Attorneys for the Mongols described the ruling as a victory for all motorcycle clubs.
At the center of the legal battle was control of the patches that depict the club’s name and an illustration of a ponytailed, Ghengis Khan-type motorcycle rider wearing sunglasses.
The first-of-its-kind effort to convict the Mongols organization, rather than specific members, of racketeering in order to strip members of their well-known insignia
“The Mongols motorcycle club was able to defend the First Amendment for themselves and all motorcycle clubs,” said Stephen Stubbs, an attorney for the Mongols.
The judge ruled that efforts to take control of the Mongols’ insignia and patches violates the First Amendment’s freedom of speech and association protections and the Eighth Amendment’s protection against excessive fines.
In December, jurors agreed that the Mongols organization engaged in drug trafficking, vicious assaults and murder in bars and restaurants in Hollywood, Pasadena, Merced, La Mirada, Wilmington and Riverside.
The case stemmed from Operation Black Rain, a multi-agency investigation that resulted in 77 people pleading guilty to racketeering-related charges.
https://www.sbsun.com/2019/02/28/federal-judge-rules-against-u-s-governments-first-of-its-kind-effort-to-seize-mongols-motorcycle-clubs-prized-patch
At the center of the legal battle was control of the patches that depict the club’s name and an illustration of a ponytailed, Ghengis Khan-type motorcycle rider wearing sunglasses.
The first-of-its-kind effort to convict the Mongols organization, rather than specific members, of racketeering in order to strip members of their well-known insignia
“The Mongols motorcycle club was able to defend the First Amendment for themselves and all motorcycle clubs,” said Stephen Stubbs, an attorney for the Mongols.
The judge ruled that efforts to take control of the Mongols’ insignia and patches violates the First Amendment’s freedom of speech and association protections and the Eighth Amendment’s protection against excessive fines.
In December, jurors agreed that the Mongols organization engaged in drug trafficking, vicious assaults and murder in bars and restaurants in Hollywood, Pasadena, Merced, La Mirada, Wilmington and Riverside.
The case stemmed from Operation Black Rain, a multi-agency investigation that resulted in 77 people pleading guilty to racketeering-related charges.
https://www.sbsun.com/2019/02/28/federal-judge-rules-against-u-s-governments-first-of-its-kind-effort-to-seize-mongols-motorcycle-clubs-prized-patch
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