Motorcycle club
A motorcycle club is a group of individuals whose primary interest and activities involve motorcycles.
Types of clubs, groups and organizations
Most clubs are either organized around a brand or make, or around a type of riding (e.g. touring). Motorcycle clubs vary a great deal in their objectives and organizations. Mainstream motorcycle clubs or associations typically have elected officers and directors, annual dues, and a regular publication. They may also sponsor sports events and annual or more frequent motorcycle rallies where members can socialize.
There are a great many brand clubs, i.e. clubs dedicated to a particular marque, including those sponsored by various manufacturers, modeled on the original brand club, the Harley Owners Group. There are also large national independent motorcycle clubs, for example, the BMW Motorcycle Owners of America. There are also specific clubs for women, such as Women's International Motorcycle Association, and clubs for lesbians and gays, such as Dykes on Bikes.
Diablos Motorcycle Club
The Diablos Motorcycle Club is a "one-percenter" outlaw motorcycle club that has chapters in cities across the United States. Also referred to as the Los Diablos MC.
On September 24, 1998, Diablo club member Raymond "Stoney" Stone and seven other members were charged with various crimes (including Stone's confession in his involvement in the 1992 murder of rival gang member Mike D'Amato of Wallingford, Connecticut's James Gang MC for which he would be sentenced to 20 years imprisonment).
Keith Gallagher, the vice president of the Diablos' national chapter, was indicted on charges of cocaine trafficking on January 24, 2006.
Diablos member Jerry Louis Fantauzzi was arrested on December 7, 2005, following a long-term investigation into the Diablos in Waterbury and Meriden, Connecticut. On November 20, 2006, he was sentenced to ten years imprisonment on charges of drug dealing.
On April 22, 2012, the national leader and founder of the Diablos, Jack Baltas, died at the age of 70, two days after being released from prison after being incarcerated for trafficking drugs. Current regional leaders are listed only by their pseudonyms: Conquest, Death, Famine, and War.
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