 00:32:44,606 and a local newspaper comes over. 716 00:32:44,639 --> 00:32:47,008 They said, "We're doing some stories on local businessmen, 717 00:32:47,042 --> 00:32:48,443 "and we thought it'd be interesting, you know, 718 00:32:48,477 --> 00:32:50,479 to take a couple pictures of you." 719 00:32:50,512 --> 00:32:52,214 I thought it was kind of funny. I go, "Sure." 720 00:32:52,247 --> 00:32:54,983 And about a week, week and a half goes by. 721 00:32:55,016 --> 00:32:56,951 I get my copy... 722 00:32:58,353 --> 00:33:00,289 And who's on the cover but me? 723 00:33:02,324 --> 00:33:03,958 And I open it up, 724 00:33:03,992 --> 00:33:06,161 and there it is. 725 00:33:06,195 --> 00:33:09,198 I'm the number one mover and shaker in Ventura County, 726 00:33:09,231 --> 00:33:12,401 and who's number two? 727 00:33:12,434 --> 00:33:13,835 Michael Bradbury, 728 00:33:13,868 --> 00:33:18,740 the district attorney who has huge political aspirations. 729 00:33:18,773 --> 00:33:22,111 And the story is interesting because it says, 730 00:33:22,144 --> 00:33:23,712 "Is George Christie 731 00:33:23,745 --> 00:33:25,214 "a legitimate businessman, 732 00:33:25,247 --> 00:33:30,685 or does he really run a vast criminal underground empire?" 733 00:33:30,719 --> 00:33:33,455 I was told by more than one law enforcement source 734 00:33:33,488 --> 00:33:36,691 that Michael Bradbury came unglued, 735 00:33:36,725 --> 00:33:39,894 and as the story goes, that Monday morning, 736 00:33:39,928 --> 00:33:43,898 Mike Bradbury calls a special meeting in his office, 737 00:33:43,932 --> 00:33:47,869 and on his desk is the article, 738 00:33:47,902 --> 00:33:51,606 and slams his fist down on the table 739 00:33:51,640 --> 00:33:54,376 and said, "Bring me George Christie's patch. 740 00:33:54,409 --> 00:33:56,145 I watch that son of a bitch." 741 00:33:58,480 --> 00:34:00,048 George Christie's biggest trial, 742 00:34:00,081 --> 00:34:01,250 not just in front of the courts, 743 00:34:01,283 --> 00:34:02,651 but in terms of his life, 744 00:34:02,684 --> 00:34:04,619 happens because of his dream 745 00:34:04,653 --> 00:34:07,122 of trying to make the Hells Angels hipper, 746 00:34:07,156 --> 00:34:11,025 younger, and it starts by recruiting his own son. 747 00:34:11,059 --> 00:34:14,429 A bunch of other younger members start following, 748 00:34:14,463 --> 00:34:18,300 and at the same time, a huge amount of prescription drugs 749 00:34:18,333 --> 00:34:22,971 are showing up among young kids in the high schools. 750 00:34:23,004 --> 00:34:26,575 The police were beginning to notice a couple of the kids 751 00:34:26,608 --> 00:34:28,477 that they busted or they approached 752 00:34:28,510 --> 00:34:32,414 said that they were connected to the Hells Angels, 753 00:34:32,447 --> 00:34:35,584 that they were partying at the Hells Angels' clubhouse. 754 00:34:40,422 --> 00:34:43,892 They got a warrant to go into the clubhouse, 755 00:34:43,925 --> 00:34:47,562 to the tattoo shop, to my house, 756 00:34:47,596 --> 00:34:50,299 and to my ex-wife's house. 757 00:34:51,700 --> 00:34:56,137 In my ex-wife's house, my son had a room with a closet, 758 00:34:56,171 --> 00:35:00,875 and in the closet they found 40,000 Vicodins. 759 00:35:00,909 --> 00:35:03,111 They were there. I think they speak for themselves. 760 00:35:03,144 --> 00:35:07,349 I'm not gonna try to make any excuses. 761 00:35:07,382 --> 00:35:09,184 Investigators claim the Vicodin 762 00:35:09,218 --> 00:35:12,887 are part of a major theft of 750,000 pills 763 00:35:12,921 --> 00:35:15,089 from a local air force base. 764 00:35:15,123 --> 00:35:17,158 On February 23rd, 2001, 765 00:35:17,192 --> 00:35:20,495 the police round up more than 20 suspects. 766 00:35:20,529 --> 00:35:22,497 George Christie is among them. 767 00:35:22,531 --> 00:35:25,500 They wound up arresting me, 768 00:35:25,534 --> 00:35:27,369 my son, 769 00:35:27,402 --> 00:35:29,238 my ex-wife, 770 00:35:29,271 --> 00:35:32,841 and it was a long, expensive battle. 771 00:35:36,811 --> 00:35:38,647 Coming up... 772 00:35:38,680 --> 00:35:40,114 has inadvertently made an enemy 773 00:35:40,148 --> 00:35:43,918 of Ventura District Attorney Michael Bradbury. 774 00:35:43,952 --> 00:35:47,556 In 2001, Bradbury has Christie and nine club members 775 00:35:47,589 --> 00:35:50,325 arrested for trafficking stolen narcotics. 776 00:35:51,993 --> 00:35:53,495 The district attorney's office 777 00:35:53,528 --> 00:35:57,399 launched a investigation that went on for several years. 778 00:35:57,432 --> 00:36:01,336 I quit counting the search warrants when they got to 50. 779 00:36:01,370 --> 00:36:04,339 Christie's case is heard before several grand juries. 780 00:36:04,373 --> 00:36:07,208 The third one finds grounds to indict him. 781 00:36:07,242 --> 00:36:09,811 This is a very, very dark day 782 00:36:09,844 --> 00:36:12,080 for George Christie, 'cause think of the image. 783 00:36:12,113 --> 00:36:14,283 It's not just Hells Angels' leader 784 00:36:14,316 --> 00:36:15,684 who carried the Olympic torch, 785 00:36:15,717 --> 00:36:19,053 the man about town being charged with a crime. 786 00:36:19,087 --> 00:36:20,389 It's a drug crime, 787 00:36:20,422 --> 00:36:24,993 and part of the allegation is selling drugs to kids. 788 00:36:25,026 --> 00:36:26,861 There were 59 charges. 789 00:36:26,895 --> 00:36:28,263 It was conspiracy. 790 00:36:28,297 --> 00:36:30,532 Conspiracy to sell Vicodin. 791 00:36:30,565 --> 00:36:32,767 Conspiracy to possess Vicodin. 792 00:36:32,801 --> 00:36:36,271 Conspiracy to sell Vicodin within 500 yards of a school. 793 00:36:36,305 --> 00:36:38,573 Not paying taxes in a timely manner. 794 00:36:38,607 --> 00:36:42,076 You couldn't keep track of 'em. 795 00:36:42,110 --> 00:36:44,145 Trial's about to start, 796 00:36:44,178 --> 00:36:46,348 and the California Court of Appeal 797 00:36:46,381 --> 00:36:49,083 says that grand jury panel, the same panel 798 00:36:49,117 --> 00:36:51,152 that indicted George Christie, 799 00:36:51,185 --> 00:36:52,587 was not valid 800 00:36:52,621 --> 00:36:55,357 because it wasn't representative enough of the population. 801 00:36:55,390 --> 00:36:59,193 So according to the prosecution, on that technicality, 802 00:36:59,227 --> 00:37:01,496 they decide to seek a deal. 803 00:37:01,530 --> 00:37:02,964 I wanted to fight the case. 804 00:37:02,997 --> 00:37:07,035 I didn't think they could prove what they were trying to prove, 805 00:37:07,068 --> 00:37:09,538 but I was locked up in solitary confinement 806 00:37:09,571 --> 00:37:11,306 when all this stuff was taking place. 807 00:37:13,908 --> 00:37:16,110 In solitary, Christie is unable 808 00:37:16,144 --> 00:37:18,380 to communicate with his fellow Angels, 809 00:37:18,413 --> 00:37:20,014 and his request to be transferred 810 00:37:20,048 --> 00:37:22,917 to the general prison population is denied. 811 00:37:22,951 --> 00:37:26,988 They are the ones who decide whether you're in isolation 812 00:37:27,021 --> 00:37:28,923 or if you're in general population, 813 00:37:28,957 --> 00:37:31,926 and they use this as a way 814 00:37:31,960 --> 00:37:34,262 to negotiate their cases to end. 815 00:37:36,498 --> 00:37:38,333 You're confined to a-- 816 00:37:38,367 --> 00:37:42,303 what really is a large walk-in closet. 817 00:37:42,337 --> 00:37:43,405 It's got a toilet in it, 818 00:37:43,438 --> 00:37:46,541 a sink, a small desk, a bed, 819 00:37:46,575 --> 00:37:49,110 and you're in there by yourself, you know, 820 00:37:49,143 --> 00:37:50,912 at least 23 hours a day, 821 00:37:50,945 --> 00:37:52,080 sometimes more. 822 00:37:55,350 --> 00:37:58,387 It's one of the worst things I ever encountered in my life. 823 00:37:58,420 --> 00:37:59,921 I've had people shoot at me, 824 00:37:59,954 --> 00:38:01,155 I've had people chase me, 825 00:38:01,189 --> 00:38:03,024 I've had murder contracts on me, 826 00:38:03,057 --> 00:38:06,395 but nothing compares to spending that year in isolation. 827 00:38:06,428 --> 00:38:08,262 It's a terrible, terrible experience. 828 00:38:09,898 --> 00:38:12,133 When they offer me the plea bargain 829 00:38:12,166 --> 00:38:14,969 and it seemed like it was gonna resolve the situation 830 00:38:15,003 --> 00:38:18,272 for everybody, I jumped on it. 831 00:38:18,306 --> 00:38:20,642 It didn't take my lawyers long to convince me. 832 00:38:20,675 --> 00:38:24,178 I wasn't involved in any direct sales of Vicodin. 833 00:38:24,212 --> 00:38:26,180 I knew what was going on. 834 00:38:26,214 --> 00:38:28,182 I'd be lying if I said didn't, 835 00:38:28,216 --> 00:38:31,720 but I thought that for the benefit of my family 836 00:38:31,753 --> 00:38:35,056 and some of my friends I would take a plea bargain, 837 00:38:35,089 --> 00:38:36,124 and that's what I did. 838 00:38:36,157 --> 00:38:37,692 So after it's all over, 839 00:38:37,726 --> 00:38:42,897 March 2002, George Christie pleads guilty to one count 840 00:38:42,931 --> 00:38:46,535 of conspiracy to possess Vicodin for sale. 841 00:38:46,568 --> 00:38:49,571 In the end, he and his family, who were facing 842 00:38:49,604 --> 00:38:51,940 more than 100 charges, 843 00:38:51,973 --> 00:38:56,578 get it all down to just five felony counts. 844 00:38:56,611 --> 00:39:00,281 They had promised time served, no questions asked, 845 00:39:00,314 --> 00:39:03,017 and everybody goes their separate ways. 846 00:39:03,051 --> 00:39:04,853 The day of the sentencing, 847 00:39:04,886 --> 00:39:06,387 who comes walking down the hallway 848 00:39:06,421 --> 00:39:07,556 but Mr. Bradbury. 849 00:39:07,589 --> 00:39:09,458 He was making a personal appearance, 850 00:39:09,491 --> 00:39:11,359 which he hadn't done in years, 851 00:39:11,392 --> 00:39:14,763 and he said that they never put anything in writing, 852 00:39:14,796 --> 00:39:17,165 so as far as he was concerned, there never was an agreement. 853 00:39:17,198 --> 00:39:18,633 It was a suggestion. 854 00:39:18,667 --> 00:39:21,369 The prosecution, almost as a last gasp, 855 00:39:21,402 --> 00:39:24,673 asks for something like seven years. 856 00:39:24,706 --> 00:39:26,074 The way I remember it, 857 00:39:26,107 --> 00:39:28,843 Judge Clark stopped the proceedings, 858 00:39:28,877 --> 00:39:31,713 and he said, "Mr. Christie, do you mind taking a seat? 859 00:39:31,746 --> 00:39:34,148 I'd like to sentence you later." 860 00:39:34,182 --> 00:39:35,884 He sentenced my ex-wife. 861 00:39:35,917 --> 00:39:37,452 He sentenced a couple other people. 862 00:39:37,486 --> 00:39:40,489 They sentenced my son to time served probation, 863 00:39:40,522 --> 00:39:43,692 and then the judge looks at Mike Bradbury, 864 00:39:43,725 --> 00:39:45,660 and he goes, 865 00:39:45,694 --> 00:39:49,698 "Why do you want to send Mr. Christie to jail, 866 00:39:49,731 --> 00:39:51,900 "the person I think 867 00:39:51,933 --> 00:39:54,268 "has least culpability in this? 868 00:39:54,302 --> 00:39:55,870 "You want to punish him, but you're willing 869 00:39:55,904 --> 00:39:57,171 to let everybody else have probation." 870 00:39:57,205 --> 00:39:58,507 He goes, "I don't understand." 871 00:39:58,540 --> 00:39:59,908 He said, "Explain it to me. 872 00:39:59,941 --> 00:40:02,443 I want you to tell me why I should send him to prison," 873 00:40:02,477 --> 00:40:04,078 and they didn't have a good explanation. 874 00:40:06,915 --> 00:40:09,651 In the end, they dropped 57 counts 875 00:40:09,684 --> 00:40:11,986 and let me plead to 2, 876 00:40:12,020 --> 00:40:13,755 and as much as I hated to do it, 877 00:40:13,788 --> 00:40:14,889 I did it. 878 00:40:16,558 --> 00:40:18,527 I have no animosity towards Mike Bradbury. 879 00:40:18,560 --> 00:40:19,661 He had a job to do, 880 00:40:19,694 --> 00:40:23,765 and that's what he did. 881 00:40:23,798 --> 00:40:25,066 He retired. 882 00:40:25,099 --> 00:40:26,601 I saw him one time on the street. 883 00:40:26,635 --> 00:40:29,270 I extended my hand out, shook hands with him, 884 00:40:29,303 --> 00:40:33,174 and he looked up and saw it was me and kind of turned white, 885 00:40:33,207 --> 00:40:35,409 and I turned around and went the other way, 886 00:40:35,443 --> 00:40:36,711 and he turned around and went that way. 887 00:40:36,745 --> 00:40:38,346 That's the last time I saw him. 888 00:40:41,349 --> 00:40:44,018 In 2002, when I walked out of that prison, 889 00:40:44,052 --> 00:40:46,054 there was something different about me. 890 00:40:46,087 --> 00:40:47,956 I was now a convicted felon. 891 00:40:47,989 --> 00:40:51,626 I've always taken pride in the fact that I wasn't a felon, 892 00:40:51,660 --> 00:40:55,129 but after 35 years of playing cat and mouse 893 00:40:55,163 --> 00:40:56,430 with law enforcement, 894 00:40:56,464 --> 00:40:57,699 when they finally got me, 895 00:40:57,732 --> 00:41:00,368 it wasn't just a traffic ticket. 896 00:41:00,401 --> 00:41:03,672 But no matter how defeated I felt walking out of that prison, 897 00:41:03,705 --> 00:41:05,874 I was still a Hells Angel leader. 898 00:41:05,907 --> 00:41:09,443 Before long, I was pulled right back into the outlaw lifestyle. 899 00:41:09,477 --> 00:41:11,980 Christie will continue to battle the feds, 900 00:41:12,013 --> 00:41:14,583 but he is about to find that things have changed 901 00:41:14,616 --> 00:41:17,586 in the years he's been in prison. 902 00:41:17,619 --> 00:41:21,022 A new, even more deadly battle is about to begin.