OUTLAWS START CHAPTER IN MAGGIE VALLEY

They Are Law-Abiding, They Say -- FBI Agent Indicates Otherwise

MAGGIE VALLEY -- The mountain region of Western North Carolina has
attracted a gang of bikers that some authorities say have more than an
interest in cruising on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

The Outlaws Motorcycle Club has started a chapter in Maggie Valley, a
Haywood County tourist town that borders the Cherokee Indian Reservation.

The Outlaws have developed a reputation for criminal activity, including
racketeering, drug trafficking and prositution.

Members of the club and others associated with it say that these days the
club is little more than community-oriented motorcycling enthusiasts.

"These guys are not coming in to put fear in anybody's heart," said Russell
"Rainman" Victor, a former hard-core biker who is now the chaplain for the
Outlaws' chapter in Daytona Beach, Fla. "Most of the guys that are in these
clubs, they are family men. They have wives and children. They love to
ride. They are not coming in to terrorize anybody."

The Outlaws' history goes back to 1935 and a bar on the famous Route 66
highway in Illinois. That year a group of bikers formed the McCook Outlaws
and used Matilda's Bar as their base. Eventually the group moved to Chicago
and became the Chicago Outlaws. The group allied itself in the 1960s with
the Hell's Angels, the Pagans and the Banditos - other motorcycle clubs
known for their criminal histories, police say.

The groups put aside their squabbling officially in 1999 at a biker rally
in Daytona Beach, Fla., and have mostly been peaceful since then, officials
say.

That same year, though, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration reported
that motorcycle gangs had historically controlled most of the
methamphetamine distribution in the nation.

This year in Florida, the Outlaws' national president, Harry "Taco" Bowman,
was sentenced to life in prison for racketeering and conspiracy to commit
murder.

The Outlaws have three chapters in North Carolina - one each in Denton,
Lexington and Charlotte - and chapters in 15 other states.

Three years ago, 33 Outlaws members in Davidson County were indicted on
charges of racketeering and drug trafficking. Many are now in federal prison.

Rick Schwein, an FBI agent who investigated and helped to prosecute Outlaws
members in 1999, said that the group was involved in auto theft, drugs and
selling stolen motorcycle parts.

Schwein said evidence presented in court makes him believe that the Outlaws
are not just interested in riding motorcycles.

"The evidence would show, and juries have spoken across the U.S., that they
are more than a fun-loving, bike-riding band of brothers."

But one Outlaws member says that although individuals have given the
organization a bad name, most bikers are interested in supporting their
communities.

Ivan Lester, an Outlaws member in Knoxville, said that the Outlaws
organization has never been involved in crime. He said that the group in
Maggie Valley, like other Outlaws chapters, is interested in improving the
community.