Biker Trials, The

by Paul Cherry

  The police found it interesting that a couple of years after joining the Rockers, Fournier disappeared for several weeks, around the same time as his boss Louis (Melou) Roy. The longtime Hells Angel disappeared off the face of the earth, and was last seen alive some time in June 2000. The police believe Roy was purged from the gang. His name stopped showing up on the gang’s membership lists, whereas others like Paul (Fon Fon) Fontaine and Richard Vallée, who turned out to have been in hiding, continued to be noted on lists seized by the police.

  Fontaine was found in May 2004, after spending more than six years in hiding. He had been made a full-patch member of the Nomads chapter on June 24, 1998, while on the lam. When the police found him, he had changed his appearance slightly by growing a beard and had gained weight. He was brought back to Montreal to learn he still faced charges for murdering a prison guard as well as the new charges brought against him in Project Rush. Fontaine’s arrest made David (Wolf) Caroll the only member of the Nomads chapter still being sought after Operation Springtime 2001.

  Another sign that Roy had been purged was that when police did an analysis of the Nomads’ accounting ledgers, investigators noticed Roy’s account with the gang was closed and his drug profits split up among the members of his former chapter in Trois Rivières. After Roy and Fournier disappeared, the police originally assumed they had both met the same fate.

  But Pif popped up again. He was arrested in Jonquiere, Quebec, much later in 2000, carrying a .357 Magnum and some cash. The cops suspected the cash came from drug sales he had made in a Jonquiere bar. It appeared that Fournier had been ordered to lay low in the aftermath of Roy’s disappearance.

  During the same Mass, Fournier’s membership was debated, the jury got a hint of just how successful the Rockers were as drug traffickers. In the videotape, Normand (Pluche) Bélanger openly complained about always having to collect the ten percent fund during Mass, and that it caused him to carry around a suitcase with a lot of money.

  Another meeting Giauque highlighted for the jury was one in which Dany Kane had worn a body pack and given the police a goldmine of evidence. The meeting was held on July 4, 2ooo,in a restaurant where Robitaille announced the new going price for a kilo of cocaine would be $50,000.

  Couture, one of the accused in the Beliveau trial, was at the meeting where the police were able to confirm their suspicions of the high level at which the Nomads chapter was operating in terms of drug trafficking. Robitaille provided an update to his underlings about the state of the Nomads empire. The Rockers present at the meeting informed Robitaille that they were collecting $30,OOO a month in the ten percent fund, a clear sign they were making at least $300,000 in profits per month in drug sales.

  Paul Brisebois was recorded asking Robitaille about Montreal North, a suburb of Montreal where drug trafficking is normally controlled by street gangs like the Bo-Gars. Robitaille responded by saying the Hells Angels did not want to leave any territory vacant.

  Pierre Laurin was also interested in Montreal North, saying the gang could do some “cleaning up” of the potential business in neighborhoods near those controlled by the Mafia. But Robitaille then mentioned that he would have to talk to Mom about Montreal North, saying the Rockers would have to respect the “Italians’” territory. They had right to what was theirs, but they should not be allowed to expand, Robitaille said, adding the Mafia controlled Little Italy and some other parts of the city, but that Montreal North was “wide open” for anyone who wanted to take it. Robitaille also lectured the Rockers on controlling the quality of their cocaine, because the Nomads chapter didn’t want it to be too cut by the time it was retailed.

  Giauque told the jury that this meeting in particular was clear evidence of a Hells Angel giving orders to the Rockers. But it also reflected a constant theme in Rockers meetings — everyone had a say but the Nomads chapter’s authority was undeniable. A key part of the gangsterism charge was whether the Rockers used the ten percent fund to buy weapons. If that had been the case, it would be easier to convince a jury that the gang was paying into a system that murdered people. Giauque pointed out one mass in particular where Rocker Pierre Provencher explained to another gang member that the ten percent fund was used to pay for the clubhouse and “for this,” while he made the sign of a gun while the videotape recorder rolled.

  Giauque also told the jury the informants who testified were not there to incriminate anyone in particular, but to facilitate a general understanding of the evidence. They were there to explain the hierarchy of the gang, Giauque said, adding that the case could have been prosecuted without the informants. They were there to support evidence, for example that “business” was the gang’s euphemism and code word for drug trafficking. The informants were able to explain why gang members were often seen talking into each other’s ears when they were captured on video.

  “Only certain people, of confidence probably, knew who really committed [a serious] crime. It is an important measure of security, because if someone became an informant they couldn’t say this person did this and that other person did that,” Giauque explained while describing the whispering as symptomatic. “They were doing it all the time.”

  The prosecutor acknowledged that informants were criminals who’d only turned when they were put into a corner. “The defense will tell you that they are witnesses who are degenerates and you should not believe them. They have good reason, on one point, they are degenerate witnesses. But here you should believe them. And why? Because they are corroborated by the evidence presented before you. It’s certain these are not people you would invite to have supper at your house. None of them. But everything they said here was uncontestable.”

  She explained her reasons for using Stéphane (Godasse) Gagné while acknowledging that the murder of two prison guards were “crapeleux” a French term for villainous that has a better emphasis than the English equivalent. She noted that Gagné was only made a striker in the Rockers for the first murder and was going to be a full-patch member of the gang after the second. It gave the jury something to consider when deciding what it took to eventually graduate to the Nomads chapter.

  Gagné was a valuable witness, Giauque told the jury, because he was able to explain the terms the gang often used. For example, when a Rocker said he was “occupied,” it was enough to explain to the other Rockers that he had an important job to do for the Nomads chapter and shouldn’t be asked questions. Giauque also felt it necessary to explain why witnesses like Peter Paradis had been called.

  “His situation was a bit different. He was the enemy, a duck, a bird, a quack-quack, call him what you want,” Giauque said drawing a few giggles from the jury. The reference was to the logo featured in the Rock Machine’s patches. It was apparently supposed to depict an eagle’s head, but it appeared cartoonish and ducklike. According to Giauque, “you probably understood, when you saw his patches, why the Hells Angels call them ducks or quack-quacks. It is very clear when we see the patches.”

  Giauque also told the jury that despite being a high-profile drug dealer in Verdun, Paradis was left so down and out in his final days as a member of the Rock Machine, he had stooped to stealing food from grocery stores. This was around the same time that Pierre Provencher had declared, during a Rockers Mass, that the east was theirs but that places in western Montreal like Verdun were still to be conquered.

  Giauque described Paradis as a regular witness and not an informant. He had already fulfilled his first contract by testifying against his former gangmates. He was out of prison when he agreed to sign the second contract, and placed his life on the line to come out of hiding and testify. Giauque also fully acknowledged that Stéphane Sirois might have been looking for revenge over his failed marriage when he decided to become an informant. The prospect of making $1OO,OOO when he was broke also didn’t hurt. “The Sirois aspect is important because it involves real evidence that directly implicates members of the organization,” she said.

  That “real evidence” i
ncluded a conversation with André Chouinard in which Sirois asked what it would take to get back into the good graces of the Nomads chapter. Chouinard told Sirois to call Jean-Guy Bourgoin. Chouinard also told Sirois to just keep working, make his own path and get as much information on their rivals as he could.

  On December 23, 1999, Sirois set up a meeting with Chouinard where he said he wanted to officially ask to be made a member of the Rockers. Chouinard said it was up to the Rockers and that they were 25 members at that point who all thought differently. He said he even felt he had lost control of them. Giauque brought up the now-infamous sushi dinner where Bourgoin said the Hells Angels had a price list rating the value of each rival gang member who was killed. But Bourgoin also explained that Sirois could climb up in the gang without killing someone, that it would just take longer. Giauque reminded the jury of the evidence they’d heard from Gagné, who testified, among other things, about the plan the Hells Angels had to level the Rock Machine hangout in Verdun.

  “It demonstrates that the identity of a person had no importance when they were part of the enemy. It is a clear evidence of the intentions of the gang to eliminate the competition through murder,” she said.

  Ronald (Popo) Paulin, a member of the Rockers.

  (John Mahoney, The Montreal Gazette)

  Down to the Nitty Gritty

  The following day, on February 4, 2004, Giauque continued her final arguments, now narrowing the evidence down to each of the accused. She asked the jury to consider several things. First, she asked them to remember a gathering on Provencher’s maple syrup farm, where several Rockers from prison made collect calls to talk to the rest of the gang. During one conversation, Ronald Paulin told Beauchamp that there were 30 members of the Rockers at that point. Beauchamp had replied, “We’re a nice clique.”

  “Don’t forget that our theory is to the effect that the Hells Angels’ Nomads [chapter] controlled the trafficking of diverse drugs while generating huge profits. The proof shown [earlier in the trial] clearly shows how it was done,” Giauque said. “It is evident from the evidence that these are not autonomous drug dealers but an association of people who dealt in drugs in a way that was highly organized.” Giauque added that videos proved things like how Beau-champ had done guard duty on Michel Rose, who was importing a lot of cocaine for the Nomads.

  She also reminded the jury that at one of Luc Bordeleau’s residences the police found several weapons and an agenda that indicated he was doing a lot of intelligence gathering for the Hells Angels, and was going to set up gang members with courses on wiretapping and courthouse research. He also had notes concerning the Café Cosenza, known to be a favourite hangout of Vito Rizzuto’s at the time. In his bathroom, underneath the mirror, Bordeleau had kept a stash of money.

  When going over André Couture’s involvement, Giauque pointed to video evidence that indicated he was heavily involved with Normand Robitaille’s drug business. Couture helped do himself in by talking very openly during some of the Masses videotaped by the police.

  André Courture, a member of the Rockers.

  “Remember that the simple fact of being at a Mass is important, very important. The full-fledged members have to attend or they would be sanctioned or have to face the Nomads. It is a significant presence for the gang and the pursuit of their activities,” Giauque said.

  On April 27, 2000, during a gang meeting at a motel, it was Couture who announced that Dubois had quit the gang. Couture was reminded that he owed $3,400 to the ten percent fund. He was videotaped saying he had no problem with paying the money. The money was due from a period when he was in prison, a clear indication that his business was operating even while he was behind bars.

  Couture had had his share of run-ins with the law while he was with the Rockers. On November 29, 1997, he was arrested after two officers patrolling the Hochelaga Maisonneuve district noticed Couture driving erratically on Bennett Street, in front of the Nomads chapter’s hangout. He had backed up into a pole left over from a former railway crossing. When the officers pulled Couture over, they asked him for his licence and registration. When he opened the glove compartment they couldn’t help but notice the chrome-plated revolver inside it.

  Couture refused to get out of the car. As the officers prepared to arrest him, they could hear someone inside the Nomads chapter’s hangout shout, “If you shoot him, we will shoot you.” One of the arresting officers would later say in court that he wanted to get out of there fast because he knew who occupied 2101 Bennett Street.

  While Couture was being processed, the police opened a sports bag he had with him. It contained a bunch of papers and a note pad. For some reason, Couture consented to having the pages photocopied by the police. He was able to plead guilty and received a $350 fine with a sentence of just two years probation.

  But the papers he allowed to be photocopied would later come back to haunt him. Some of the most damaging evidence against Couture in the megatrial was contained in those papers. His lawyer fought to have the documents excluded, because they were evidence from a previous conviction, but lost. It helped prove that Couture worked for Normand Robitaille, collecting money that dealers owed and keeping an accounts receivable. Among the papers was a to-do list citing things like “debug the vehicle” among Couture’s chores.

  Stéphane (Godasse) Gagné would later recount how Robitaille was furious with Couture when he learned the police had photocopied the documents. Couture was only supposed to have been in possession of the papers for a short while. Gagné would later explain just how important the documents were to Robitaille and the Nomads chapter, as they contained information on how Robitaille had his cocaine cut and listed some of his major clients, including one of Gagné’s brothers. But the documents also contained evidence that Robitaille was in the process of gathering personal information on every member of the Nomads chapter’s organization to help prevent people from turning informant. Gagné had testified that Maurice (Mom) Boucher once ordered everyone working with him or under him to hand over all personal information, such as their social insurance numbers. Included among the documents photocopied with Couture’s permission were personal details, like the social insurance numbers of Donald (Pup) Stockford and Walter (Nurget) Stadnick, the two Ontario members of the Nomads chapter.

  As she continued to make her final arguments, Giauque broke down the evidence the prosecution team had on each of the accused. She mentioned how when the police searched Bruno Lefebvre’s house in Sainte-Marthe-sur-le-Lac, west of Montreal, they found paperwork in the kitchen indicating he was ready to sell it for $435,000. He also had a mortgage for $15o,ooo.The police also found a document that claimed he worked for a company, earning $317 net per week. Yet Lefebvre could afford to pay $50,000 cash as a down payment on a house and was sometimes videotaped by the police driving around in a brand new Cadillac. Stéphane Sirois had said Lefebvre was introduced into the Rockers while dealing drugs for Pierre Provencher in Verdun between 1996 and 1998.n1 1997, Lefebvre took one for the team when he was shot while he and a few other Rockers were breaking up a Rock Machine drug den. But the shot didn’t come from a Rock Machine gun.

  Informant Aimé Simard testified in a trial a few years earlier that it took Lefebvre a few minutes to realize he had been shot by accident by a fellow Rocker while they were shaking down the rival drug dealers, torturing them for information on who ran the drug den. The gang was left to search for a doctor who would remove the bullet, which had lodged in Lefebvre’s upper body, without calling the police.

  While going over the evidence against Richard (Dick) Mayrand, Giauque focused on his apparent role in the brief truce between the Rock Machine and the Hells Angels. Mayrand had been present at the dinner at the Bleu Marin restaurant where the two gangs had agreed to a ceasefire. “What you have to understand of this is that the people who were present [at the dinner] and represented the two rival gangs had the authority to stop a war that had lasted for years. These were the heads of each organization
,” Giauque said.

  Giauque also used wiretaps to show that Mayrand had apparently been brought into the Nomads chapter as a leader, in particular over diplomatic issues. On November 28, 2ooo,at around 9 p.m., the police listened in as Mayrand called George Wegers, the U.S. leader of the Bandidos. Wegers lived in the west coast state of Washington. The conversation was brief but polite, considering it was between the leaders of two rival gangs.

  “How are you?” Wegers had asked. Mayrand laughed and said that things “could be better” and repeated that he was willing to take a plane to meet with Wegers somewhere “to fix something.”

  “So Mr. Mayrand was the person designated by the Hells Angels’ organization to meet a [member of the] Bandidos at the other end of the country to settle business,” Giauque said, adding it was obvious the conversation was related to the biker war. “Does this not give you an idea of Mr. Mayrand’s importance in the gang?”

  What Giauque was not able to tell the jury was that the police had tracked Mayrand to the eventual meeting with Wegers. Sûreté du Québec Sgt. Guy Ouellette was informed that the meeting was going to take place in British Columbia. Based on past experience, he figured Mayrand and Wegers would meet at the Peace Arch Park, which sits on the spot where Washington Interstate 5 meets with Highway 99 at the Canada/U.S. border. The park is a sort of no man’s land where both Mayrand and Wegers could meet without technically having to cross an international border. Both men had criminal records, and could have been arrested crossing into either country. Wegers had already been arrested years earlier for meeting with the Rock Machine in Quebec City.

  The meeting was believed to be related to something that had happened at a motorcycle show in Europe a week earlier. Several members of the Rock Machine had attended the show and were shown what their patches as new members of the Bandidos were going to look like. This was while the Hells Angels and the Rock Machine were supposed to be in a truce. Mayrand was recorded calling his former Hells Angel brother in the Montreal chapter, David (Gyrator) Giles, who had moved to B.C. to join a Hells Angels’ chapter there, asking him for bodyguards for the meeting. Giles said he would take care of it.