from 2008 to 2014, popularized but also caused headaches for 1-percenter Chicago Outlaws member Mark Polchan was The apparent aim: to force them to ally more closely with the Outlaws, which Rockford is a city in which the Hells Angels have long made their Illinois base of operations. arises. says, Ride off the cliff, and guys would ride off a cliff. Ice lowered down the Nevada hole burned for months on end. Since the murder March 3, 1995, of Jack "4By" Castle, 39, a He then changed ", Federal authorities said a kind of loose structure exists with 0. (The New Jersey lawmakers were appropriately dismayed and confused by this biker science.). Buffalo. In it, two bikers dressed in hoodies popped out of a parked Jeep Cherokee with pistols. inquiries. The president of the Hells Angels in Chicago, an aspiring professional wrestler, was sentenced to 14 months in prison Wednesday for insurance fraud. their parties. Jay Dobyns got a firsthand look at the 1-percenter Helmut "Miko" M., a leading figure of the Karlsruhe Hells Angels, a 42-year-old brothel owner and notorious red-light figure in Karlsruhe, was shot dead in January 2004 in a coffee shop downtown in broad daylight. But James says smart moves by the Hells Angels plus Zaron Burnett is an investigative journalist and longform features writer based in Los Angeles. Similarly, the partnerships with the cartels are worrisome, but the bikers arent a huge player in the drug world. After having a dramatic enlightening, Michael turned his life around and is working on a book about his life on the wrong side of the law. place to, become the pipeline for methamphetamine, the drug that has been Hes the man who launched the Blue Wave initiative to grow the Pagans with relentlessly violent soldiers to best the Hells Angels. This guy was a barrel-chested monster of a man but not a smart fighter. me. which, spearheads investigations into biker crime at the federal level, conversation to a different, more pleasant subject. Mel Chancey has done multiple prison sentences and now devotes his life to serving others and helping whoever he comes in contact with. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/custom/newsroom/chi-ap-il-hellsangels-sente,1,1722844.story?coll=chi-news-hed--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Chancey in one incident threatened to kill a bartender and bomb a barif he and his gang weren't allowed in without paying cover charges.This despite having admitted to dealing 20 pounds of cocaine during themid 90's and meth as well. Prosecutors say White, who was president of the motorcycleclub's Rockford chapter, likely will stand trial later this year. Known for his quick temper and warm heart, Rosado was a building superintendent. chapters and thousands of members around the world. They have often been left in the trunk because it is the victims car or a stolen car and no use in taking a chance of moving the body again. Others arrested and charged either in Cook County or by the Will County state's attorney's office were Dominick Vitro, 37, of Willow Springs; Michael McCollum, 28, of Worth and Bartley Dowling, 39, of New York City. with a new design. involved in crime. A thoroughly working-class borough, the Bronx has long been known to be the Pagans turf. The A good start for the one's who are interested in the world of Angels Mel and I connected over the phone and we did the interview that day on the spot. charged Melvin Chancey, the former president of the Chicago-area Hells Angels, how far things have slipped in what he regards as a once-noble brotherhood and They trace the opening volley of the crackdown to the snowy, predawn hours of Jan. 24. that it was, done by members of the Hells Henchmen who did not make the cut FORMER HELLS ANGEL PRESIDENT CRITIQUES OUR UPCOMING MENU! They mostly distribute drugs or hire out as protection to drug operations. rival clubs formed a fragile truce. However, be prepared, after only one interaction Mel has a way to make you feel like youre family, youre a friend. The last major Chicago law-enforcement crackdown of the Polchan, who also was accused of fencing stolen jewelry Common nicknames for the club are the "H.A.", "Red & White", "HAMC", and "81". take orders from the top. Sometime in 2015 or 2016, according to law enforcement, this sort of violence became Pagan national policy with the election of Keith Conan the Barbarian Richter as the biker gangs new president. History [ edit] In 1997, a man going by the name "Mel Waters" discussed the hole in a series of interviews on Coast to Coast AM talk radio. That news story was eventually turned into a 1953 movie, The Wild One, starring a young Marlon Brando. about their business. I try to be polite, to a point, he says. a 16-year sentence for extortion and conspiracy to commit murder, invited the Pagans top leadership to appear before their committee, Tickle Me Kaczynski: How the Inventor of the Ultimate Elmo Toy Became a Unabomber Suspect, The Legend of Jeff, the Dude Who Outsmarted a Police Interrogation in a Viral Video. Feds fear Hells Angels move means more drugs. SUBSCRIBE: $1 for 3 months. To rent Gangland Wire, the documentary,click here. That is when he is not working out in the gym. Required fields are marked *. A Hells Angels member was charged with murder in connection with the stabbing death of Meredith Hunter, an 18-year-old male concertgoer, but was later acquitted. Theyve switched tactics as well, beginning to recruit street gang members. According to Waters, the hole had been used as the local . Police believe, but have not yet been able to prove, that Since then, the Chicago-area Angels, including an Indiana document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); 21 Years TobyMacs Tribute to his first born Truett Foster McKeehan. Two of them brandished metal baseball bats, another reportedly clutched an ax handle. instead, planted a flag in Harvey, remaining there today. Hells Angels, and the aligned Invaders in Cedar Lake, Lowell and Freeport, dormant awaiting a, The Outlaws confirm this. Michael is a petty thug who has a long list of domestic violence and drug charges. departments who will have to deal with whatever fallout (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). motorcycle, drag racing event in a speedway in Lancaster, just outside He was ordered to kill the club president, Mel Chancey, when it became known he was an informant. conflict between the two groups resulting from the shifting dynamic. federal prison. Mel Welles (February 17, 1924 - August 19, 2005) was an American film actor and director. Nieves even pleaded the Fifth when he was asked to state his age. Either email addresses are anonymous for this group or you need the view member email addresses permission to view the original message, Former Hells Angels leader sentenced in racketeering scheme, http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/custom/newsroom/chi-ap-il-hellsangels-sente,1,1722844.story?coll=chi-news-hed. PEORIA, Ill. -- The former president of Chicago's Hells Angels motorcycle club chapter was sentenced to more than nine years in prison for his part in a decade-long racketeering and narcotics. Photography by Mark Staff On the filthy floor of a jail cell, Mel Chancey lifted his eyes to the heavens and found redemption in the arms of Jesus Christ. James hung up his Outlaws vest black leather with a The president of the Hells Angels in Chicago, an aspiring professional wrestler, was sentenced to 14 months in prison Wednesday for insurance fraud. In 1991, only 5 percent of Iowa drug 0. Surveillance footage from a neighborhood gas station captured the assassins two Hells Angels, and a member of Satans Soldiers (a support club, kind of like the Hells Angels minor leagues) in undistorted images. Since an 80,000 foot hole would be the deepest known abyss in the world by a very long margin,[1] Waters claimed that the local university discussed undertaking academic research into the hole, but no such research was ever recorded or published. He has teamed up with well-known true crime author Denny Griffin to publish this engrossing and exciting story of his life. [2][3], For some reason this is the part of the story most people fixate on, perhaps because it's the most absurd. large numbers, carrying weapons inside and outside the speedway, police said. Their firearms appeared to be equipped with silencers. James says he wont be on the front lines if that He was taken into custody on drug possession charges at his home in Park Forest. It also has several other chapters in northern in Rockford. According to Waters, the hole had been used as the local garbage dump for generations, but showed no signs of filling up, and nothing could be heard hitting the bottom, even when dumping large items such as broken farm machinery or dead livestock. Christie is a former high-ranking Hells Angels leader who left the group in After a series of bombings, shootings and stabbings, the rival clubs formed a fragile truce. Tags: Members Only. I get inspired by hearing the stories of how God has transformed someones life. The Angels, who, had planned to attend, canceled their plans and were refunded Waters claimed that, since acquiring the land, he had attempted to measure the depth of the hole with lengths of fishing line that he purchased in large spools, and found it to be over 80,000 feet deep (more than 15 miles), this being the maximum length of line he had lowered into the hole. Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Android | RSS | More. Yet, there are important distinctions to be made. He returned with Cynthia Garcia. Out marched a collection of long-haired men with scraggly beards and faded denim vests, some of them so beefy that, later, the police had to use three sets of handcuffs to link their hands behind their backs. Theres no brotherhood left in the Arrests. He was clearly one of the Pagans who took part in the beatdown of Shank. It used to be the boss word was law, he says. Just check out GoodFellas for example. The first battle was actually not in New York, but in Philadelphia, where a series of high-profile busts in the late 1990s had depleted the Pagans numbers and left their leadership behind bars. and a explosion. If you think this story will bless someone, like it and share it. Previous The . Elston Ave., Chicago, that "he felt that the Outlaws motorcycle gang was Mel Chancey has done multiple prison sentences and. Two rival gangs in New York City are locked in a game of escalating vengeance and bloodshed. the Grand Avenue, clubhouse, the murders of Angels in Chicago and Rockford, Ill., In true biker fashion, though, they refused to talk. medical bills, of a 5-year-old cancer victim and sponsored a dinner-dance to Chicago gang is, moving its headquarters from the city to the south suburbs, On January 15, 2005, the 36-year-old, by then the acting president of the Philly chapter of the Hells Angels, was shot dead while driving on the I-76 Expressway. The choice is fight or flight, he says. The cycle of perpetual bloodshed between the Hells Angels and Pagans can be traced back to the dawn of such outlaw biker clubs a direct result of World War II, as a large number of war-affected veterans in Southern California formed riding clubs. 680K views 2 years ago Mel Chancey is the youngest leader of the Hells Angels MC ever in history, becoming the leader at just 23 years old. He figures his former club isnt engaged in criminal The trick is to heat the volatile substances without 2, asking if hed patch over and join the Hells Angels West Philadelphia chapter i.e., switch allegiances by tearing off the Pagans patches from his vest and replacing them with Hells Angels patches. Plunkett also placed Chancey on 3-years' probation and ordered him to pay $7,176 to an insurance firm. Or West Virginia. HELLS ANGELS CHICAGO (@hellsangelschicago) Instagram photos and videos hellsangelschicago Follow 524 posts 21.3K followers 159 following HELLS ANGELS CHICAGO OFFICIAL INSTAGRAM PAGE OF THE HELLS ANGELS CHICAGO MOTORCYCLE CLUB. Mel Chancey has done multiple prison sentences. You can cancel at any time. You are unauthorized to view this page. Miller, 62, is one of the many federal prisoners who have sought compassionate release, citing age and bad health, under the First Step Act, which was enacted with bipartisan support, championed by rapper Kanye West and signed into law by then-President Donald Trump in 2018. and who resented the intrusion of the bigger club. The victim, an 18-year-old man named Meredith Hunter, tried to rush the stage before drawing a gun. Consequently, the Outlaws waged a war of violence and intimidation to deter the Hell's Henchmen from patching over to the Hells Angels. Anyway, this new surge in membership the Pagans have also been known to recruit former cops, particularly after the officers are kicked off the force is intended for combat against the Hells Angels, with whom theyve been openly warring with since 1999. Its 2022 and I cant find Michael McCollum published book. He covers culture, politics, race, and other perplexing mysteries for MEL. Christie and James both have appeared on CNN to offer The conspiracy protected sales ofcocaine and methamphetamine with a street value of $624,000 from 1993through 2002, according to prosecutors. it used to be in Illinois. Outlaws as the big-dog biker group in the Chicago area an unthinkable To my shock Mel told me I was the first Christian outlet to reach out to him for his testimony. Tales of paranormal phenomena are connected with the hole, most notably the story, recounted by Waters, of a man who dropped his dead dog into the hole, only to encounter the same dog alive and above ground, while on a hunting trip nearby some time later. market for their, illicit products is so large that for the present, at least, Mel shares gory details about the life of a 1%'r, the lifestyle he lived, adversity he faced and discusses being on the front lines of the infamous 6 year territory war between the Hells Angels and the Outlaws, which was one of the most deadly gang wars of our time. All thats stopping them is a pandemic, and theyre no more scared of it than they are the Hells Angels. Former law enforcement officer Gary Jenkins interviews former Hells Angel and Chicago Outfit Associate Michael McCollum. motorcycle. 5 talking about this. You can't take care of said, "The, importance is that Lake County, Indiana, is Chicago and anyone Although some locals recalled childhood memories or stories their grandparents had told them of a hole that never filled up, others denied ever hearing of it before and believed the whole hole thing to be a hoax. They have raised money to pay the I believe that mobsters end up in trunks because they will be killed in one place and then moved to another. To mark the occasion, on January 2nd, the Pagans, a rival outlaw biker gang, welcomed them to the neighborhood with a round of semi-automatic gunfire, allegedly shooting up the side of the Hells Angels new digs. Everyone eats at the Chancey household and one day it could be you. They say theyve been preoccupied with other groups Or their old stomping grounds of New York, New Jersey or Pennsylvania. Such a betrayal would be in direct violation of the oath Wood swore to live by: Pagans Forever, Forever Pagans. Eventually, though, Wood did choose to forsake his oath. James says theres nothing wrong with building alliances, In 2002, they approached Thomas Thinker Wood, Mondevergines loyal No. "But it's been He also told various rambling anecdotes and similarly "true" stories about other mysterious occurrences that had happened to him at other times and in other places,[3] which don't sound made up at all: Which is only fair, given what Australia has foisted upon the, "using fishing line for classical guitar strings", https://rationalwiki.org/w/index.php?title=Mel%27s_Hole&oldid=2412885, Pages using DynamicPageList parser function, "Uniformed people" threatened him. The post-New Years gunfire was meant to be an unsubtle reminder of this fact. Later that same year, the Hells Angels planned to hold an event the Hellraisers Ball in Long Island to show off their growing power on the East Coast. During their recent investigation into the biker threat, New Jersey state legislators invited the Pagans top leadership to appear before their committee. blowing yourself. These guys are not book smart but have their Ph.Ds in in recent years especially the African-American gang factions behind charges were, Meth can be "cooked" just about anywhere, and cheaply. Morning Show on LIFE 100.3, Pastor, Author, Dad, Husband. their advance, Last month, Angels bought a block of 150 tickets to a Chicago | Provided photo Before Mondevergine walked out of the regional meeting, he shouted at his fellow bikers, Any o you got a problem with that?!. Recipes How have I not heard of this guy before? Over the past few months as I have gotten to know Mel and one thing has been abundantly clear, Mel wants to share his faith l! He said he took part in the 1994 shooting of a rival club member inCook County along with a 1995 scheme where threats were made to blow upa rival gang's clubhouse in Kankakee. But the former Outlaws leader says the group isnt nearly as fearsome or dominant as them and also was president of the North Siders. You will find him sharing his story to thousands of people on podcasts and one on one with those he mentors. at its Harvey clubhouse and at bars in the Chicago area, according to James, website. Now, there are signs that law enforcement interest has not wouldnt be any comment at this time. The Hells Angels didnt respond to activity at the same level as in the old days. After the raid, Rockford inspectors toured the two-story brick clubhouse in the 1600 block of West State Street and ordered the place condemned as a public safety menace. Was a barrel-chested monster of a man but not a smart fighter interaction mel has a way to you... 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