The Devils Diciples Motorcycle Club (DDMC) is an outlaw motorcycle club that was founded in Fontana, California in 1967. The word outlaw carries a specific meaning which does not imply criminal intent, but rather means the club is not sanctioned by the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) and does not adhere to the AMA's rules. The club originally had six members, and the word "disciples" was intentionally misspelled to distance themselves from any type of religion. Their insignia is a motorcycle wheel with two tridents crossing over it. In the United States, the club has chapters in Alabama, Arizona, California, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada and Ohio. The headquarters of the club are in Los Angeles, California, There are around 350 full-patched members in the club. With approximately another 100 in their support club The Sinisters
Controversies
Since 1995, a number of members of the club have been accused or convicted of selling or manufacturing illegal substances.
In November 2006, the U.S. District Court in Detroit closed its first major methamphetamine case with the sentencing of two Devils Diciples members and five associates in connection to manufacturing methamphetamine.
In an investigation into the club begun in 2002, prosecutors in 2009 requested dropping the last remaining charges against the club's national president, Jeff "Fat Dog" Garvin Smith, "to avoid compromising an ongoing investigation and because the interests of justice require it." Charges against 17 other club members or associates had been dropped in April. These charges included drug trafficking and other offenses, brought when 18 alleged members of the Devils Diciples were arrested on April 2, 2009 by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. During the raid, 42 firearms, 3,000 rounds of ammunition, three bullet-proof vests, $12,000, 15 casino-style slot machines, 1,000 Vicodin and OxyContin pills, 1½ pounds of methamphetamine and 55 pounds of marijuana were seized. The remaining charges Smith was to be tried for were being "a violent felon in possession of body armor" as well as "using a communications facility (a telephone) in furtherance of drug trafficking".
New Baltimore, Michigan District Court Judge Paul Cassidy was investigated in April 2009 for allegedly giving Devils Diciples members preferential treatment. He is a boyhood friend of their National President Jeff Garvin Smith. Cassidy announced his retirement after his home and office were searched as part of the investigation of the Devils Diciples. In 2011, Stephen J. Kinzey, a kinesiology professor at California State University, San Bernardino, was accused of smuggling methamphetamine while part of the gang.
Duane "Dog" Chapman, now an anti-crime celebrity bounty hunter, was associated with the club during his adolescence.
July 2012, 31 Devils Diciples members in Michigan and Alabama were arrested by the FBI. More than 60 firearms and more than 6,000 rounds of ammunition were seized during this investigation. In addition, eight methamphetamine manufacturing laboratories were dismantled. Smith and five other members were convicted in Federal court in 2015 of various offenses. As of July 2015, sentencing had been delayed until 2016.
References
External links
- Official website
