As I got in my rental car, I heard the familiar whomp-whomp-whomp of the police helicopter. A Bandido scout went over to check out the van and came back to report that it too was filled with police officers, one of whom was taking photos with a high-powered camera. Wegers's attorney Jeffrey A . You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site. There was booze and drugs everywhere. William Big G Ojemann, a Bandidos member from 2008 until 2013, said George Wegers, who was the Bandidos president from 1998 until his arrest in 2005, had his Bandidos patches revoked by his successor, Jeffrey Fay Pike, because Wegers appeared in a report about the club. There was always someone stumbling into the bonfire and someone else shooting a pistol into the air. ", "Ex-Bandido says national president kicked predecessor out over TV interview", "Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs: Aspects of the One-Percenter Culture for Emergency Department Personnel to Consider", "Are the Bandidos Named After A Corn Chip Mascot? Mimi Swartz is a staff writer based in Houston. [23] The American chapters began wearing a redesigned patch in 2011. The state funeral for Queen Elizabeth II will take place on Monday in London, in an occasion that will mark the world's farewell to Britain's longest-reigning monarch . A two year law enforcement investigation leads to the arrest of George Wegers and 25 other Bandidos members and associates. The leadership of the club consists of an international president, known as "El Presidente", who has authority over every club chapter. In 1985, after a long undercover investigation, hundreds of federal agents and local police officers in eight states arrested nearly one hundred Bandidos and their associates on charges of narcotics trafficking. Pike, whos divorced, told me that although he would be living in it alone, he wanted it to be big enough that his two kids would have a place to stay when they came to visit him from college. Pike, of suburban Houston, has been president of the Bandidos since 2006 and was vice president under George Wegers of Washington . For a Bandido, he was relatively clean, his rap sheet consisting of just two crimes: In 1987 he paid an $800 fine after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor assault charge (he admitted stabbing a man who was arguing with him at a party), and in 1992 he received twenty months deferred adjudication after being charged with illegally wiring his house in order to steal electricity from the city of Houston. Chambers and other Bandidos made the dealers dig their own graves and then set their bodies on fire before burying them, Texas Monthly wrote. George Wegers is Dead : Death, Obituary, Cause of Death, Memorial, Funeral 360NG totally feeling remorsed to announce the death of a loved one 'George Wegers '. Get down! my father yelled, as if he thought the Bandidos might shoot us. It was all chrome and noise, he said. Obviously, said Rodriguez, Benesh didnt follow their advice. Burial will follow in the Smith-Wagers Cemetery in the Hector Community. People who worked in the nearby stores and businesses rushed outside to get a better look. The daylong hearing was a victory, at least for now, for Pike, who was ordered released on $250,000 bond. Like other outlaw motorcycle clubs, they call . This entry was posted The "1%" sign references an old saying that 99 percent of bikers are law-abiding citizens. George Wegers was the former National president of the Bandidos and lived just across the line in Bellingham where the Bandidos host that large annual Oyster run which was cancelled this year due to Covid. George Wegers, the former Bandidos national president, spent 20 months in jail after he and some other members reached a plea agreement, the Seattle Times reported. [34] Prospective members must undertake a three-stage process before being initiated, beginning as a "hangaround", before becoming a "prospect" and then "probation". Leave them blank to get signed up. Without saying a word, I bought a round for everyonea total of 96 beers. And then, as if given a silent cue, several of them lifted their hands in unison and flashed their middle fingers toward the sky. . Ojemann said he and another national member were tasked with trying to find Lammins. Ex-Bandido says national president kicked predecessor out over TV interview. Only a few went inside the church for the service to hear Chucos sister deliver a tearful eulogy, concluding with the line Oh, Chuco, I will miss your laughing and your fighting. Those who remained in the parking lot stood around their bikes. According to homicide detective Frank Rodriguez, in the days before his murder, Benesh had been receiving telephone calls from Bandidos telling him to stop wearing a vest that displayed Hells Angels patches. But would they call that entire department a criminal enterprise? The Bandidos Motorcycle Club was founded by 36-year-old dockworker Donald Eugene Chambers on March 4, 1966, in San Leon, Texas. He showed me his bicycle, which he rides eleven miles a day to stay in shape, and then he led me into the first floor of his house, which was basically a garage containing a couple of vintage automobiles and motorcycles that he was restoring. Furious, law enforcement agencies redoubled their efforts to bring the club down. [20] The Bandidos capitulated and ceded Quebec to the Hells Angels at the conclusion of the province's deadliest biker war in 2003. Chambers started the Bandidos in March 1966, when he was 36 years old and working on the ship docks in Houston. Though Wegers returned to the Bandidos after serving a 20-month prison sentence for racketeering charges, he is no longer in the club because of the documentary, Ojemann said, without specifying which one. [26] The "Fat Mexican" bears a resemblance to the Frito Bandito a cartoon mascot of the Fritos corn chips brand and according to Bandidos lore, Chambers took the club's name and logo from the mascot. The police helicopter also showed up, circling clockwise, and an unmarked van with darkened windows stopped across the street. There were more bear hugs and kisses as more Bandidos arrived. [37], The Bandidos have an estimated membership of between 2,000 and 2,500 worldwide. NU Nuggets. Are you starting to understand? he said. Theres my stuff, he said, handing me a bottle of water. In the past, he had been a member of other Houston-area motorcycle clubs, but they had bored him. Formed in San Leon, Texas in 1966, the Bandidos MC is estimated to have between 2,000 and 2,500 members[5] and 303 chapters, located in 22 countries,[4] making it the second-largest motorcycle club in the world behind the Hells Angels. [51][52], The German department of the Bandidos was chartered in 2000. The latter earned his nickname for his tendency to drink whiskey from a Log Cabin syrup bottle. Theyre at a major university right here in Texas, he said, grinning again. Kaiser-Wiegers Funeral Home. [35] The club also has nomad chapters, made up of members not bound by geographical location, which are responsible for security, counterintelligence and internal discipline. Wegers has heart problems and high blood pressure and regularly saw three different doctors. The men roared with laughter. Suddenly, the club found itself in the national spotlight: In Newsweek, they were described as the single greatest organized crime problem in Texas, and on ABCs 20/20, a young Geraldo Rivera noted that seven of the clubs eight national officers had criminal records involving drugs, guns, or violence.. We dont do TV, Ojemann testified, recalling a conversation he said he had with Pike in 2012. We were so crazy back then its amazing we are alive, said Showalter. Bandido George has copped a plea. [5] Patches denoting a member's rank and chapter are worn, as are various other patches which have specific meanings. A flask or two was passed around. The coffin was lowered into the ground, and a mariachi band sang Te vas, ngel mo (You Leave, Angel of Mine). The Bandidos have many Hispanic members, while blacks appear non-existent. We have families. I know theyre trying to pin everything on us, he said. See the Crime / In The Media section below for further information. A few nights at Mejas, then a few nights at Crystals, then back to Meja. A hospital representative said she would not release Weger's medical status. Receive the next edition of "The One Percenter Throwdown" to your inbox. The length of this process is decided by each chapter president, and ends when the chapter's members vote unanimously to allow the probationary member to enter the club. Ill be honest, it was a lot more fun back then. He looked like just another middle-aged man who had spent the morning working in the yard. [60], Like other major motorcycle clubs,[61][62][63] the Bandidos also have a number of "support" clubs. One member was nicknamed Log Cabin because he loved drinking whiskey from a Log Cabin syrup bottle. Chambers was sentenced to two consecutive life terms in prison, leading some police officials to speculate that the Bandidos, without their founder, would disband. They become Bandidos because they love being known as the badasses. The cops drive by here just about every day just to see what Im up to. He had no visible tattoos and no facial hair except for a neatly groomed goatee, and his crew cut was flecked with gray. Up in Washington, one of our Bandidos is an engineer at Microsoft.. I remember him turning down the radio and saying he wanted Galveston Johns (backside), Ojemann said. Any member who cooperates with law enforcement, for example, is susceptible to disciplinary action. Phone: (660) 584-2626. [21] In 2007, the Bandidos' Canadian chapters went defunct following the internal Shedden massacre. Edward Winterhalder was the Founder and President of the Oklahoma chapter of the Bandidos, but decided to leave the club in 2003 as he was not happy with the direction that they were heading. [70][10][71], While individual chapters had previously been banned in Germany, the Netherlands became the first country to prohibit the club as a whole in December 2017 when a court in Utrecht outlawed both the Dutch department of the Bandidos and the international organization on the grounds that the club forms a threat to public order.[72]. [6][64][65][66] These groups usually wear reverse colors (gold border with red background rather than the Bandidos' red-borderandgold background). They promised us there would be no trouble, he said hesitantly as the Bandidos parked their bikes and began hugging and kissing one another on the mouththe traditional Bandido greeting. We dont do interviews. [10][11], The Bandidos Motorcycle Club was founded by 36-year-old dockworker Donald Eugene Chambers on March 4, 1966, in San Leon, Texas. The gang is known for being unafraid to flout their identity. The new recruit was then required to put the vest back on and dry it out by riding on his motorcycle. Initially indicted on drug and gun counts that would have left him facing a minimum of 15 years and up to life in prison, Ojemann said he pleaded guilty in Houston federal court to reduced charges. Sonny Barger and the Hells Angels Creed. George Wegers, 54, was one of 32 people in Washington, Montana and South Dakota indicted last year as federal officials raided the Bellingham-based gang. said. A minister read a poem about a dead biker (Can you feel the wind in Heaven, while the men hold back the tears?), and right after he said amen, a friend of the Bandidos pulled up in a pickup with a keg of beer strapped to the bed. If you needed violence done, you put in a call to San Antonio., Ojemann said Houston had to be more laid back., It was the big boss backyard, Ojemann said. While there are no books specifically written about George Wegers, this following book details the rise of the Bandidos, written by Alex Caine who was able to infiltrate the club for 3 years. With heavy hearts, we announce the death of George Wagers (Manchester, Kentucky), who passed away on December 3, 2021 at the age of 71. Man, that Chuco was a bad motherfer, said another, wearing a T-shirt underneath his vest that read Snitches are a dying breed! Remember how he used to say that if we ever had a problem, we should handle it very, very violently?. I bought another round, and then anotherasking questions the entire time about Bandido life to anyone who would look my way. The Bandidos Outlaw Motorcycle Gang has 2,000 to 2,500 members in the U.S. and 13 other countries. Website by Jefferson Rabb. He wanted Galveston John (expletive) up.. Please received our heartfelt condolences. Then, in 1972, Chambers and two other Bandidos were arrested for shooting to death two drug dealers in El Paso over a botched sale. But when I spoke to him, he still smiled brightly at the memory of those early days when Chambers came into his life. They trade guns and stolen bike parts. [29], The Bandidos' mottos include "Cut one, we all bleed",[9] "God forgives, Bandidos don't",[1] "Our colors don't run"[30] and "We are the people our parents warned us about". [59], The first chapter opened in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates in 2016 and it is considered the first international motorcycle club to open in the Middle East. He had a passion for motorcycles from a very young age, possibly spurred on by a Harley Davidson motorcycle owned by one of his neighbours that he used to see parked out the front. Wegers had no desire to flood the clubhouses with newly patched members just to boost the motorcycle clubs membership. It was just something you dont forget, like a cowboy seeing his first train., He dropped out of high school, and in 1973 he moved with a buddy to Texaspartly because the drinking age was eighteen. A couple of years later, when he was twenty years old, he bought a big Harley Panhead. In 1998 George Wegers became the International President of the Bandidos Motorcycle Club,Jeff Pikewas the Vice President for much of this time. Appointed in 1998 by club leaders as president of the 2,400-member Bandidos Motorcycle Club, George Wegers, now 53, did launch a mini-revolution, putting an end to such warm biker traditions as . They obviously had their own business to discuss. Next to the Harleys was his Bandidos vest, hanging from a coat rack. They said Lenny would be gone all the time, riding with the club to God knows where. View Part 1, View Part 2 (links open in a new tab). It was the Bandidos founder, Donald Chambersonly he rode a Harley instead of a horse. Lenny is a grown man. Edward Winterhalders status was changed to Out in Bad Standings by the Bandidos. 2005 June, 2005. We talked about Bandidos carrying bombs with them on their motorcycles, which they used to blow up gas stations that refused to serve them. Just like the Lions Club, its members had vests and were given rules about wearing them. By the early seventies, Chambers had more than one hundred members, many of whom were restless young Vietnam veterans who, in the words of one Bandido I spoke to, had gotten bored sitting at home trying to be nice after the government had taught them how to be so bad. The original Bandidos had wild, unruly hair, scraggly beards, huge tattoos, and cigarettes sticking out of their mouths, and they went by such nicknames as Revolver, Pecker, Deadweight, Rawhide, Coonass, and Crankcase. Consider, for instance, the gold-colored courtesy card that Chambers printed up for his members to give to citizens (the word they used to describe nonmembers). They had come to pay their respects to one of their early members, Luis Bonilla, a.k.a. [ 186 more . His nickname was Spook. Thats the Bandido way.. The order was established in 1625 as the . When he started downing shots of Windsor Canadian whiskey, people learned real quick that he was not someone to mess with. In some ways, oddly, the Bandidos were not all that different from any other fraternal organization. Every man whos ever been president of the Bandidos has been brought down, and its only a matter of time before Mr. Pike gets brought down too., On an impulse, I sent an e-mail to the Web site, asking if the 51-year-old Pike would agree to an interview. [36] Another requirement is that Bandidos must follow the philosophy "All members are your brothers and your family", and must "not fear authority and have a general disdain for the rules of society". 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