 | |
| Abbreviation | DMC |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1961 [1] |
| Founder | Jack Baltas [1] |
| Founded at | San Bernardino, California, United States [1] |
| Type | Outlaw motorcycle club |
Region | United States |
The Diablos Motorcycle Club is an outlaw motorcycle club founded in San Bernardino, California in 1961 that has chapters in cities across the United States.
Originally known as Los Diablos Motorcycle Club, the club was founded in San Bernardino, California in 1961 by John J. "Cadillac Jack" Baltas, a native of Meriden, Connecticut. [1] Baltas, who served as the club's national president and was once a candidate for Meriden city council, and died in Leominster, Massachusetts on April 22, 2012, aged 70. [2] [3] Although the Diablos originated in California, the club established its most significant presence in New England. [1] [2]
The Diablos' insignia consists of a bearded, top hat-wearing devil and features a red-and-black color scheme. [1] [4] This logo, together with geographic and optional emblems, are worn by club members on their "colors". [5] Club mottos include "Diablos Forever, Forever Diablos" ("DFFD"). [1] The Diablos are a "one percenter" club. [2]
The Diablos have multiple chapters in California, Connecticut, Indiana, Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts. l Club. [1] Membership in the club is through invitation only and is open only to White males. [2] Diablos members are required to own firearms. [1] [2]
The Diablos are considered by law enforcement to be among the many second-tier, after the "Big Four", outlaw motorcycle gangs. [6]
On August 6, 1977, a group of Diablos members were attending a festival held at the Renaissance Community Center in Gill, Massachusetts. When two members of the party, a biker and a female associate, went to a package store to replenish the group's liquor supply, they were involved in an altercation with four men who were attending a company picnic which was being held a short distance from the festival. In retaliation for the beating suffered by the two, a group of Diablos traveling in three automobiles hunted down and attacked three members of the picnic, Francis M. Golembeski, Richard Melnick, and Thomas Yestramski. Yestramski was beaten and stabbed, Melnick was stabbed six times, and Golembeski was shot in the elbow. Diablos members John J. "Cadillac Jack" Baltas, John L. Meadows and Oscar Mineau were convicted of assault and battery in 1978. [5]
John E. Irvin, president of the Diablos' San Fernando Valley chapter, and Thomas E. Pastor, a former Connecticut chapter member, were convicted of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, and of using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime after they were found to be in possession of two loaded weapons and eight packages of methamphetamine when they were stopped and searched by Illinois State Police officers while traveling in a Ford Bronco near Collinsville, Illinois on January 5, 1995. [7]
On September 24, 1998, Diablos club member Raymond "Stoney" Stone and seven other members were charged with various crimes (including Stone's confession in his involvement in the 1992 murder of rival gang member Mike D'Amato of Wallingford, Connecticut's James Gang MC for which he would be sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment). [8]
Keith Gallagher, the vice president of the Diablos' national chapter, was indicted in Massachusetts on charges of cocaine trafficking on January 24, 2006. [9]
Diablos member Jerry Louis Fantauzzi was arrested on December 7, 2005, following a long-term investigation into the Diablos in Waterbury and Meriden, Connecticut. On November 20, 2006, he was sentenced to ten years imprisonment on charges of drug dealing. [10]
On April 22, 2012, the national leader and founder of the Diablos, Jack Baltas, died at the age of 70, two days after being released from prison after being incarcerated for trafficking drugs.
Diablos were involved in a mass brawl with members of the Outlaws at a bar in Plainville, Connecticut in May 2019, leaving two outlaws injured. [11]
The Outlaws Motorcycle Club, incorporated as the American Outlaws Association or its acronym, A.O.A., is an international outlaw motorcycle club. Founded in McCook, Illinois in 1935, the Outlaws MC is the oldest outlaw biker club in the world. With 441 chapters located in 43 countries, and a membership of over 3,000, the club is also the third-largest in the world, behind the Hells Angels and the Bandidos.
Pagan's Motorcycle Club, or simply the Pagans, is an outlaw motorcycle club formed by Lou Dobkin in 1957 in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The club rapidly expanded and by 1959, the Pagans, originally clad in blue denim jackets and riding Triumphs, began to evolve along the lines of the stereotypical one percenter motorcycle club.
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The Warlocks Motorcycle Club, also sometimes distinguished as the Phoenix Warlocks or the Florida Warlocks, is an international outlaw motorcycle club that was founded in 1967 in Florida, United States by ex-US naval servicemen serving on the aircraft carrier USS Shangri-La. It is a "One Percenter motorcycle club" with chapters in various parts of the United States, Canada, England, and Germany. Established by Tom "Grub" Freeland, an ex-US Navy veteran in Orlando, Florida, in 1967. The Mother Chapter is still located there. The club's founder, Tom "Grub" Freeland, died in 2019.
The Mongols Motorcycle Club, also known as the Mongol Brotherhood or Mongol Nation, is an international outlaw motorcycle club. Originally formed in Montebello, California, in 1969, the club is headquartered in Southern California. Although the Mongols' main presence lies in California, they also have chapters nationwide in 14 states and internationally in 11 countries. Law enforcement officials estimate approximately 2,000 "full-patched" members are in the club. The Mongols are the fifth-largest outlaw biker club in the world, after the Hells Angels, the Bandidos, the Outlaws and the Pagans.
The Sons of Silence Motorcycle Club (SOSMC) is an international outlaw motorcycle club. Founded in Niwot, Colorado in the United States in 1966, the club has a membership of over 250, with 35 chapters based in 12 U.S. states and in Germany. The Sons of Silence are the sixth-largest motorcycle club in the world, behind the Hells Angels, the Bandidos, the Outlaws, the Pagans and the Mongols.
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The Brother Speed Motorcycle Club is an American outlaw motorcycle club that was formed in Boise, Idaho in 1969, and is active in Idaho, Washington, and Oregon. It once was referred to by the Oregon Department of Justice as one of the nine "motorcycle clubs" active in their state.
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The Iron Horsemen Motorcycle Club (IHMC) is an American outlaw motorcycle club that was founded in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1967. Their insignia consists of a winged, metallic horse's head while their motto reads "Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, if it weren't for the Iron Horsemen, the highways would rust".
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The Warlocks Motorcycle Club, also distinguished as the Harpy Warlocks or the Philly Warlocks, is an American outlaw motorcycle club that was formed in Philadelphia in 1967. The club is most prominent in the Delaware Valley, including Philadelphia, Delaware County and South Jersey, as well as in the nearby Lehigh Valley.
The Bacchus Motorcycle Club (BMC) is an Outlaw motorcycle club in Canada. Founded during 1972 in Albert County, New Brunswick. Bacchus MC has since increased its influence, opening fifteen chapters in five Canadian provinces. It is currently the third largest Canadian established 1% motorcycle club.
The Diablos Motorcycle Club is an international outlaw motorcycle club that was founded in Pattaya, Thailand, in 1999. The Diablos are a support club for the Bandidos.
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