Feds Say They Have 'Staggering Amount Of Evidence' Against Biker Gang Members
DETROIT (WWJ/AP) - Federal prosecutors say they have a "staggering amount of evidence" to convict dozens of members of a Detroit-area motorcycle gang, who are accused of a violent criminal enterprise.
The government says more than a dozen current or former members of the Devils Diciples are cooperating with the FBI and ready to testify at trial.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Saima Mohsin made the disclosure this week in a court filing that seeks to keep the group's president in custody while awaiting trial.
Mohsin says Jeff "Fat Dog" Smith is responsible for an "interstate ... rampage of drugs, violence" and other crimes. He faces a detention hearing Tuesday in Detroit federal court.
Forty-one members of the Devils Diciples or their associates are under indictment.
The U.S. Attorney's Office said that eight meth-amphetamine labs were dismantled and more than 60 firearms seized along with more than six thousand rounds of ammunition.
"According to the indictment one of the things (the gang) did was really cloke itself in secrecy," said U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, Barbara McQuade.
"And so anyone who attempted to disclose to law enforcement some of the activities of the group would be met with retribution — which according to that indictment, things like being beat with metal pipes and sometimes as far as murder," she said.
The government says the group is based in Macomb County, near Detroit, but has chapters in at least six other states. Metro Detroit is home to chapters in Clinton Township, Mount Clemens, Detroit, Utica and Chesterfield Township. There are reportedly also chapters in at least six other states.
TM and © Copyright 2012 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
