Ex-Outlaws leader, others convicted

Defense attorneys said individual chapters never conspired to sell drugs.
TOLEDO (AP) -- For the second time in less than a year, the former leader of the Outlaws motorcycle club has been convicted of racketeering charges.
Nine other prominent members of the gang accused of running a violent enterprise that distributed drugs in the Midwest during the 1990s were convicted of racketeering charges Tuesday.
Two others were convicted of conspiracy to commit racketeering and two were cleared of all counts in U.S. District Court.
Prosecutors hope this case and an upcoming trial involving more Outlaws members named in the same indictment will lead to the dismantling of the club's networks.
James "Frank" Wheeler, of Indianapolis, the club's former leader, was convicted of racketeering, conspiracy to commit racketeering and conspiracy to distribute drugs, but he was acquitted on a firearms charge.
Wheeler faced 30 years to life in prison if convicted on all counts.
Wheeler's attorney, Patrick Helmick, said he plans to appeal the latest conviction, maintaining that Wheeler was essentially convicted on the same charges at his first trial in Florida.
Wheeler was sentenced to 16 1/2 years in prison in January for racketeering and other crimes in Florida.
Drug ring
Prosecutors say Wheeler oversaw a highly organized operation that sold drugs in Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky and Oklahoma while threatening and assaulting rivals to protect their territory.
Assistant U.S. Attorney David Bauer would say only that he was pleased by the outcome. He declined to comment further, citing the upcoming trial.
A few of those convicted, sporting graying beards, fought back tears when their verdicts were announced.
Jack Lee, who was accused of running lie detector tests to find out if any Outlaws members were working as government agents, was cleared of all charges.
"I never should've been here to begin with," he said afterward. "What I did was no different from what I've done for police or anybody else."
During the trial, defense attorneys said that although the Outlaws often gathered for parties and road trips, the chapters operated independently and never conspired to sell drugs.
They also criticized the government's use of former Outlaws members who struck deals to avoid prison. Some of the 101 witnesses who testified included former members who recorded conversations and infiltrated meetings.
Some informants received money from the government and had their rent paid for cooperating with investigators, defense attorneys said.
Tip about takeover
The investigation into the club was sparked by a tip that the Outlaws was seeking to take over a rival organization in Lima and rejuvenate its club in Toledo.
Several members of the rival group agreed to join the Outlaws, but one went to the FBI in 1997 after he was threatened because he fell behind on drug payments to the organization, prosecutors said.
Others convicted Tuesday include Gary Hohn, former president of the Dayton chapter; John P. Walker, former president of the Indianapolis chapter; and David Mays, former national enforcer.
The Outlaws are one of the nation's four largest motorcycle gangs, along with the Hell's Angels, Pagans and Bandidos. They have chapters in 20 states, Europe, Canada and Australia.