Metro Gang Task Force Arrests Bandidos Motorcycle Club Members and Their Associates

Topics:  Bandidos

U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Colorado
September 27, 2011

DENVER—Members of the Bandidos Motorcycle gang and their associates, all of whom were charged for trafficking methamphetamine and cocaine, were arrested early this morning without incident by approximately 50 agents and officers affiliated with or supporting the Metro Gang Task Force. The arrests follow a grand jury indictment obtained on September 13, 2011, which was sealed until the first defendant’s arrest. Similar enforcement actions took place this morning in Dallas, San Antonio, and Austin, Texas. Defendants were allegedly members or associates of the Bandidos Motorcycle Club. Most of those arrested this morning appeared in U.S. District Court in Denver this afternoon where they were advised of the charges pending against them, and the penalties associated with those charges.

As arrest warrants were executed this morning, agents and officers recovered eight guns.

Arrested today were:

Keith P. Allison, age 39, arrested in Golden
Ronald C. Tenorio, age 42, arrested in Denver
Edward R. Goll, age 42, arrested in Denver
Adan C. Chavez, age 29, arrested in Thornton
Tommy Freyta, age 49, arrested in Rio Grande County

One defendant, Joseph P. Windsor, age 42, was already in state custody

There are two defendants who are currently at large.

According to court documents recently filed in U.S. District Court in Denver, the Bandidos Motorcycle organization is a self styled “1 percent” “outlaw” motorcycle organization. The Bandidos are generally known as a criminal organization comprised of more than 2,000 members and associates with more than 90 chapters in the United States, Canada, Europe, and elsewhere.

“Thanks to the tenacity and hard work of the Metro Gang Task Force, members and associates of motorcycle gangs are being prosecuted for trafficking cocaine and methamphetamine,” said U.S. Attorney John Walsh. “To demonstrate the importance of this investigation, agents and officers took eight guns off the streets of Metro Denver today, making our streets safer.”

“These indictments and arrests are a result of the ongoing partnership and collaboration at the Metro Gang Task Force to neutralize the most dangerous criminal organizations that attempt to conduct illegal activities in Colorado,” said FBI Denver Special Agent James Yacone.

“This operation shows when we combine our efforts, we can make a difference,” said Denver Chief of Police Gerald Whitman. “Getting these criminals off the streets will have a positive impact in all of our communities.”

“The apprehension of several criminals today in Colorado is indicative of the kind of excellent police work that can be done when information is shared at the federal, state and local levels,” said Colonel James Wolfinbarger, Chief of the Colorado State Patrol. “I commend our state troopers and then men and women of the Metro Gang Task Force who were involved in the arrests.”

“ICE HSI routinely partners with other agencies to add our unique law enforcement authorities and expertise to many types of investigations, such as illegal drugs and street gangs,” said David M. Marwell, special agent in charge of ICE HSI in Denver.

“This is a great example of law enforcement agencies working together,” said Sean Sowards, Special Agent in Charge of IRS-Criminal Investigation, Denver Field Office. “Taking away the proceeds earned from these illegal activities hits criminals where it hurts the most—it deprives them of their profits.”

If convicted of knowingly possessing with intent to distribute methamphetamine or cocaine, the defendants face not less than 10 years, and not more than life in federal prison, as well as up to a $4,000,000 fine. If convicted of conspiracy with intent to distribute more than 50 grams of methamphetamine and more than five kilograms of cocaine, the defendants face not less than 10 years and not more than life in federal prison, and a fine of up to $4,000,000. One defendant was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm, which carries a penalty of not more than 10 years’ imprisonment and a fine of up to $250,000.

The indictment also includes an asset forfeiture allegation, which states that upon conviction of one of the violations charged in the indictment, the defendants shall forfeit to the United States and all of the defendants’ right, title, and interest in all property constituting and derived from any proceeds obtained directly or indirectly as a result of the offense, as well as all property used to commit or facilitate the offense.

This case was investigated by the Metro Gang Task Force, which includes the Adams County Sheriff’s Office, the Aurora Police Department, the Colorado Air National Guard, the Colorado State Patrol, the Commerce City Police Department, the Denver District Attorney’s Office, the Denver Police Department, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, the Rocky Mountain HIDTA, the Thornton Police Department, and the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation.

The defendants are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Guy Till.

The charges contained in the indictment are allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until found guilty.