Murdered Bandidos biker Paul Sinopoli lived modestly in a basement apartment in his parents' home in Jackson's Point, a mass murder trial heard."He certainly didn't appear to be living a lavish lifestyle," Det. Tom Dingwall of Durham Regional Police testified today."It was a very plain room for the most part," Dingwall said in the trial of six men accused of murdering Sinopoli, 30, and seven other men connected to the Greater Toronto Area chapter of the Bandidos Motorcycle Club, nicknamed "The No Surrender Crew."
Sinopoli's bullet-riddled body was found in an abandoned sport utility vehicle on the morning of April 8, 2006, left near the hamlet of Shedden.No guns, drug paraphernalia or items of much value were found in Sinopoli's room, court heard.
There were scattered papers related to his position as secretary-treasurer of the Toronto chapter of the club, with brief notations by the names of members. By the names of members who were promoted within the club was the notation, "owes a case of beer."
Sinopoli appeared to have three cellphone accounts, and there were also two black leather vests with the "Fat Mexican" crest of the Bandidos club.One of the club vests was massive, belonging to Sinopoli, whose was estimated to have weighed around 400 pounds.
The ownership of the other vest was unknown, Dingwall said.
The massive vest was returned to Sinopoli's family, so that he could be buried in it, Dingwall said.
"It was Paul's wish to be buried in the vest," Dingwall testified.
Found near Sinopoli's body in other abandoned vehicles were the bodies of Jamie Flanz, 37, of Keswick: John Muscedere, 48, of Chatham; George Jessome, 52, Luis Manny Raposo, 41, and George Kriarakis, 28, all of Toronto; Frank Salerno, 43, of Oakville; and Michael Trotta, 31, of Mississauga.Court heard that Durham Regional Police had been investigating Sinopoli for playing a role in the December 2005 murder of Shawn Douse of Keswick.Assistant Crown Attorney Fraser Kelly asked Dingwall if Douse has been an associate or member of the Hells Angels, the world's largest outlaw motorcycle club.
"Absolutely not," Dingwall replied.
Court has heard that Sinopoli had a friendly relationship with some York Region Hells Angels.The police investigator said that the Douse murder was rooted in personal tensions between Cameron Acorn of the No Surrender Crew and Douse.
"The dispute involved Shawn Douse providing drugs to Cameron Acorn's girlfriend's sister," Dingwall replied.
Facing eight first degree murder charges each are GTA Bandido Wayne Kellestine, 59, of Iona Station, west of London; Winnipeggers Michael Sandham, 39, Marcelo Aravena, 33, Brett Gardiner, 24, and Dwight Mushey, 41; and Frank Mather, 35, of no fixed address.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Monday, April 27, 2009
Leading member of the Hells Angels support group AK81, who was run down in Copenhagen
Police have found two cars involved in the hit and run of a leading member of the Hells Angels support group AK81, who was run down in Copenhagen on Sunday.Two cars and a motorbike linked to weekend gang crime incidents have been found by police in various city locationsEsben Hertz, 26, was apparently forced from his Ford Mondeo on Jagtvej Road in the Nørrebro district before being intentionally run over by a black Renault Scenic twice. Hertz is said to be in a good condition after suffering a broken arm and undergoing hip surgery.Hertz is a close friend of Jørn Jønke Nielsen, the spokesman for the Hells Angels biker gang, and has been referred to as Nielsen’s bodyguard by various media.
The Renault car used by the two perpetrators was found on nearby Tagensvej Road, while Hertz’s Ford was found burnt out in the Tingbjerg area.Police have also found the motorbike used in Saturday’s shooting, when a 20-year-old man was targeted in Nørrebro. Two men fired at least seven shots from an automatic weapon at the man as he sat in a car. The man escaped with minor injuries to his buttocks. The burnt out bike was found in Holbæk, west of the city.The latest string of incidents in the gang conflict between bikers and immigrant gangs comes after a heavy police crackdown, which saw 50 days of peace in the city.
The Renault car used by the two perpetrators was found on nearby Tagensvej Road, while Hertz’s Ford was found burnt out in the Tingbjerg area.Police have also found the motorbike used in Saturday’s shooting, when a 20-year-old man was targeted in Nørrebro. Two men fired at least seven shots from an automatic weapon at the man as he sat in a car. The man escaped with minor injuries to his buttocks. The burnt out bike was found in Holbæk, west of the city.The latest string of incidents in the gang conflict between bikers and immigrant gangs comes after a heavy police crackdown, which saw 50 days of peace in the city.
Suspected outlaw motorcycle gang member Paul Cameron Stainer charged with possession of a dangerous drug in the form of methylamphetamines.
Suspected outlaw motorcycle gang member Paul Cameron Stainer was granted bail and will re-appear in court on June 10.The 36-year-old New Zealander appeared in Maroochydore District Court today charged with possession of a dangerous drug in the form of methylamphetamines.He was one of at least 15 people arrested on Wednesday charged with a total of 35 drug-related charges in a large police operation which allegedly netted more than $250,000 in illicit drugs and more than $500,000 in cash.
Restraint orders were also placed on more than $2.5 million worth of property and assets.Another man arrested in Wednesday’s raids, William Fredericis Barker, 45, was charged with dealing with proceeds of crime worth more than $100,000 and possession of a substance, equipment or documents for manufacturing a controlled drug with intention to sell.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Sylvain Boulanger,signed a contract that will see him paid a total of $2.9-million over the course of the agreement
Sylvain Boulanger, 45, a retired member of the gang's Sherbrooke chapter who decided to begin giving evidence to investigators with the Regional Integrated Squads, signed a contract that will see him paid a total of $2.9-million over the course of the agreement, The Montreal Gazette has learned. It is believed to be the largest contract awarded to an informant in Quebec.Details of Mr. Boulanger's 19-page contract came from a source familiar with the Operation SharQc investigation and were confirmed through similar sources.Madeleine Giauque, the lead prosecutor in Operation SharQc was unavailable for comment Wednesday.Mr. Boulanger was recruited by police in 2006 and agreed to officially co-operate with investigators by June 12, 2006. The contract was signed on Sept. 21, 2007, and Mr. Boulanger received $300,000 upon signing. The contract called for him to be paid another $600,000 when more than 120 gang members and associates were rounded up last week. Almost the entire membership of the gang's five chapters in Quebec face charges in the investigation. As of Wednesday afternoon, 24 full-patch members and another three gang associates were still being sought. In all, 156 people face charges in Operation SharQc. Mr. Boulanger is also scheduled to receive four annual payments of $400,000 each over the next four years, during which he would be expected to testify in trials that emerge from Operation SharQc. A fifth payment of $400,000 will be paid out once all the court cases are settled.Mr. Boulanger's contract would pay him significantly more than the $1.75-million promised to Dany Kane, a Hells Angels underling who worked undercover while under contract with provincial police. As a member of the Rockers, a now-defunct Hells Angels affiliate gang, Mr. Kane was able to provide investigators with inside information during Operation Springtime in 2001. Kane signed the contract on March 14, 2000 but took his own life months later.At the time, Mr. Kane's contract was believed to be the largest agreed to with an informant in Quebec. However, the details behind such contracts are rarely made public.Because of the trials expected in the near future, representatives from the Regional Integrated Squads are unable to comment on Mr. Boulanger's contract.But a police source familiar with investigations into organized crime said using informants is necessary."It takes something very special to infiltrate a group like the Hells Angels. The police can't do it because during the investigation an informant might be expected to commit certain crimes. We can't place our own people in a gang like that," he said.
According to various sources, Mr. Boulanger has given investigators in Operation SharQc access to the details of meetings the Hells Angels held in July 1994, when membership across the province voted in favour of the gang war that followed. Mr. Boulanger became a full-patch member in 1993, a year before the vote was taken.
The gang's Montreal-based Nomads chapter fought a bloody war with an umbrella group called the Alliance, over control of drug turf in Montreal and Quebec City for roughly eight years. The indictment filed in Operation SharQc last week includes 22 counts of murder involving homicides carried out within the context of the war. The Crown's case will focus in part, on a section of the Criminal Code that covers parties to an offence who "form an intention in common to carry out an unlawful purpose and to assist each other therein."
As sergeant-at-arms for the Sherbrooke chapter, Mr. Boulanger had access to how every other chapter voted at that crucial moment. He reportedly retired from the gang in 2001. During the investigation, Mr. Boulanger gave investigators 23 videotaped statements and supplied piles of written statements.
According to various sources, Mr. Boulanger has given investigators in Operation SharQc access to the details of meetings the Hells Angels held in July 1994, when membership across the province voted in favour of the gang war that followed. Mr. Boulanger became a full-patch member in 1993, a year before the vote was taken.
The gang's Montreal-based Nomads chapter fought a bloody war with an umbrella group called the Alliance, over control of drug turf in Montreal and Quebec City for roughly eight years. The indictment filed in Operation SharQc last week includes 22 counts of murder involving homicides carried out within the context of the war. The Crown's case will focus in part, on a section of the Criminal Code that covers parties to an offence who "form an intention in common to carry out an unlawful purpose and to assist each other therein."
As sergeant-at-arms for the Sherbrooke chapter, Mr. Boulanger had access to how every other chapter voted at that crucial moment. He reportedly retired from the gang in 2001. During the investigation, Mr. Boulanger gave investigators 23 videotaped statements and supplied piles of written statements.
Rebels bikie gang were the target of 49 raids
Rebels bikie gang were the target of 49 raids across Australia on Thursday, with 27 people arrested on drug and weapons charges.
Police swooped on homes in Western Australia, Queensland, South Australia and the ACT is a series of coordinated dawn raids.
Nearly 250 officers were involved in rounding up the Rebels members and their "associates". Some of those arrested will face court on Friday. Police seized drugs, including methlyamphetamine, heroin and cocaine, banned weapons, cash, child pornography and stolen vehicles. They also found a large amount of gold "suspected of having been stolen". "The success of this operation is attributable to the high level of cooperation between jurisdictions and information received from members of the public," Detective Superintendent Des Bray of the Crime Gangs Task Force in South Australia said. Thirteen people were charged with 32 offences in Western Australia. Queensland police charged three men and a woman following raids in Mount Isa, Townsville, Rockhampton, Moura and Gladstone. In Canberra, three men were charged, two aged 24 and another aged 33. South Australian police on Thursday night said they wouldn't confirm they'd arrested seven people. The arrests in the ACT come a week after a man accused of shooting dead a senior Rebels member pleaded not guilty to his murder. Russell Field, 20, is facing two counts of murder following the double shooting of senior Rebels member Richard Roberts and his associate Gregory Carrigan in March. The bodies were found at a residence in Canberra's south, one in front of the home and the other in the backyard. Earlier this week, NSW police said more than 50 outlaw motorcycle gang members had been arrested since they formed Strike Force Raptor following a deadly brawl at Sydney Airport between the Hells Angels and Comanchero gangs. Raptor targets the illegal activities of gangs and aims to prevent violence by bikie members. "This is on the ground, in your face policing," NSW Police Minister Tony Kelly said on Tuesday.
Police swooped on homes in Western Australia, Queensland, South Australia and the ACT is a series of coordinated dawn raids.
Nearly 250 officers were involved in rounding up the Rebels members and their "associates". Some of those arrested will face court on Friday. Police seized drugs, including methlyamphetamine, heroin and cocaine, banned weapons, cash, child pornography and stolen vehicles. They also found a large amount of gold "suspected of having been stolen". "The success of this operation is attributable to the high level of cooperation between jurisdictions and information received from members of the public," Detective Superintendent Des Bray of the Crime Gangs Task Force in South Australia said. Thirteen people were charged with 32 offences in Western Australia. Queensland police charged three men and a woman following raids in Mount Isa, Townsville, Rockhampton, Moura and Gladstone. In Canberra, three men were charged, two aged 24 and another aged 33. South Australian police on Thursday night said they wouldn't confirm they'd arrested seven people. The arrests in the ACT come a week after a man accused of shooting dead a senior Rebels member pleaded not guilty to his murder. Russell Field, 20, is facing two counts of murder following the double shooting of senior Rebels member Richard Roberts and his associate Gregory Carrigan in March. The bodies were found at a residence in Canberra's south, one in front of the home and the other in the backyard. Earlier this week, NSW police said more than 50 outlaw motorcycle gang members had been arrested since they formed Strike Force Raptor following a deadly brawl at Sydney Airport between the Hells Angels and Comanchero gangs. Raptor targets the illegal activities of gangs and aims to prevent violence by bikie members. "This is on the ground, in your face policing," NSW Police Minister Tony Kelly said on Tuesday.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
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