An outlaw motorcycle club (sometimes known as a motorcycle gang) is a
type of motorcycle club that is part of a subculture with roots in the
post-WWII USA, centered on cruiser motorcycles, particularly
Harley-Davidsons and choppers, and a set of ideals celebrating freedom,
nonconformity to mainstream culture, and loyalty to the biker group.
These clubs are not sanctioned by the American Motorcyclist Association
(AMA) and do not adhere to the AMA's rules, but instead, generally, the
club enforces a set of bylaws on its members that derive from the
values of the outlaw biker culture.
The U.S. Department of Justice defines Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs as
organizations whose members use their motorcycle clubs as conduits for
criminal enterprises. Both the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
and Criminal Intelligence Service Canada have designated four MCs as
Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs (OMGs), which are the Pagans, Hells Angels,
Outlaws MC, and Bandidos, known as the "Big Four". These four have a
large enough national impact to be prosecuted under the Federal
Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) statute. The
California Attorney General also lists the Mongols as an outlaw
motorcycle gang. The FBI asserts that OMGs support themselves primarily
through drug dealing, trafficking in stolen goods, and extortion, and
that they fight over territory and the illegal drug trade.
Modified starchstacking chairs