monkeys: Code name given to the Black Biscuit undercover operators to provide security from monitored police radio traffic, e.g., “Monkey One and Monkey Three are turning onto Main Street.”
mother chapter: The “birthplace” or original location of a motorcycle club.
mud check: A test of fortitude to see if someone can “hold his mud.”
nickel bag: A $5 bag of marijuana, usually a little under half a gram; aka “nick.”
Oaktown: Oakland, California. Unofficial “base of operations” of the Hells Angels, which was presided over by Sonny Barger until he moved to Cave Creek. Referred to by some Hells Angels as “the center of the universe.”
old lady: A female companion, usually a wife or steady girlfriend.
OMG: Outlaw motorcycle gang.
OMO: Outlaw motorcycle organization.
One Percenter: Moniker stemming from a 1947 Hollister biker riot, following which the American Motorcyclist Association stated that “ninety-nine percent of motorcycle riders are law-abiding citizens and only one percent are outlaws.”
One Percenter Diamond: The diamond-shaped “1%” patch of the One Percenter symbol. See also flash, tabs.
open carry: Refers to a state’s laws that allow the exposed and often unlicensed possession of a firearm.
OTB: “Over the bars”; euphemism for a bike crash; aka “digger,” “eat asphalt,” “nipple surf,” “superman.”
P: Abbreviation for “president” of a motorcycle club.
packing double: Two people on one bike—almost always a man driving and a woman riding. See also riding bitch style.
Panhead: A Harley-Davidson engine style in use from 1948 to 1965; so called because its cylinder head resembled a roasting pan. Other engine styles are Knucklehead (pre-1948), Shovelhead (1966–84), and V-Twin (1985 to present).
paid informant: An informant who is in the employ of law enforcement, but is not a law enforcement officer. This type of informant is a mercenary, and he or she is not working off any charges, as with a CI.
patch: Biker’s vest (see also colors, cut); also a full member, i.e., a biker who has received his center patch and rockers, denoting full membership.
Patch, the: Nickname for the Black Biscuit task force headquarters in Phoenix, short for “Pumpkin Patch.”
patch over: To give up one’s club affiliation in order to become a member of another club; can refer to an individual member or to an entire club.
poker run: A run where riders stop at various locations to receive a playing card, and at the end of which the holder of the best poker hand wins a predetermined prize.
Pinks: The Mongols’ disrespectful nickname for members of the Hells Angels (red and white make pink).
prospect: A prospective member; a member in training.
punked: To be embarrassed or humiliated; forced to show cowardice.
rat: A person who has turned informant; also the act of informing; see also snitch, CI.
rat pack: A fight in which several people severely beat a single victim; any fight in which one group vastly outnumbers another and whose aim is severe injury.
RICO: Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. A federal statute that provides for extended penalties for criminal acts performed as part of an ongoing criminal organization.
rig: A holster used to carry firearms.
riding bitch style: Two patches riding one bike, as if the one on the back were a “bitch” (a rare occurrence). See also packing double.
rocker: A curved cloth patch that resembles the shape of a rocking chair’s rocker. The top rocker contains the club’s name and is stitched on the back of the vest across the shoulders; the bottom rocker contains the member’s charter location and is stitched on the back of the vest across the waist. Together with the center patch, the rockers comprise the three-piece patch of a full member of an outlaw motorcycle club. See also center patch, three-piece patch.
Roofies: Slang for Rohypnol, a powerful hypnotic drug also known as the “date rape drug.”
run: Biker rally.
SAC: Special Agent in Charge. See also ASAC.
scooter: Motorcycle.
secretary: A club officer responsible for a charter’s paperwork, such as church “minutes” and financial accounts; aka “treasurer.”
sergeant at arms: A club officer responsible for security, weaponry, and intra-charter discipline; aka “warlord,” “enforcer.”
snitch: A person who has turned informant; also the act of informing. See also rat, CI.
SoCal: Southern California.
soft tail: A Harley-Davidson frame style with a rear suspension.
SOS: “Sons of Silence,” a Colorado Springs, Colorado, motorcycle club.
support club: A club designated to support another club; aka “duck club.”
tabs: The various small patches sewn onto the front and sometimes sides of a biker’s vest. See also flash.
TCB: “Take care of business”; i.e., to do whatever is necessary for the club.
teener: A sixteenth-ounce of narcotics, usually methamphetamine or cocaine.
three-piece patch: Collectively, the three patches found on the back of a vest worn by a member of an outlaw motorcycle club. See also center patch, patch, rocker.
tweaker: A methamphetamine user.
top rocker: See rocker.
UC: Undercover operator.
vice: Vice president of a motorcycle club; also short for vice squad, a law enforcement division dedicated to investigating vices like prostitution and gambling.
World Run: Usually an annual rally that all club members are required to attend.
Acknowledgments
OPERATION BLACK BISCUIT was conducted by numerous law enforcement officers, some not mentioned in the body of this story. Their personal sacrifices to our mission, both large and small, and the sacrifices made by their families, were no less than my own. Their omissions or limited descriptions are not intentional and are in no way meant to belittle their value. I greatly enjoyed their partnership and consider them valued friends. I’d like to thank them for their support, patience, and tolerance during our many months together. Without them I wouldn’t have made it through.
These men and women are among law enforcement’s best and brightest, and together they constituted an investigative Dream Team:
Alan “Foot” Futvoye; Andrew “Wallstreet” Worrell; Angelo “Calzone” Calderone; Bill Phillips; Billy Guinn; Blake “Bo” Boteler; Bob Swietzer; Brett Coombs; Carlos “Boxer” Baixuali; Carlos “Los” Canino; Chris “Chrisser” Bayless; Chris “Cricket” Livingstone; Chris “Elvis” Hoffman; Chuck “Big Cheese” Schoville; Craig “Triple C” Caridine; Dan “Mach One” Machonis; Dan “Rap” Raponi; Darrell “Cole” Edwards; Darrin “Koz” Kozlowski; David “Luke” Luther; Duane “Bubba” Williams; Dwayne Haddix; Eric “Big E” Harden; Eric “Otter” Rutland; Gayland Hammack; Greg “Sugarbear” Cowan; Hope MacAllister; Jenna “JJ” Maguire; Jerry Petrilli; Jessie “Breeze” Summers; Jim “Jimbo” Langley; Joe “Joey Lunchbucket” Slatalla; John “Babyface” Carr; John Ciccone; John Cooper; John “JDub” Williams; John “Johnny Mac” MacKenzie; J.P. “Sergeant” Wilson; Karen Evanoski; Kim Balog; Les Robinson; Lori Reynolds; Lou DeTiberiis; Marc “Grinder” Wood; Mark “Demon” Demas; Marty Dietz; Marvin Richardson; Michael Gillooly; Michael Kemp; Michelle White; Mike “Spike” Johnson; Mike Will; Nick “Buddha” Susuras; Nicole “Nikki” Strong; Pantano Christian Church; Paul “Pablo” Hagerty; Rachael Ehrlich; Ray Brotherson; Scott “Hydro” Hite; Sean “Spider-Man” Hoover; Shannon “Cook” Sheel; Shawn “Woody” Wood; Steve “Gundo” Gunderson; Steve “High Plains Drifter” Hauser; Steve Ott; Steve Trethewey; Tara Crubaugh; Tom Allen; Tom “Teabag” Mangan; Tracy Feminia; “Uncle” Don White; Vince “Vinnie D” Cefalu; Virginia O’Brien; William “Billy” Queen; William “Timmy” Long.
My special thanks to Nils Johnson-Shelton, who took the time to research and understand a complex story, possessed
the talent to explain it accurately, and had the courage to write a truthful and honest book.
Thanks to Adam Lawrence for helping to take one thing off my plate by securing song lyric permissions.
And, last but not least, both Nils and I would like to thank our outstanding and dedicated editor, Rick Horgan at Crown, who believed in and fought hard for this telling of my story, and Richard Pine and Libby O’Neill, our faithful and indispensable agents at Inkwell Management.
No Angel: My undercover journey to the dark heart of the Hells Angels Page 36