Final Members of Outlaw Motorcycle Gang Sentenced on Racketeering Conspiracy Charges

Topics:  Wheels of Soul

U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Missouri
April 23, 2013

ST LOUIS, MO—Anthony Robinson, a/k/a “Blade,” formerly of Chicago, was sentenced today to two terms of imprisonment of life without the possibility of parole by Chief United States District Judge Catherine D. Perry in St. Louis. Robinson was one of seven defendants convicted by a jury in December 2012 of racketeering conspiracy and other crimes. Also sentenced today was Jerry L. Peteet, a/k/a “Angel,” once a well-known criminal defense attorney in Gary, Indiana. Peteet was sentenced to a term of 276 months in prison. Robinson, Peteet, and 22 other defendants were indicted as part of a vast federal investigation into the Wheels of Soul Outlaw Motorcycle Club, a nationwide organization based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Wheels of Soul claim to be the largest mixed-race “outlaw” motorcycle club in the United States, with more than 400 members and chapters in at least 25 states nationwide.

The investigation into the Wheels of Soul began in St. Louis in 2009 and was undertaken by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, St. Louis Field Division. In August 2009, St. Louis chapter President Dominic Henley, a/k/a “Bishop,” and Timothy Balle, a/k/a “T,” committed an armed robbery in which they stole the motorcycle club “colors” of two local St. Louis residents. Days later, Henley and Balle were involved in an altercation at the clubhouse of another local St. Louis motorcycle club, during which they shot and killed a member of the Sin City Titans. Henley and Balle were sentenced last week to 204 and 96 months in prison, respectively. When sentencing Dominic Henley, the judge told him that he was responsible for the Sin City Titan member’s death.

The St. Louis chapter of the Wheels of Soul was part of the Mid-West Region of the organization, which included chapters in Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Illinois. At one time, the Wheels of Soul maintained two chapters in the Chicago area—the Westside Chapter located at 16th and Keeler and the Southside Chapter located in the 7400 block of Racine. Given the scale of the investigation, the FBI St. Louis contacted law enforcement partners in Chicago and learned that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Chicago Police Department had also begun an investigation of the Wheels of Soul. The CPD and ATF immediately agreed to join their investigation with the parallel one in St. Louis.

On June 9, 2011, a grand jury sitting in the Eastern District of Missouri returned a federal indictment charging Robinson and others with racketeering conspiracy and other federal crimes, including violent crime in aid of racketeering-murder. Robinson was arrested at his home in Chicago on July 12, 2011.

Most of the indicted members of the Wheels of Soul pled guilty, admitting their involvement in the racketeering conspiracy. Some also admitted to having committed violent crimes in furtherance of the conspiracy. Other defendants proceeded to trial in October 2012. The trial lasted roughly 35 days and involved more than 60 witnesses. The jury deliberated for eight days before returning guilty verdicts on all seven remaining defendants.

“The collective effort of law enforcement, corrections, and prosecutors in seven states reflects that justice has no tolerance for violent gangs and that this gang’s very existence fuels sheer violence in the community. ATF will continue to target violent gangs that are responsible for gun violence in our cities,” stated Larry Ford, ATF Special Agent in Charge, Chicago Field Division.

Federal and state law enforcement agencies across the country lent their assistance to the investigation of the Wheels of Soul. The Office of the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri extends its appreciation to the following for their invaluable contributions:

Federal Bureau of Investigation-St. Louis Field Division
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives-Chicago Field Division
Chicago Police Department
St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department
St. Louis County Police Department
Marion (Ohio) Police Department
Gary (Indiana) Police Department
United States Marshals Service
Federal Bureau of Investigation-Philadelphia Field Division
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives-Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives-Denver, Colorado
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives-Louisville, Kentucky
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives-Youngstown/Columbus, Ohio
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives-Sacramento, California
Federal Bureau of Prisons
Office of the State’s Attorney for Cook County, Illinois
Indianapolis Police Department
Columbus (Ohio) Police Department

Office of the State’s Attorney for LaPorte County, Indiana, and the Offices of the United States Attorneys for the following Districts:

Northern Illinois
Eastern Pennsylvania
Northern Ohio
Northern Indiana
Eastern Wisconsin
Western Kentucky
Colorado