Hogsett Announces Sentencing of Two Outlaws Motorcycle Club Members |
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Topics: Outlaws
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U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Indiana
February 21, 2013
Pair were Convicted of Various Crimes for Their Roles in the Criminal Enterprise
INDIANAPOLIS—Joseph H. Hogsett, the United States Attorney, announced today that Kent D. Whitinger, a/k/a Flush, age 49, of Indianapolis, and Steve A. Reynolds, age 38, of Fort Wayne, were sentenced to prison by U.S. District Judge Tanya Walton-Pratt this afternoon.
Whitinger was sentenced to 87 months (seven years, three months) in federal prison, and Reynolds was sentenced to 70 months (five years, 10 months). This follows their guilty pleas under the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization (RICO) statute for their roles in the operation of the Outlaws Motorcycle Club.
“This office is committed to ending organized crime in Indianapolis, and Judge Walton-Pratt made clear today the serious consequences of participating in gang activity in this city,” Hogsett said. “We hope these sentences send a loud message across the state: if you are peddling guns, drugs, and violence on our streets, federal law enforcement is coming for you.”
In the 70-page, 37-count charging document filed in July 2012, it is alleged that members of Indianapolis OMC engaged in organized criminal activity in Indianapolis and across the state. The indictment charges the 42 alleged gang members with a wide variety of offenses, including racketeering, mail fraud, money laundering, extortion, drug charges, wire fraud, witness tampering, and operating an illegal gambling operation. In October 2012, nine additional club members were charged by the U.S. Attorney’s Office as part of an ongoing investigation. Both individuals sentenced today admitted that they committed a variety of crimes in furtherance of the Outlaws Motorcycle Club. Whitinger, a member of the Indianapolis chapter of the club, engaged in money laundering, gambling, extortion, witness tampering, and cocaine distribution. Reynolds, a member of the Fort Wayne chapter, engaged in extortion and the distribution of prescription drugs.
According to Senior Litigation Counsel Bradley A. Blackington, who prosecuted the two defendants for the government, this case was the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Safe Streets Task Force. Blackington noted that in addition to their prison terms, both defendants were also sentenced to five years of supervised release following their release from federal prison.
The conditions of supervised release subject both defendants to random urinalysis and random searches of their persons, vehicles, and residences by probation officers. The conditions of supervised release also forbid both defendants from affiliating with members of motorcycle clubs, including the Outlaws.