Edition 3-25-06

THE SAHIB MOTOR CORPS
and
The Hoosier Bar
3^RD ANNUAL POKER RUN

SUNDAY, APRIL 9, 2006

Proceeds Benefit: The Children of the Shrine Hospital Tampa
$10 per hand
Last stop and party at: Hoosier Bar 748 S. Tamiami Tr. Osprey,
REGISTRATION AT: Fruitville Library(Coburn & Fruitville Rd just east of I-75 exit 210)

Registration starts 9:30 First Bike out 10:30
Last Bike out 11:30 Last Bike in 1:30

LIVE MUSIC, FOOD, DRINKS, VENDERS,
50/50 , DOOR PRIZES & DRAWINGS
INFO: Call Theo at (941) 377-2834 OR Shamrocksj@aol.com

I went last year while still living in Fl and had a blast. FLFLHTC

Carlie Brucia's Killer Is Sentenced to Death

CHIP LITHERLAND/The Associated Press By TODD RUGER New York Times Regional Newspapers SARASOTA -- Before Circuit Judge Andrew Owens sentenced Joseph P. Smith to die Wednesday, he spoke of what he described as Carlie Brucia's "unspeakable terror."

Carlie's stepfather, Steve Kansler, wept as Owens described to the packed courtroom how Smith snatched the 11-year-old girl in front of carwash surveillance cameras on Feb 1, 2004.

He rubbed his eyes as Owens talked in detail about Smith's weekslong trial in November, when a jury found him guilty of having "rough sex" with her, binding her hands and strangling her.

As Owens sentenced Smith, 39, to die, Smith's mother, Patricia Davis, sobbed into the tissue at her mouth.
Kansler looked toward the ceiling in relief.

Davis left the courtroom almost hysterical immediately after the hearing.

Owens explained to Smith in detail how he weighed the aggravating and mitigating factors in the case: "The scales of justice tilt unquestionably to the side of death."

The ruling was not unexpected. A jury recommended 10-2 that Smith die for the crimes. Owens was required to give that recommendation "great weight."

Carlie's parents were not there to hear the sentence. Her father did not come in from New York, and her mother remains in Pinellas County jail on cocaine possession charges.

Kansler said he'd execute Smith if they'd let him, but having his stepdaughter's killer on death row didn't bring him any comfort.

"I thought I'd feel different, but I still hurt," he said. "Now it's just a matter of time to wait to watch Joseph Smith die."

Smith's lawyer, Assistant Public Defender Adam Tebrugge, said the sentencing isn't the end.

"If Joseph Smith had been sentenced to life in prison, this would have been the end of it," he said. "Now the terrible facts of this case will be endlessly rehashed in legal opinions and law books."

Smith goes to the end of a 360person line on death row, Tebrugge said. Five people have been executed in past four years in Florida, he said. All of those asked to be executed.

Prosecutor Debra Johnes Riva said that of all cases, Smith's deserved the death penalty.

She called it a case where "people can have confidence in the death penalty and have confidence the right person was convicted."

Owens agreed, telling Smith that the aggravating circumstances -- Smith's previous felony convictions, Carlie's age and the capital felony being especially heinous, atrocious or cruel "far outweigh" any mitigating circumstances.

Owens found Smith's actions were "purposeful, deliberate and planned" and he took "systematic steps" to avoid detection. He pointed to witnesses who said Smith acted normally that day.

Smith was also sentenced to life in prison without the chance of parole for the kidnapping and rape convictions.

Todd Ruger writes for the HeraldTribune in Sarasota.

From Gophercentral.com St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, was not actually Irish. He was born on March 17 around AD 385, somewhere in Roman Britain, possibly near Dumbarton, Scotland. At 16, he was captured by Irish raiders looking for slaves and he was taken there to tend sheep. After six years of slavery, he ran away and ended up wandering through southern Gaul (France) and Italy. There, he had a vision from God which told him to return to Ireland and convert the pagans to Christianity. Returning to Ireland around 432, St. Patrick did missionary work until he died in 464. The country of Ireland went into mourning. The first St. Patrick's Day celebration in the United States was in 1737 in Boston. Liquid soap is handy and a lot less messy for the bath- room, but it can seem pricey when you buy it. To keep the cost down, dilute it with water, in the ratio of 1/3 water to 2/3 soap. It still has plenty of cleaning power and you're paying a third less for it. Costa Rica Consular Information Sheet March 15, 2006 COUNTRY DESCRIPTION: Costa Rica is a middle-income, developing country with a strong democratic tradition. Tourist facilities are extensive and generally adequate. The capital is San Jose. English is a second language for many Costa Ricans. ENTRY/EXIT REQUIREMENTS: For entry into Costa Rica, U.S. citizens must present valid passports that will not expire for at least thirty days after arrival. Passports should be in good condition; Costa Rican immigration will deny entry if the passport is damaged in any way. Costa Rican authorities generally permit U.S. citizens to stay up to ninety days; to stay beyond the period granted, travelers must submit an application for an extension to the Office of Temporary Permits in the Costa Rican Department of Immigration. Tourist visas are usually not extended except under special circumstances, and extension requests are evaluated on a case-by-case basis. There is a departure tax for short-term visitors. Tourists who stay over ninety days may experience a delay at the airport when departing. Persons who overstayed previously may be denied entry to Costa Rica. Costa Rican immigration authorities permit tourists to carry photocopies of the passport datapage and Costa Rican entry stamp on their persons, leaving the original passport in a hotel safe or other secure place. Due to the high incidence of theft of passports, travelers who carry their passports are urged to place them securely in an inside pocket, and to keep a copy of the passport data page in a separate place. Jim Ross Speaks On Return At Saturday Night's Main Event Story By: Steve Carrier The following is from WWE.com: Immediately after the news broke that Jim Ross would be returning at Saturday Night's Main Event this weekend on NBC, WWE.com talked to the legendary announcer to get his feelings on his come back, the Hall of Fame, the state of WWE and more. Below is just a sample of what J.R. had to say. Check back Tuesday morning for the interview in its entirety. WWE.com: Are there any hard feelings between you and WWE management, most notably Mr. McMahon? Jim Ross: Well, there's no doubt who the bull in the woods is. That's Mr. McMahon. And he's a very difficult man to like. He gives you a lot of reasons not to like him. But it's like living in tornado alley here in Oklahoma. You have to respect the dangerous winds that come through and take precautions when they come near you. That's how I look at my relationship with Mr. McMahon I want to be respectful of his power, and give him plenty of room to operate. But I still plan on coming back and having some fun and leave the past in the past. I feel like it's a fresh start for me. As for hard feelings, I don't have any hard feelings any more than a normal guy would on how things materialized and how I left the air. I can't change what occurred, so all I could do is try to affect the future. Remember to check back here Tuesday morning for the entire interview. You won't believe some of the other things J.R. had to say about Mr. McMahon. Keeping Wicker Looking Like New.... To keep wicker furniture from turning yellow, wash with a solution of warm salt water. To prevent it from drying out, apply lemon oil every so often. Don't let your wicker freeze because it will cause splitting and cracking. MILWAUKEE, Mar 24, 2006 (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service via COMTEX) -- Harley-Davidson Inc. will take a small but significant step next month in its efforts to break into the vast Chinese market when it opens its first dealership on the mainland, the Milwaukee motorcycle company announced Thursday. China is one of only a few international markets that stymies Harley, which exports to more than 60 nations and outsells its Japanese rivals individually on their own turf. A tangle of Chinese motorcycle license restrictions and urban rider bans have deterred Harley in the past from opening a single dealership, knowing that sales will be too low to justify the expense and concerned that any marketing missteps could tarnish the company's carefully cultivated image.	U.S. case vs. Hells Angels fizzles Racketeering counts dismissed Dennis Wagner The Arizona Republic Mar. 13, 2006 12:00 AM A much ballyhooed racketeering case against Arizona's Hells Angels Motorcycle Club has all but ended in federal court with the U.S. Attorney's Office dismissing charges against some defendants and settling for lesser convictions against the rest. When the two-year sting known as Operation Black Biscuit became public in 2003, it was touted as the most successful infiltration ever of the notorious biker group. Undercover agents were feted in Washington, with Top Cop awards from the National Association of Police Officers. The government's case of drug violations, gun running, murder, racketeering and other crimes came to a close Wednesday, in part because of a feud between federal prosecutors and undercover agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. advertisement The result: • Authorities failed to convict any of the 16 defendants on the key charge of racketeering, or running a criminal enterprise. • Half of those indicted were given plea deals on lesser offenses. • Federal charges against five others were dismissed. • Under the indictment, most of the bikers faced possible life terms. As a result of plea deals, none will serve more than five years in federal prison. The U.S. Attorney's Office described the outcome as a "good thing" because eight defendants pleaded guilty. "This is but one of many cases brought against the Hells Angels around the country, in Canada and around the world," office spokeswoman Sandy Raynor said in an e-mail. Joe Abodeely, attorney for Tucson Hells Angels President Craig T. Kelly, whose charges were dismissed, scoffed: "I was a prosecutor for 15 years, and this wasn't a 'good' result. Talk about spin . . . The government tried to prosecute some people simply because they were Hells Angels. This was a waste of time, effort and taxpayers' money." The U.S. Attorney's Office had no cost figure for the case, which included years of work by undercover agents, prosecutors and public defenders. Brian Russo, who represents former Mesa Hells Angels President Robert Johnston Jr., put the public expense in "millions and millions of dollars." National investigation The Arizona crackdown was part of a national Hells Angels sweep led by ATF agents. In July 2003, raids were conducted statewide, as well as in California, Nevada and Washington. The indictment here targeted three charter presidents with club members and associates. With help from moles, ATF agents spent two years penetrating Hells Angels, attending drug parties and becoming privy to alleged murder plots against rival gangs. Investigators described the club as a criminal syndicate, not a fraternity of motorcycle enthusiasts. Guns, drugs and thousands of records were seized. But defense attorneys claimed the government's case was based on lying "snitches" who fabricated evidence and took part in beatings, drug dealing and other crimes while employed by federal agents. In recent months, Hells Angels lawyers pressed the government for evidence that could be used to discredit those paid informers. That led to a dispute between prosecutors and the lead ATF agent, Joseph Slatalla, concerning 1,800 pages of investigative records that never were disclosed to the defense. Rather than meet legal requirements to disclose information to the defense, federal lawyers offered plea deals to defendants, some of whom accepted. Then, as a Feb. 24 deadline arrived, charges against the remaining subjects were dismissed. Legal grappling continues, including motions by some defendants to have their plea agreements overturned. While defense attorneys touted the outcome as a Hells Angels victory, they expressed disappointment that the government was not forced to disclose all of its evidence. "I do believe they're covering up some serious mishap in this investigation," said Patricia Gitre, attorney for defendant Kevin Augustiniak of Mesa. "There's something going on here that we're not supposed to know." Gitre said that details of misconduct by ATF informers have been described in court: One paid operative failed to tell his handlers that he had participated in a murder. Another became a "snitch" to avoid prosecution, then got busted with methamphetamines. Regarding those problems, spokeswoman Raynor said, "There are always issues in dealing with cases requiring the use of confidential informants. None of the issues occurring in this matter is novel." Protecting informers? The case involved thousands of reports, audio recordings and videotapes. Prosecutors fought disclosure by arguing that informers would be in peril if the Hells Angels got hold of sensitive information. In October, U.S. District Judge David Campbell ordered the U.S. Attorney's Criminal Division chief into his courtroom and rebuked prosecutors for making "inaccurate, inconsistent and sometimes legally incorrect statements." Last month, as a discovery deadline arrived and questionnaires were prepared for prospective jurors, the government shifted gears. First, defendants were offered plea deals. Then, as the date arrived, federal lawyers dismissed all remaining charges. That worked for everyone except Augustiniak, a biker whose indictment involves the 2001 murder of 44-year-old Cynthia Yvonne Garcia after a party at the Hells Angels' clubhouse in Mesa. As federal attorneys moved to drop charges, Maricopa County prosecutors obtained a state indictment against Augustiniak for the murder. Defense lawyers Gitre and Jerry Hernandez complained that the government was playing a "shell game," shifting from one court to another to avoid turning over hidden files. Garcia's slaying is the most grisly crime in the Arizona saga. According to law enforcement records, the victim was beaten unconscious by Augustiniak and two other men, then driven to a remote area north of Mesa and stabbed more than two dozen times. The second suspect, Paul Eischeid, is a fugitive. The third, Michael C. Kramer, is a key ATF informer who did not reveal his role in the crime to agents until he had spent months as a paid operative. Kramer is the only person involved who was convicted of racketeering. His guilty plea, which was sealed, includes no prison time. Much of the courtroom battle focused on information about Kramer, who infiltrated Hells Angels charters in the West. Gitre said the government has carried out a campaign to withhold exculpatory evidence and information that would discredit witnesses. Judge Campbell ordered prosecutors to submit a sealed explanation for its dismissal of the case against Augustiniak. After reading that document, Campbell concluded that federal lawyers were acting in good faith to protect "legitimately confidential" information. The information remained sealed, and the case was closed. "This is just reprehensible what they're doing," Gitre said of prosecutors. "You know, justice is about seeking the truth . . . And Cynthia Garcia has gotten no justice at all. What do they tell her parents, her children?" While Augustiniak awaits trial in Superior Court, fugitive Eischeid apparently added insult to injury with an Internet taunt at federal agents: "Catch me if you can," says the note with Eischeid's photograph at myspace.com, a Web site. "The ladies call me blue eyes . . . I live to ride for the Hells Angels." It is unclear whether Eischeid is responsible for creating the Web page. One other target in the probe is on the offensive: Michael Coffelt, who was wounded by a police sniper in a 2003 raid at a biker clubhouse in Phoenix, is suing in U.S. District Court. He was arrested on state charges, but a judge who ruled that agents acted improperly when they swarmed the clubhouse dismissed the allegations.
In a statement Thursday, Harley said it chose an established motorcycle retailer in Beijing as its business partner to launch Harley's first showroom venue for its mirrored-chrome two-wheelers. The Chinese dealer, Feng Huo Lun , will operate the Harley outlet. The new dealership is strategically situated between Beijing's downtown business district and the outer city limits, out of bounds of Beijing's motorcycle riding restrictions. The dealership will have an initial staff of 14, with a grand opening in early April. It will be the motorcycle maker's first outlet in China since at least World War II. It will offer a full range of Harley bikes, service and apparel. Harley's announcement, tempering expectations of early sales, said it "expects market entry into China to be a gradual process." "We are proud to be in Beijing," David Foley, a Harley executive based in China, said in a statement. "The quality of the Beijing Harley-Davidson dealership experience will be first-class in every respect." Feng Huo Lun is headed by its owner, Wan Jidong, who Harley said has more than 10 years' experience selling high-end motorcycles in China. "Harley-Davidson has selected one of the most well-established retailers of imported motorcycles in China," Foley said. --- By John Schmid Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
By DEAN PRITCHARD, COURT REPORTER An undercover informant instrumental in the arrest of several high-ranking Hells Angels last month will be paid up to $350,000 for his help, according to court documents made public yesterday. The revelation is contained in a 217-page search warrant RCMP secured for Project Defence, a drug sweep that netted the arrest of Hells Angels president Ernie Dew, his wife Vera Dew, Hells Angels members Jeff Peck and Ian Grant and nine others. The informant, who is not identified by name in the search warrant, is described as "a self-admitted drug trafficker" with close ties to the city's high level criminal figures. Police recruited the informant in October 2004 when he signed an agreement to buy drugs from suspects targeted in the investigation. But Project Defence wasn't the first time the informant worked for police. According to the warrant, Mounties enlisted him in 2002 to provide tips on the illegal sale of ephedrine, a key ingredient in the production of crystal meth. Information he provided was instrumental in police busting an international crystal meth ring in September 2004 and seizing $14.5 million worth of drugs. As of November, the end of major operations in Project Defence, the informant had been paid $75,000 in "awards and expenses," including $350 a week in "maintenance payments." According to the search warrant, the informant has known Dew for 20 years and has a criminal record dating back nearly 30 years, including convictions for break, enter and theft, robbery, possession of stolen property and possession for the purpose of trafficking. PHONE TAPPED The search warrant details more than $400,000 in drug purchases -- including cocaine, crack cocaine and methamphetamine -- between November 2004 and September 2005. The informant bought the drugs with money supplied by RCMP. The search warrant documents numerous drug transactions between the informant and Dew, Grant, Peck and others. Throughout the course of the investigation, the informant allowed his phone to be tapped. During personal meetings, conversations were recorded by police on surveillance. On many other occasions, no recordings were made of meetings and police relied on the informant's memory of events. According to the search warrant, Grant was not an original target of the investigation but became one after he extorted $60,000 from the informant -- including his Harley -- for an alleged drug debt. In one recorded exchange, Grant offers the informant an opportunity to satisfy his debt by buying drugs from him. In others he threatens the informant with beatings if he doesn't come up with the money. "I'll come to your house every f---ing day and beat your face in," he is recorded as saying.
Mongol Arrested in MH; Guns, Drugs Found Thursday, March 16, 2006 By Brett Rowland (browland@freelancenews.com) Morgan Hill - A large cache of weapons and drugs was discovered last weekend in the home of a Mongols motorcycle club member by Morgan Hill police officers working with agents from the Unified Narcotics Enforcement Team. The bust even has Hollister police paying close attention to the Mongols motorcycle club, a group law enforcement officials believe is spending more time in Hollister. Police arrested Morgan Hill resident Steve Martinez, 53, on Saturday, for felony possession of methamphetamine for sale, possession of methamphetamine, possession of a dangerous weapon and possession of an unregistered assault weapon. Police also charged Martinez with several misdemeanor charges for giving a false name to police, possession of drug paraphernalia and being under the influence of methamphetamine, said UNET Cmdr. Mark Colla. Morgan Hill police first arrested Martinez on drug charges while serving an arrest warrant on a man in an unrelated case. At that location police found Martinez in the man's home under the influence of methamphetamine.	After finding 26 grams of methamphetamine and 50 empty small bags in Martinez's sock, police called UNET to serve a search warrant on his home at 17255 Peak Ave., in Morgan Hill, Colla said. In Martinez's bedroom they found a drug price list that detailed the value of various narcotics by weight, Colla said. Police also found a .22-caliber Derringer pistol and a slung shot, a modern version of a Medieval mace. Police also uncovered a large cache of legal and illegal weapons in two locked safes in Martinez's backyard storage area. Martinez refused to give UNET agents combinations to the two safes, so they called a locksmith to open them, Colla said. Inside, UNET agents found five unregistered semi-automatic rifles, including an AK-47, two assault shotguns, two hunting shotguns, nine hunting rifles and 21 handguns. In addition to the firearms, agents also found two pairs of nunchakus and two sets of brass knuckles. "Based on the amount of firearms and drugs, that's definitely not the kind of guy you want walking around on the street," Colla said. Hollister Police Chief Jeff Miller agreed. "Outlaw motorcycle gangs are under-recognized as contributing to our gang problem," Miller said. "Their presence in Hollister has been increasing and we always try to be aware when a group that has a potential for violence is in town." Martinez even had a business card that identified him as a "one-percenter." Miller said the term dates back to Hollister's 1947 rally when an American Motorcycle Association official noted that only 1 percent of bikers caused trouble. Martinez is being held in the Santa Clara County Jail without bail. If convicted of a single count of possession of an unregistered firearm, Martinez could face up to eight years in state prison, according to the California Penal Code.