MICHIGAN RESIDENTS AND MOTORCYCLE CLUB MEMBERS CONVICTED OF RACKETEERING-RELATED CRIMES

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
Wednesday, May 27, 2015
Members of Phantom Outlaw Motorcycle Club Convicted of Violent Racketeering-Related Crimes

Today, a federal jury in Detroit convicted two members of the violent Phantom Outlaw Motorcycle Club, one of whom also was a member of the Vice Lords street gang, on separate crimes of conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering, and assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering and a firearms offense.

Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Barbara L. McQuade of the Eastern District of Michigan, Special Agent in Charge Robin Shoemaker of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) Detroit Field Division and Special Agent in Charge Paul M. Abbate of the FBI’s Detroit Field Division made the announcement.

“The dismantling of the Phantom Outlaw Motorcycle Club demonstrates how law enforcement authorities and community members can work hand-in-hand to combat gang violence across the nation,” said Assistant Attorney General Caldwell.  “In this case, law enforcement unquestionably saved lives by making a wave of arrests to prevent a planned nationwide campaign of violence against a rival motorcycle gang.  The verdict in this case holds violent gang members accountable for the destruction they inflicted and the havoc they intended to wreak.”

“The Detroit One initiative targets criminal gang members like these defendants, who are responsible for gun violence in neighborhoods,” said U.S. Attorney McQuade.  “We hope that removing dangerous trigger pullers will give our communities the peaceful quality of life we all deserve.”

“ATF works every day with our partners to take the most violent offenders off our streets and put them behind bars,” said Special Agent in Charge S. Robin Shoemaker.  “Without partnership, without standing up against the violence, no public safety issues can be solved.  ATF is committed to this fight, and committed to working together to keep our citizen safe and our communities livable.”

“The defendants in this case were active members of violent criminal groups, one of which was based in Detroit and operated across numerous, and sometimes distant, states,” said Special Agent in Charge Abbate.  “These convictions reflect our continuing resolve through interstate cooperation between federal, state and local law enforcement authorities to prevent violent crime regardless of how far its reach may extend.”

The jury convicted the defendants of the following offenses:

Christopher Odum (aka Murder), 29, of Detroit, a member of the Detroit chapters of both the Phantoms and the Vice Lords, was convicted of conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering.

William Frazier (aka Daytona), 37, of Auburn Hills, the Vice President of the Pontiac, Michigan, chapter of the Phantoms, was convicted of two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering, and one count of using and carrying firearms during and in relation to a crime of violence.

The evidence showed that the Phantom Outlaw Motorcycle Club and its members were involved in a range of criminal activity including conspiracy to commit murder, shootings, robberies, extortion and the possession and sale of stolen vehicles and motorcycles.  The evidence also showed overlap between the leadership of the Phantoms and membership in the Vice Lords street gang, which assisted the Phantoms in various criminal endeavors, including searching for and violently attacking rivals of the Phantoms.

Specifically, the evidence at trial demonstrated that, on Oct. 27, 2012, at the Columbus, Ohio clubhouse of the Toros Motorcycle Club, a fight took place between the Phantoms and the Zulus Motorcycle Club, a rival gang.  During the fight, William Frazier, a Phantom member, shot two men.

The evidence at trial also showed that, on Sept. 8, 2013, Antonio Johnson, who was both the National President of the Phantoms and the “Three-Star General” over the Vice Lords in Michigan, ordered numerous Phantoms, including Christopher Odum, to rob the Satan Sidekicks Motorcycle Club, a rival motorcycle club.  During the attempted robbery, a Phantom member, Bryan Sorrell (aka PC) shot a Satan Sidekick member in the face.  A few days later, Odum and another Phantom violently assaulted a prospective member of the Satan Sidekicks during another attempted robbery at a gas station.

Additionally, according to the evidence presented at trial, Johnson blamed the Hell Lovers Outlaw Motorcycle Club for a September 2013 murder of a Phantoms member, and ordered retaliatory murders that were to be carried out in three phases.  In the first phase, the Phantoms were to murder at least three members of the Hell Lovers in Detroit in order to lure additional Hell Lovers to Michigan for the funeral.  In the second phase, the Phantoms were to murder all members of the Hell Lovers who would be at the Hell Lovers’ Detroit clubhouse following the funeral.  In the third phase, the Phantoms were to kill Hell Lovers in other cities throughout the country where the Phantoms had chapters.  In October 2013, ATF and FBI agents disrupted the mass murder plot.  At trial, the government presented evidence that, at the time that investigators disrupted the murder plot, the Phantoms were preparing for the first phase, including stockpiling firearms, conducting research and surveillance of their intended victims, and assigning Phantom members and Vice Lords members to stalk and murder the intended victims.  Odum participated in the murder plot.

This was the second of two recent trials in the prosecution of the Phantoms.  On March 16, 2015, a jury convicted six leaders and members of the Phantoms, many of whom also were leaders and members of the Vice Lords, for various crimes, including the September – October 2013 murder plot against the Hell Lovers and the September 2013 shooting of the Satan Sidekicks member.  Among those six convicted defendants were Johnson and Marvin Nicholson, who was both the National Enforcer of the Phantoms and a member of the Vice Lords.  The charges included RICO conspiracy involving murder, conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering, assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering, firearms offenses, and assault on federal officers.  In addition, four defendants previously have pleaded guilty to charges, including RICO conspiracy and assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering, and await sentencing.

The arrests in this case were made as part of the Detroit One Initiative, a collaborative effort between law enforcement and the community to reduce homicide and other violent crime in Detroit, and through the lead efforts of the Comprehensive Violence Reduction Partnership Task Force, which consists of representatives of the ATF, Detroit Police Department, Michigan State Police, Michigan Department of Corrections and the FBI.  By working collaboratively, local, state and federal law enforcement are striving to maximize their ability to identify and arrest the persons and groups initiating the violence in Detroit.  These convictions are a tangible and significant result of this joint effort.

The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Joseph Wheatley of the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Graveline and Louis Gabel of the Eastern District of Michigan.

ATTORNEY GENERAL HOLDER TESTIFIES BEFORE SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE

FROM:  JUSTICE DEPARTMENT 
Attorney General Eric Holder Testifies Before the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary
~ Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Chairman Leahy, Ranking Member Grassley, and Members of the Committee: thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today to discuss the recent achievements and the ongoing priorities of the U.S. Department of Justice.

I would like to thank Members of Congress for coming together earlier this month to pass a bipartisan budget agreement that restores the Department’s funding to pre-sequestration levels.  We are reviewing this legislation to determine its impact on specific programs and components, but we anticipate that it will provide for the hiring of additional federal agents, prosecutors, and other essential staff.  This will allow us to invest in innovative programs, to keep supporting state and local law enforcement agencies, and to continue building upon the outstanding work that my colleagues have made possible over the past year.

As I have often said, the Department’s top priority must always be the protection of the American people from terrorism and other national security threats.  Since I last appeared before this Committee, we have continued to strengthen key intelligence-gathering capabilities; to refine our ability to identify and disrupt potential terrorist plots; and to ensure that those charged with terrorism-related offenses can be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.  As President Obama noted in a speech at the Justice Department roughly two weeks ago, in carrying out this work it is imperative that we continue striving to protect our national security while upholding the civil liberties we all hold dear.  On Monday, we took a significant step forward in this regard when the Department acted to allow more detailed disclosures about the number of national security orders and requests that are issued to communications providers; the number of customer accounts targeted under those orders and requests; and the underlying legal authorities.

Through these new reporting methods, communications providers will be permitted to disclose more information than ever before to their customers.  Allowing disclosure of this aggregate data will resolve an important area of concern to communications providers and the public.  And in the weeks ahead, as we move forward with the timely implementation of this and other reforms directed by the President, my colleagues and I will work closely with members of this Committee and other Congressional leaders to determine the best path forward.

We also will continue enforcing essential privacy protections and other safeguards concerning data possessed by government as well as the private sector.  The Department of Justice takes seriously reports of any data breach, particularly those involving personally identifiable or financial information, and looks into allegations that are brought to its attention.  While we generally do not discuss specific matters under investigation, I can confirm the Department is investigating the breach involving the U.S. retailer, Target.  And we are committed to working to find not only the perpetrators of these sorts of data breaches – but also any individuals and groups who exploit that data via credit card fraud.

Beyond this important work, the Department will continue to build on the progress we have seen in confronting a wide variety of other threats and challenges – from combating drug and human trafficking, to addressing cyber-attacks, protecting Americans from violent crime, and taking common-sense steps to reduce gun violence.  Earlier this month, the Department strengthened the federal background check system by clarifying federal rules concerning mental health-based prohibitions on firearm purchases.  Under the leadership of our Civil Division, we are working diligently with our federal agency partners to implement the Supreme Court’s ruling, in United States v. Windsor, to make real the promise of equal protection under the law for all American families – and to extend applicable federal benefits to married same-sex couples.  And we are vigorously enforcing federal voting protections – and working with Congressional leaders from both parties to refine and strengthen the proposals that Congress is currently considering – to help ensure that every eligible American has access to the franchise.

In addition, last year – as part of our ongoing efforts to hold accountable those whose conduct sowed the seeds of the mortgage crisis – the Department filed suits against Bank of America and the ratings firm S&P.  In November, the Department reached a $13 billion settlement with JP Morgan Chase & Co. – the largest settlement with any single entity in American history – to resolve federal and state civil claims related to the company’s mortgage securitization process.  These results demonstrate that no firm, no matter how profitable, is above the law.  And they reinforce our commitment to integrity and equal justice in every case, in every circumstance, and in every community.

This commitment is also reflected in the new “Smart on Crime” initiative I announced this past August – to strengthen our federal criminal justice system; to increase our emphasis on proven diversion, rehabilitation, and reentry programs; and to reduce unnecessary collateral consequences for those seeking to rejoin their communities.  As part of the “Smart on Crime” approach, I mandated a significant change to the Justice Department’s charging policies to ensure that people accused of certain low-level federal drug crimes will face sentences appropriate to their individual conduct – and that stringent mandatory minimum sentences will be reserved for the most serious criminals.  Alongside other important reforms, this change will make our criminal justice system not only fairer, but also more efficient.  And it will complement proposals like the bipartisan Smarter Sentencing Act – introduced by Senators Dick Durbin and Mike Lee – which would give judges more discretion in determining appropriate sentences for people convicted of certain federal drug crimes.

I look forward to working with Chairman Leahy, distinguished members of this Committee, and other leaders who have shown a commitment to common-sense sentencing reform – like Senator Rand Paul – to help advance this and other legislation.  I thank you all, once again, for your continued support of the Department of Justice.  And I would be happy to answer any questions you may have.