Police: Slain CT Motorcyclist Was Top-Ranking Hells Angel

[Christina Marie]

Police: Slain CT Motorcyclist Was Top-Ranking Hells Angel


NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) -- A motorcyclist shot to death on Interstate 95 Sunday was a leader in the Connecticut chapter of the Hells Angels and had been monitored by local and federal authorities after serving time in federal prison, police said.

Roger Mariani was one of 37 Hells Angels and associates from Connecticut arrested in the mid-1980s as part of a nationwide crackdown that resulted in 125 arrests and the seizure of $2 million worth of drugs. He was released from prison in 1995, according to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.

Mariani, 61, of Stratford, was killed and motorcyclist Paul Carrol, 37, of Bridgeport, was injured Sunday afternoon when someone opened fire on I-95 in West Haven.

Mariani was shot in the chest but managed to pull his motorcycle to the side of the road. The medical examiner's office on Monday ruled his death a homicide.

State police were still looking Monday for a GMC sport-utility vehicle with Florida plates. They believe four men were inside. They were also looking into the possibility that the shootings occurred during an altercation between the motorcyclists, who were riding in a group, and the people in the SUV.

Specialists in gang activity are reviewing the case. Though police officials are aware of ongoing disputes between the Hells Angels and other Connecticut motorcycle gangs, they said they haven't seen evidence tying the shooting to any of those clashes.

``Rivalries among motorcycle gangs are nothing new,'' said Col. Edward Lynch, commander of the state police. ``We're always listening for that, but we're cautious about saying that's the case here because you don't want to jump to a conclusion.''

Gang and organized crime experts have noticed an increase in tensions recently.

``There seemed to be an escalating conflict between the Angels and some of the other outlaw biker groups, namely the Outlaws and Diablos,'' said Stamford Police Capt. Richard Conklin, who oversees the city's organized crime unit.

Conklin described Mariani as a club leader whose stature had increased in recent years.

Conklin said his department kept tabs on Mariani when he worked for Fritz's Harley-Davidson in Stamford.

Fritz Blau, who owns the dealership, said Mariani worked there for about six years but left two years ago to become a loan officer.

Blau said he knew Mariani had been involved with the Hells Angels but said he believed it was a condition of Mariani's parole that he not associate with the group. Blau said Mariani's parole ended around the time he left the dealership.

``The guy had personality, so he had friends,'' Blau said. ``He was just funny, he made you laugh. It's kind of shocking that he's not around anymore. People are going to miss him.''

Public Safety Commissioner Leonard Boyle said law enforcement agencies are keeping tabs on the situation in case tensions escalate.

``Any time a member of an organization like this is murdered, there's always a concern that it is a harbinger of future events and that's something we are watching,'' he said.


http://www.wcbs880.com/pages/21247.php

[Christina Marie]

Hells Angels members arrested with weapons, list of rivals
By Associated Press
Tuesday, April 4, 2006 - Updated: 03:02 PM EST


ENFIELD, Conn. - Two men arrested Sunday night with weapons in their car may have been Hells Angels gang members looking to retaliate for the shooting of a gang leader on Interstate 95 earlier in the day, police said.

Enfield Police Chief Carl Sferrazza told the Journal Inquirer of Manchester that Trevor Delaware, 35, and Jeffrey Richard, 39 of Andover were arrested about six hours after the shooting. They appeared to be Hells Angels and may have been looking for members of the Outlaw Motorcycle Club, which has chapters in Enfield and Waterbury, he said.

They were picked up driving a car with plates stolen from East Haven, police said. Inside police found gloves and masks, a softball bat, a bent golf club, a wooden club, a ball-peen hammer, and a loaded handgun licensed to Richard.

Sferrazza said police also found part of a police gang training manual that identified 10 Outlaws.

‘‘There is certainly the possibility here, not the absolute certainty, but certainly the probability that these individuals were here to cause some harm perhaps to some of the Outlaw members in town,” Sferrazza said. ‘‘We’re not sure if that was the case or not, but it’s a logical probability based on what happened earlier.”

State police continued their search Tuesday for the shooter or shooters who killed Roger Mariani of Stratford and injured Paul Carrol of Bridgeport on I-95. The two were part of a group of Hells Angels riding together through West Haven on Sunday afternoon.

State police have said they do not yet know the motive for the shooting and have no evidence that it was linked to a gang rivalry.

‘‘We’re still investigating, still following leads, still looking for witnesses” said Sgt. J. Paul Vance, state police spokesman. ‘‘All the cards are still on the table. We’re looking at everything.”

Police were looking for a green GMC sport-utility vehicle with Florida plates. They believe four men were inside. They were also looking into the possibility that the shootings occurred during an altercation between the motorcyclists and the people in the SUV.

Waterbury attorney Leonard Crone, who has represented several Outlaws, said he doesn’t know of any members who have been questioned by law enforcement about the I-95 shooting.

‘‘They don’t have any knowledge of anybody from their organization being involved in an assault or anything that happened on that highway that day,” he said, adding that he was unaware of the Enfield incident.

Police said Delaware and Richard, who were stopped for a seat belt violation, told police they were going to visit a friend whom they would not identify.

Both were released on bond and scheduled to appear in court April 11.

http://news.bostonherald.com/localRegio ... at=&page=2

[Christina Marie]

Gang Suspects Had Secret Files

April 5, 2006
By GARY LIBOW and MONICA POLANCO, Courant Staff Writers

Suspected Hells Angels members arrested in Enfield hours after a Hells Angels motorcyclist was shot to death had pages from a classified state police manual that lists the identities and addresses of rival gang members.

Police are looking into whether Andover residents Jeffrey Richard and Trevor Delaware, armed with a loaded gun and six knives, planned to retaliate against members of the rival Outlaws gang to avenge the fatal shooting Sunday afternoon of Roger Mariani, a Hells Angels leader in Connecticut, on a highway in West Haven.

Richard, 39, and Delaware, 35, sported gang-related tattoos and had marked some of the items in their possession with the Hells Angels insignia, Enfield police reported.

"We don't know at this point if these individuals were just a coincidence or if they were in town here to do some harm to some of the Outlaw motorcycle gang," Enfield Police Chief Carl J. Sferraza said Tuesday.

The Outlaws have a chapter in Enfield.

The manuals, reportedly numbered so they can be traced, are distributed two to each barracks by the state police gang intelligence unit, a state police source said Tuesday.

Sferraza said the gang-related documents are commonly distributed to patrol officers statewide who take classes to be recertified every three years.

"I have seen these several times at several different trainings," the chief said. "They're not uncommon to police trainings, and what I have is consistent with that."

Mariani, a 61-year-old Stratford resident, was fatally shot about 3:30 p.m. Sunday while riding on the Connecticut Turnpike in West Haven with more than 20 fellow bikers.

Another member of the Angels, Paul Carroll, 39, of Bridgeport, was wounded by shots fired from a green sport utility vehicle bearing Florida plates.

About 10 p.m. Sunday, a vehicle operated by Richard was searched by Enfield Police Sgt. Thomas Foy, who noticed a seatbelt violation. Police discovered the license plates on the vehicle had been reported stolen in East Haven.

Searching the vehicle, police found four pages of the classified manual between the seats of the vehicle. Police also found knives, a variety of gloves and masks, a softball bat, a homemade wooden club, a slightly bent golf club, and a ball-peen hammer.

Richard, who has a valid pistol permit, was in possession of a loaded gun.

The state police intelligence information lists the names of suspected motorcycle gang members, their photos and last known addresses, alias and possible associates, according to police sources.

Both Richard and Delaware were charged with possession of weapons in a motor vehicle and theft of a marker plate. Delaware was also charged with possession of narcotics, marijuana and drug paraphernalia. The two posted bail and are due April 11 in Superior Court in Enfield.

A state police source said this is not the first time Hells Angels members were found in possession of state police gang intelligence.

Investigators recovered state police gang manuals in the homes of Hells Angels when they executed search warrants during an investigation into the illegal production and sale of drivers' licenses. The bogus licenses were issued through the state Department of Motor Vehicles office in Bridgeport.



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