Update 12:53 p.m.
DETROIT (AP) -Federal prosecutors say they have a "staggering amount of evidence" to convict dozens of members of a Detroit-area motorcycle gang, who are accused of a violent criminal enterprise.
The government says more than dozen current or former members of the Devils Diciples are cooperating with the FBI and ready to testify at trial. Assistant U.S. Attorney Saima Mohsin made the disclosure this week in a court filing that seeks to keep the group's president in custody while awaiting trial.
Mohsin says Jeff "Fat Dog" Smith is responsible for an "interstate ... rampage of drugs, violence" and other crimes. He faces a detention hearing Tuesday in Detroit federal court. A message seeking comment was left for his attorney today.
July 14, 4:10 p.m.
Forty-one members and associates of a Michigan based motorcycle club face a wide-ranging federal indictment.
The allegations in the indictment announced today include murder, illegal gambling and drug trafficking.
The Devils Diciples were founded in 1967 in Fontana, California. But the club is now headquartered in Macomb County.
The indictments announced this week are just the latest legal hurdle for the Devils Diciples.
Since 1995, members of the motorcycle club have been convicted of selling or manufacturing illegal drugs. But the federal government also dropped charges against more than a dozen club members in a major drug case in the past decade.
This time, Devils Diciples members are being charged under the federal racketeering law.
Among those indicted is the Devils national president Jeff “Fat Dog” Garvin Smith of Mt. Clemens.
There are Devils Diciples chapters located in Bay City, Detroit, Grand Rapids and Port Huron.
Nationally, the Devils Diciples have a presence in California, Illinois, Indiana, Alabama, Arizona and Ohio.
