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In 2008, law enforcement officials announced the arrest of dozens of members of Mongolian motorcycle clubs accused of murder and drugs in six US states.
Ric Francis / ASSOCIATED PRESS
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Ric Francis / ASSOCIATED PRESS
In 2008, law enforcement officials announced the arrest of dozens of members of Mongolian motorcycle clubs accused of murder and drugs in six states.
Ric Francis / ASSOCIATED PRESS
A California jury, in an unprecedented verdict, ruled that federal prosecutors could remove the trademarked logo of a Los Angeles-based biker club known as the Mongols to punish the criminal activities of its members. 19659008] Last month, the same jury sentenced the Mongol Nation, the group at the head of the logo, for racketeering and criminal conspiracy related to drug trafficking and violent crimes perpetrated by individual members. Federal prosecutors have long regarded Mongolians as a criminal gang
The logo is an image of a silhouette of Genghis Khan, wearing sunglasses on a motorcycle, under the club name. It is displayed on jackets, patches and shirts worn only by members, along with other accessories that the club considers essential to its identity.
The government accepts the power of the logo. Deputy US Attorney Steve Welk said the Mongols were "able to use those symbols that they wore as armor."
At a hearing held earlier this week, a Mongolian lawyer, Joe Yanny, said the government was excessive club of its logo. Yanny called it "the death penalty" for the Mongols.
The lawyer also claimed that the Mongols had expelled criminals from his ranks and that the government had targeted the group because it was composed largely of Americans of Mexican descent.
The Mongols were founded in the 1970s by a group of Latino men allegedly rejected by the Hell's Angels biker gang.
The club, which has a long history of violent rivalries with the Hell's Angels and other motorcycle clubs, has seen its members been convicted of drugs and assault, including 80 in 2008.
The Los Angeles Times reports that the verdict of the jury is not the last word because the club will probably appeal.
"And both parties acknowledged before the courts that constitutional challenges to the jury's decision were almost certainly based on whether a court order compelling the Mongolian members not to wear the logo would violate their right to the freedom of speech recognized in the First Amendment. "
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