Members of the notorious Vagos Motorcycle club have been indicted by by the feds. Federal prosecutors say 23 Vagos Motorcycle Club leaders, members or associates are being sought in three states on charges including racketeering, murder, kidnapping, robbery and assault.
A U.S. Justice Department statement on Friday characterized the Vagos as an outlaw motorcycle gang and said eight of the people charged were responsible for the September 2011 killing of a Hells Angels’ boss at a northern Nevada casino. Officials say the indictment filed Wednesday in Las Vegas remained sealed until all 23 defendants were in custody.
Three suspected were already arrested in Vegas, where the Vagos are one of the largest Motorcycle clubs in the area.
Those indicted from Southern Nevada are Victor Adam “Slick” Ramirez, 35, Steven Earl “Big Steve” Carr, 43, and Robert Allen “Mayhem” Coleman, of Las Vegas, officials said. James Walter “CJ” Henderson, 64, of Henderson and John “Maniak” Halgat, 39, of North Las Vegas were also indicted, officials said.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Kenneth Blanco characterized the arrests in and around Las Vegas, Reno, Los Angeles, San Jose, California, and Kailua, Hawaii, as a coordinated takedown of the Vagos.
“The indictment alleges that the Vagos gang is a highly organized criminal organization that adheres to a hierarchical chain of command, and whose members conspired to enrich the gang; to preserve, protect and enhance the power of the gang; and to keep victims in fear of the gang through acts and threats of violence,” officials wrote in a news release.
