LAS VEGAS – Federal prosecutors say 23 Vagos Motorcycle Club leaders, members or associates have been arrested in three states on charges including racketeering, murder, kidnapping, robbery and assault.
A U.S. Justice Department statement on Friday characterized the Vagos as an outlaw motorcycle gang and said eight of the people charged were responsible for the September 2011 killing of a Hells Angels' boss at a northern Nevada casino.
Officials say the indictment filed Wednesday in Las Vegas remained sealed until all 23 defendants were in custody.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Kenneth Blanco characterized the arrests in and around Las Vegas, Reno, Los Angeles, San Jose, California, and Kailua, Hawaii, as a coordinated takedown of the Vagos.
The indictment alleges the club is a racketeering enterprise with nearly 90 chapters in at least seven countries, including about 50 chapters in California and Nevada.
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