Richard "Smilin' Rick" Fabel, former leader of the Spokane chapter of the Hells Angels, was sentenced Monday to 7 1/2 years in prison for racketeering. Though I'm pretty sure a guy with a name like Smilin' Rick couldn't really be behind anything nasty.Fabel, who maintained his innocence, thanked his supporters, including Hells Angels from around the West who packed the courtroom. He was convicted by a jury of racketeering and conspiracy to commit racketeering specifically, mail fraud, extortion and trafficking in stolen motorcycles.Wait. I'm confused. The way this reads to me is that Smilin' Rick kept Hells Angels around that acted like Hells Angels and rewarded them for being Hells Angels because they were all Hells Angels and that's a bad thing. Knowing that the judge used this logic in his sentencing of a Hells Angel helps me to better understand the whole John Kerry/Purple Heart/Swift Boat debacle. John Kerry was a soldier who acted like a soldier and received the medal of a soldier because he was a soldier and soldiers do bad things.
While Fabel kept his distance from the most serious crimes allegedly committed by the club's members, including murder, he stocked the Spokane clubhouse with people willing to be violent, the judge said. He also rewarded them for criminal behavior that enriched the organization, Lasnik said.
While I have heard plenty of horror stories about Hells Angels, every one I've met has been a pretty nice guy. Nothing about them has made me want to prospect, but I never feared or distrusted any of them. Pretty stereotypical down and out biker guys with a good ol' boy attitude. I'd rather hang with Hells Angels than HOG riders. Then again, I don't really hang with other bikers at all.
And if Smilin' Rick had been convicted of these same crimes but been Italian and drove a Suburban everyone would love him. A different hair style may have helped, too.
2 comments:
Most of the Hells Angels I've met seemed cool on the surface. Let's face it though, they are a money making organization in the underground economy. However an acquaitance of mine had a bad rub with them. He fixes Harley's in his garage. They poisoned his pit bull and stole a bike of his. Prior to this he worked on some of their bikes and was even invited to some of their functions, but alas, in Soprano like fashion he was not one of them so was fair game to their thefts.
They are the ones who invented choppers. Stealing other folks bikes then changing around enough parts as to be untraceable.They're cool unless they're stealing your bike, then it's a different story.
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