Fairfield Man Convicted of Being an Accessory to a Credit Union Robbery

BANGOR, ME—United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced today that, following a four-day trial in U.S. District Court in Bangor, a jury convicted Forrest T. “Teddy” Goodwin, Jr., 33, of Fairfield, of being an accessory after the fact to an armed credit union robbery. Goodwin was found not guilty on the charge of robbery.

According to trial evidence, in June 2009, Goodwin assisted Paul Garland after Garland committed an armed robbery of the Taconnet Federal Credit Union in Skowhegan, Maine. Goodwin waited outside the credit union and drove the getaway motorcycle with Garland as his passenger. Goodwin hid the motorcycle behind his residence and he and Garland left the area in Goodwin’s pickup truck.

Goodwin faces a sentence of up to 12½ years’ imprisonment and up to a $125,000 fine. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the United States Probation Office. Goodwin was detained pending imposition of sentence.

The investigation was conducted jointly by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Maine State Police, and the Fairfield and Skowhegan Police Departments.

Portland Man Pleads Guilty to Threats, Firearm Possession, and Interstate Stalking

PORTLAND, ME—United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Michael R. Thomas, 52, of Portland, pleaded guilty today to threatening members of Congress, mailing threatening communications, interstate stalking, and possessing a firearm after being convicted of a felony.

According to court records, in 2010 and 2011, Thomas sent letters threatening to kill U.S. Senator Joseph Lieberman, U.S. Representative Steve King and Maine Governor Paul LePage. From 2006 to 2011, Thomas sent a series of harassing and threatening letters to a victim in Massachusetts with the intent to cause substantial emotional distress. In March of 2011, agents executing a search warrant at Thomas’s residence in Portland found a .45 caliber pistol in his bedroom. Thomas was prohibited from possessing the firearm under federal law because of a prior felony stalking conviction in Massachusetts.

Thomas faces up to 10 years’ imprisonment each on the threats to Senator Lieberman and Representative King, the firearm possession charge and the interstate stalking charge. He faces up to 5 years’ imprisonment on the threat to Governor LePage. He also faces a fine of up to $250,000 on each count. He will be sentenced after completion of a pre-sentence report by the United States Probation Office.

The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the United States Postal Inspection Service; the U.S. Capitol Police; the Maine State Police; and the Danvers, Massachusetts Police Department.

U.S. Border Patrol Agents Receive Highest Award by CBP

Jackman and Houlton, Maine agents honored for bravery

Houlton, Maine—Seven U.S. Border Patrol agents from Maine will be honored today with prestigious awards by U.S. Customs and Border Protection Acting Commissioner David V. Aguilar in Washington D.C. for demonstrating exemplary bravery during the course of their daily duties safeguarding America from all threats.

Supervisory Border Patrol Agent Erich S. Rohr, along with Border Patrol Agents Christopher J. Dlugokinski, Gabriel Pratt, Michael Mielnicki and Abraham Reeder will receive the Border Patrol’s highest award, the Newton-Azrak Award. This recognition is for the bravery the agents displayed during the Mahaney rescue efforts on July 19, 2011 in Jackman, Maine.

Agents disregarded their own safety as they courageously crawled and dug through the wreckage and rubble during the unsuccessful attempt to rescue Border Patrol Agent Mahaney’s 5-year-old son Liam. The Mahaney family’s home was virtually destroyed by a truck carrying a full load of tree-length logs when it flipped over on its side, crashing into the two-story residence in which the family of six slept.

The Newton-Azrak award is named after Border Patrol Agents Theodore L. Newton, Jr. and George F. Azrak. Both of whom were murdered in 1967 near Oak Grove, Calif. The murders of Patrol Inspectors Newton and Azrak is considered a defining point in the history of the Border Patrol and this annual award is the highest honor that can be bestowed upon its recipients for acts of bravery or heroism. It serves as a reminder of the dangers and sacrifices demanded of the men and women who protect our Nation’s borders.

Also receiving prestigious awards today for their heroic acts is Border Patrol Agents Russell D. Radatz and Sterling W. Goldston. Each agent will be receiving the Meritorious Service Award for Valor in recognition for saving the lives of innocent passengers and bystanders from an unstable subject claiming to have a bomb.

While conducting an immigration inspection during a transportation check on March 30, 2011, Agents Radatz and Goldston were approached by passengers stating that there was a man on the bus with a bomb. Agents proceeded to board the bus to investigate when they encountered a man, who refused to exit the bus. The agents observed wire coming out of the man’s vest and an object in his hand. At that point, agents safely evacuated all other occupants from the bus then notified their local, state and federal partners of the incident. The Houlton Police Department, Aroostook County Sheriff’s Office, Maine State Police, Houlton Fire Department and Houlton EMS all responded to the scene.

After approximately five and a half hours of negotiations conducted by the Maine State Police, the individual surrendered and was taken into custody by the Maine State Police Tactical Unit.

 “Words can not describe how proud we are as an agency to have these agents working in Maine and for them to receive the highest awards from CBP for their heroic actions,” said Chief Patrol Agent Joseph Mellia, Houlton Sector, U.S. Border Patrol. “It is truly a privilege and honor to lead agents who display such valor and courage. Their disregard for their own personal safety exemplifies the commitment and honor they have to each other, and to members of the community, as they do their best to protect our Nation each day from all threats.”

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.

Outlaws Motorcycle Gang Members Found Guilty

National President, Other Leaders Convicted of Racketeering and Other Violent Crimes

WASHINGTON—The national president and three members of the American Outlaw Association (Outlaws) motorcycle gang have been found guilty of participating in a violent criminal organization by a federal jury in the Eastern District of Virginia.

U.S. Attorney Neil H. MacBride of the Eastern District of Virginia; Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division; and Edgar A. Domenech, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) Washington Field Division announced the verdict after it was accepted by U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson.

“Today’s conviction of the Outlaw’s national president strikes a crippling blow to his violent motorcycle gang,” said U.S. Attorney MacBride. “Riding a Harley doesn’t make you a criminal—but you cross the line when your motorcycle gang engages in violent criminal activity as a way of doing business. Virginia is a safe place today because ATF agents put their lives on the line to bring this case. Thanks to their sacrifice, the leadership of this gang has been brought to justice, along with the enforcers who carried out his orders.”

“Today, a Virginia jury struck back against the violence that the Outlaws motorcycle gang has been spreading in our communities,” said Assistant Attorney General Breuer. “In obtaining convictions against the gang’s national president and other members, the Justice Department is sending a strong message to organized criminal enterprises of all stripes that we will not allow them to operate without repercussion. We are committed to bringing significant prosecutions against the leaders of the country’s most notorious and violent groups.”

“This investigation would not have been a success without the dedicated and hard working agents and prosecutors that devoted several years to this undercover operation,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Edgar Domenech. “This is another example of how our agents work day in and day out to build cases against violent criminals.”

Today, the jury found Jack Rosga, aka “Milwaukee Jack,” 53, guilty of conspiring to engage in racketeering activities and conspiring to commit violence in aid of racketeering. Rosga is the national president of the Outlaws organization and is also a member of the Gold Region, Milwaukee Chapter. He faces a maximum of 20 years in prison for the racketeering charge and a maximum of three years in prison for the violence charge.

The other members of the Outlaws who were convicted today include:

Mark Jason Fiel, aka “Jason,” 37, a former Outlaws member in the Copper Region and a former leader in the Manassas/Shenandoah Valley Chapter. Fiel was convicted of conspiring to engage in racketeering activities and conspiring to commit violence in aid of racketeering.

Harry Rhyne McCall, 53, an Outlaws member in the Copper Region, Lexington, N.C., Chapter. McCall was convicted of conspiring to engage in racketeering activities, conspiring to commit violence in aid of racketeering, violence in aid of racketeering, and possession of firearms in furtherance of a crime of violence. The violence in aid of racketeering charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, while the firearm charge carries a consecutive sentence of five years up to life in prison.

Christopher Timbers, aka “Alibi,” 38, an Outlaws member in the Manassas/Shenandoah Valley Chapter of the Copper Region. Timbers was convicted of conspiring to engage in racketeering activities, conspiring to commit violence in aid of racketeering, and violence in aid of racketeering. Timbers was acquitted of one count of possession of firearms in furtherance of a crime of violence.

Also today, Dennis Haldermann, aka “Chew Chew,” 46, a member of the Pagans Motorcycle Club from Chesterfield, Va., was acquitted of a violence in aid of racketeering charge.

Sentencing for Rosga, Fiel, McCall, and Timbers is scheduled for April 8, 2011.

Evidence at trial showed that the Outlaws motorcycle gang is a highly organized criminal enterprise with a defined, multi-level chain of command that is ultimately overseen by Rosga, the national president. Leaders and members of the Outlaws in multiple states including Wisconsin, Maine, Montana, North Carolina, Tennessee, South Carolina, and Virginia are charged in a June 2010 indictment. Under Rosga’s leadership, the enterprise is alleged to have engaged in violent racketeering activities with the intent to expand its influence and to control various parts of the country against rival motorcycle gangs, particularly the Hell’s Angels.

According to evidence at trial, the Outlaws planned multiple acts of violence against rival motorcycle gangs, including shows of force at the Cycle Expo in Henrico County, Va., in 2006; Dinwiddie Racetrack in Virginia in 2008; the Cockades Bar in Petersburg, Va., in 2009; Daytona Bike Week in Florida in 2009; and the Easyrider Bike Expo in Charlotte, N.C., in 2010. The indictment alleges that in the Cockades Bar show of force, members of the Pagans Motorcycle Club joined the Outlaws in the assault against rival gangs.

In addition, the evidence at trial showed that in 2008, the Outlaws established a clubhouse in Rock Hill, S.C., in territory traditionally controlled by the Hell’s Angels. The Outlaws understood that this act would create violent friction between the two organizations.

Evidence at trial also established that in September 2009, two members of the Outlaws were assaulted in Connecticut by members of the Hell’s Angels. This caused the Outlaws to increase their already violent approach to the Hell’s Angels in retaliation. In October 2009, this led to the alleged attempted murder of a Hell’s Angels member outside the Hell’s Angels’ clubhouse in Canaan, Maine. The victim was seriously injured from gunshot wounds to his neck.

In addition, the evidence showed that on April 17, 2010, Outlaw members of the Milwaukee and other Wisconsin chapters in the Gold Region, participated in a charitable event known as the Flood Run, crossing from Wisconsin into Minnesota where they brutally beat members of the Hell’s Angels and stole their club patches, also known as “colors.”

Witnesses at the trial also testified that the Outlaws regularly used and distributed narcotics and regularly used firearms or other dangers weapons.

The four men convicted today are among 27 individuals indicted in June 2010 as a result of a long-term investigation into criminal activities of the Outlaws motorcycle gang. To date, 17 of those indicted have pled guilty and one was previously convicted in an earlier trial.

The case was investigated by the ATF’s Washington Field Division; the FBI’s Washington Field Office; the Virginia State Police; the Chesterfield County Police Department; the Maine State Police, and numerous other law enforcement partners throughout the country. The prosecution was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dennis Fitzpatrick and Peter S. Duffey, Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Sam Kaplan, and Trial Attorney Theryn G. Gibbons of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division’s Gang Unit.