Feds Seize Mongols Logo

A federal judge in L.A. ruled in favor of the U.S. governments efforts to sieze the trademarks of the Mongols motorcycle club. The Mongols were involved in racketeering, drug trafficking, hate crimes against blacks, fire arms violations and assaults.
In 2008 the ATF and FBI arrested 61 Mongol members, under "Operation Black Rain," and shut down their operations. As part of the indictment against the Mongols, the Justice Department seized the Mongols intellectual property including their logo. Wearing or displaying a Mongols logo or "colors", a Ghengis Khan character riding a chopper, would now be illegal.
The Mongols formed in the L.A. area in the early 1970's and are mostly comprised of latino members.

Federal property.

"Operation Black Rain."



Photos by Ted Soqui © 2008

61 Mongols Motorcycle Gang Arrested In Nationwide Sweep

Sixty-one Mongols motorcycle gang members were arrested in a multi-agency nationwide sweep today. A press conference was held on a blocked off street behind LAPD's Parker Center in Downtown LA to display items seized from the gang. Over twenty custom choppers, Mongols vest with official Mongols patches, and guns were on display for the media. The operation code named "Black Rain" was a three year probe into the Mongols gang, with several male and female police officers going into deep cover to infiltrate the Mongols organization. The Mongols were involved in hate crimes against blacks, drug trafficking, fire arms violations, and assaults.  Federal government officials vowed to go after the Mongols' intellectual property, including logos and websites to make them illegal to wear or display without seizure and arrest by police.

Here is a slideshow of my photos on the LA Weekly site.

Photos by Ted Soqui c 2008