Hells Angels Research Paper

One organized criminal enterprise that is still relevant today is Hells Angels; while it began back in 1948, it continues to have a heavy presence today as the group is constantly working to change their image in which the public and law enforcement view them as dangerous. These outlaw gangs earn up to $1 billion a year worldwide from drug dealing, prostitution, gunrunning, theft, extortion, and murder; this specific organization would have gained much money from trafficking meth and cocaine in the beginning, but have now witched to other items including firearms (Serwer, 2012). They were known to make and distribute “crank” (hide meth under crankshaft) before Mexican cartels doing ephedrine importation and illicit meth lab production; cooked

The best way they thought to achieve this is to, “…employ high-dollar attorneys and public relations fronts to deceive the national media and public into believing that they’re just as good old boys who ride motorcycles as a hobby and don’t mean to hurt anyone” (Valdemar, 2011); they and the other 1% outlaw clubs conduct highly publicized toy runs to benefit disadvantaged children, and have celebrities ride with them to show support. One of Hells Angels’ attempts to show a different side was through supporting tourist season in Cody, Wyoming by showing up to that specific location. This event, however, caused Cody police department to request outside help – FBI, Division of Criminal Investigation and the ATF; "You know, as the police chief, you're really caught in a situation where if something happens and you're not prepared, people will criticize you," said Cody Police Chief Perry Rockvam. "They'll look at you and say, ‘Well this is the Hells Angels, how could you not be prepared? You know, they have a reputation” (Hill, 2014). In an attempt to keep this organization away from being labeled as an enterprise, it is doing its best to become decentralized organization, yet still communicate effectively as individual units. Most are now coming from

Therefore, calculated movements into a community’s commercial life through ownership of legitimate businesses are expected” (Lyman & Potter, 2015, p. 74); this cover allows for the concealment of illegal activities. The benefits in doing this type of business include harassment of business competitors, extra capital for joint investment ventures, and opportunities for collaborating with management to control labor unions (Lyman & Potter, 2015, p. 75). These employment opportunities it would only seem as though this aspect is very limited, as one would need to be a part of the gang to seek these employment opportunities. By this, it is meant that the so-called legitimate part of it in selling merchandise and donating items would both benefit that of the gang and the children in need. In terms of the racketeering that is done, it is suggested that the illicit income for those providing services would be very minimal as it appears as though the gang is the one that is making doing everything, and selling to the community and not necessarily giving them a chance for this income because they don’t rely on them necessarily. While they have tried to move far away from criminal acts, the “legitimate” business that they front is now focused on using their name and creating products that will benefit them financially. However, this action does not take away from the racketeering charges that they have faced by