Leaders of the Detroit Highwaymen Found Guilty of Racketeering, Drug, and Weapons Charges

Six leaders of the Detroit Highwaymen Motorcycle Club were found guilty on a variety of charges, including conspiracy to violate federal racketeering laws and conspiracy to commit murder, along with controlled substance, stolen property, and firearm violations, United States Attorney Barbara L. McQuade announced. These six defendants are the first of 91 Detroit Highwaymen members and associates to go to trial.

United States Attorney McQuade was joined in the announcement by Special Agent in Charge Andrew G. Arena, Federal Bureau of Investigation. Leonard “Dad” Moore, 61, Joseph “Little Joe” Whiting, 56, Anthony “Mad Anthony” Clark, 52, Michael “Cocoa” Cicchetti, 55, Aref “Scarfare” Nagi, 46, and Gary “Junior” Ball Jr., 44, were found guilty today by a federal jury in United States District Court empaneled before Judge Nancy G. Edmunds. The jury deliberated for approximately 25 hours before returning the verdict, concluding a two-month long trial.

United States Attorney Barbara L. McQuade said, “Violent crime is a top priority of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and we will use all of the tools available to us to attack violent criminal organizations like this one.”

“Dismantling violent gangs is a continuing priority for the FBI. This verdict is the direct result of joint efforts with our federal, state and local law enforcement partners, and we will continue to work diligently with our colleagues to investigate and eradicate gangs and the violence they perpetrate,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Andrew G. Arena. “Together we are committed to restoring safety and security to our neighborhoods.”

The Highwaymen Motorcycle Club is headquartered in southwest Detroit and has numerous chapters in the city of Detroit, in several cities in southeast Michigan, and has chapters in other states. Prosecutors were able to prove the violent nature of the club when witnesses testified to a range of criminal activity including armed robbery, attempted murder, conspiracies to kill witnesses, use of firearms during acts of violence, and the distribution of large amounts of marijuana, cocaine, and steroids.

Evidence at trial also established the highly structured organization and chain of the command of the Highwaymen. These six defendants represented many of the officers, or bosses, of the enterprise. Evidence also showed that other members of the club were heavily involved in narcotics trafficking and theft offenses.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and their Violent Crime Task Force, with the assistance of the Brownstown Township Police Department, Detroit Police Department, Wayne County Sheriff’s Department and the Michigan State Police. FBI Special Agent Ted Brzezinski was the lead case agent responsible for handling and coordinating the multi-year investigative effort.

Each defendant faces a potential life sentence due to the nature of the offenses. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney’s Diane Marion and Christopher Graveline.

Tweet

Jon Burge Compared to Al Capone by Jury Prospect?

A prospective juror accused of likening former Chicago Police Commander. Jon Burge to infamous mob boss Al Capone told a federal judge she did not recall saying that.

The juror was called in early this morning after another juror told the court Tuesday that the woman said that Burge, who is on trial for lying about the torturing suspects during the 70s and 80s, was like Capone because "he got away with a lot of stuff and now they're trying to hang him."

When asked about the alleged statement, the juror told U.S. District Court Judge Joan Lefkow, "I do not recall that."

Lefkow conferred privately with both sides and sent the woman back to the pool of prospective jurors.

Prior to questioning the juror, Burge attorney Marc Martin asked Lefkow to individually question each of the 43 prospective jurors about whether they had seen any news reports on the trial since Tuesday, saying the the alleged Capone statement was widely reported and was prejudicial to his client.

Lefkow agreed to question the panel as a group, and said she and the attorneys could later decide what to do with any prospective jurors who admitted to seeing or hearing news accounts of Tuesday's proceedings.

Opening statements are expected today in the trial. Jury selection is slated to wrap up earlier in the day.

Burge is charged with obstruction of justice and perjury for lying about torture that allegedly occurred in the 1970s and 1980s. He faces up to 45 years in prison if convicted on all
counts.

The trial is expected to take six weeks.

Thanks to Matthew Walberg

Tweet

Art Bilek, Mob Fighting Former Cop, to Head the Chicago Crime Commission

A former Chicago cop with decades of experience battling organized crime has been appointed to lead the Chicago Crime Commission.

Art Bilek, 80, helped arrest the “Burglars in Blue” — North Side cops fencing stolen goods — in 1960, and helped break up the Chicago Outfit’s “floating craps game” in the mid-1960s.

He says he plans to reintroduce a program that began in the 1920s: a “Most Wanted” top 10 list for Chicago.

He plans to continue the commission’s work identifying the city’s powerful street gang leaders, who he said pose a “far more serious problem than the Outfit in today’s Chicago,” and to continue campaigning against video gambling machines.

“If you asked 100 Chicagoans to identify who controls the drug trade, you probably wouldn't get a single name,” he said, “We want to change that.”

Bilek, Cook County Sheriff Richard Ogilvie’s police chief in the 1960s, founded the criminal justice department at the University of Illinois at Chicago and led corporate security for Hilton Hotels and First National Bank of Chicago.

Thanks to Kim Janssen

Tweet