The U.S. Attorney’s Office Northern District of California announced in a June 22 news release three members of the Sonoma chapter of the Hell’s Angels motorcycle gang have been found guilty of murder in aid of racketeering.
The verdicts against Jonathan (Jon Jon) Nelson, Brian Wayne Wendt, and Russell Taylor (Rusty) Ott come after a nine-week trial before U.S. District Judge, Edward M. Chen, the release stated.
“The jurors found that these members of a violent motorcycle gang killed one of their own and engaged in a conspiracy to commit many other serious criminal acts,” U.S. Attorney, Stephani Hinds, said in the release.
Hinds said the U.S. Attorney’s Office continues to focus on ridding area neighborhoods of criminals who turn to violence to meet their agendas.
“Today’s verdicts are the result of an intense multi-year investigation and should serve as notice to all such criminal enterprises that this office will devote the resources necessary to bring them to justice,” she said.
Special Agent in Charge, Sean Ragan, said the verdicts serve as a benchmark in a probe that spanned almost eight years and included several law enforcement agencies, according to the release.
“Each agency involved in this investigation provided crucial expertise and resources, making a guilty verdict possible,” Ragan said. “Criminal acts perpetrated by the convicted members of the Sonoma County and Fresno County Hells Angels adversely affected our communities, and their presence infested our citizens with worry. Today’s verdict is a step toward removing their violent and criminal ideals from our community.”
