Federal agent penetrated Hells Angels, fears for his life

[133724]

For nearly two years, Jay Dobyns led a double life. He rode alongside the Hells Angels, becoming a member of one of the nation's most feared criminal gangs. But at the same time, he was working as a federal agent in an effort to bring the Hells Angels down.

Jay Dobyns works for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the federal agency responsible for enforcing the nation's gun laws. His deep undercover work with the Hells Angels from 2001-2003 ultimately helped bring the indictment and trial of 16 gang members and their associates.

<snip>

With his undercover work done and his real identity as a law enforcement agent exposed, Dobyns says the Hells Angels and other gangs enlisted by it came after him, issuing death threats. Dobyns claims that the ATF -- rather than protecting him -- abandoned him. (Watch Dobyns explain how he infiltrated the gang Video)

"There was a murder contract on me and there was what was called a green light list, which was circulating in the prison, which was a list of people that various gangs wanted killed," Dobyns told CNN.

n response, Dobyns says, the ATF gave him a routine transfer with no special protection, despite his repeated protests. The ATF could have moved Dobyns and his family under what is known as a "threat policy" -- similar to the kind of protection the government routinely gives witnesses in organized crime cases.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/LAW/02/05/atf.agent/index.html

What a crock......

[truthisfreedom]

1. "As ATF executes its mission to prevent terrorism, reduce violent crime and protect the public,

"we will continue to place the highest value on ensuring the safety of our employees and their families," Sullivan said.

'scuse me? We need some Congressional oversight over here, please. And we need to cut off bush's terror war funding and take care of our own, from our fallen soldiers to our threatened ATF undercover agents. bushco's attitude about using people and throwing them away is spreading to all aspects of government and business.

[Name removed]

2. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

5. (insert slow shaking of head here.)

The Fumbling Burros & Imbeciles always claimed that their rejects were gladly picked up by ATF. I guess they were right.

[youngdem]

3. If you penetrate a Hell's Angel without his permission, I would expect he would be upset

:evilgrin:

[lithiumbomb]

4. heh

I'm glad I'm not the only one that had that joke in my head... CNN first had "penetrated" in their front page link to the story, but it has since changed to "infiltrated." Though the story page itself still says penetrated.

[proud2BlibKansan]

6. It's kind of hard to feel sorry for a narc

Sorry. Not a lot of pity here.

[Vidar]

7. I'll take a biker over a fed anyday.

[Robb]

9. I strongly suspect

the Angels are not what they once were. Or what we once thought they were, or our romanticized version of them at any rate.

[NashVegas]

17. If They Ever Were ...

If there's one thing I learned from my online gaming days, it's that it's a safe bet that someone, somewhere, up the chain, whose nose looks entirely clean to the "civilized world" is a beneficiary of the Angels, in one way or another.

[RebelOne]

8. I have known a few narcs and they are not all bad.

But, also, I knew a few that were.

[-..__...]

12. In general, I'm against the War on Drugs.

However... I have no problem with hunting down and imprisoning a gang of murdering shit-heels that manufacture and distribute crystal meth.

[brentspeak]

16. Uh, yeah

You thumb your nose at a law enforcement officer, but give the thumbs-up to a bunch of drug-dealers, thieves, rackateers, rapists, and murderers.

You've got some interesting priorities there.

[proud2BlibKansan]

31. I don't like narcs

I think there are better ways to nab the bad guys.

Now if you want to take that as approval of what the bad guys do, then I guess you have that right. But you would be wrong.

[Bluzmann57]

22. The Hell's Angels are a murderous bunch

Drugs are just part of their business. I'm tired of all the romanticizing of them. And FYI, I know several bikers (not motorcyclists, bikers) and they do some good for the community. But they do not ride with Hell's Angels. If the Hell's Angels were not a gang of criminals, they would not be threatening to kill the ATF guy.

[schmuls]

29. I have known a couple of Hell's Angels, and their stores of

murder and rape are extremely chilling!

[jakem]

10. I remember that movie...

Charlie Sheen, 'Beyond the Law'...
a biker movie classic!



That and Linda Fiorentino is more than a little sexy... but i digress,..

[rocktivity]

14. That instant has-been football player Brian Bosworth

did an undercover biker movie, too.

:headbang:
rocknation

[jakem]

15. yes, but...

the charlie sheen one is much better!

[rocktivity]

11. Candiate for this month's "You Call This NEWS?" award

That's the down side of infiltrating ANY gang--especially if you work for law enforcement. Didn't he know the job was dangerous when he took it?

A friend of mine told me that a friend of hers had just moved into "the safest neighborhood in New York City," and asked if I could guess where that was. I said, "It's either around Gracie Mansion (where the mayor lives) or the Hell's Angels headquarters." DING DING DING! P.S. If Rudy Guilani runs for President, it should be mentioned that he had to pay the NYC Hell's Angels $100K for raiding their headquarters illegaly.

:headbang:
rocknation

[Dhalgren]

13. He should have read Thompson's "Hell's Angels: Fear and Loathing".

Hell's Angels kill and maim in a very indiscriminate way. Cops are good eatin'...

[slackmaster]

24. My thought exactly

How could they not have known what they were getting in to?

[bemildred]

18. Sucker. nt

[Kerrytravelers]

19. I'd rather my tax money be spent on those dedicated to keeping us safe than *'s war machine.

THis is just awful. And according to the story, there are "more than a dozen former and current ATF agents interviewed by CNN, many of whom have their own lawsuits, claims and serious concerns, said the ATF is failing to protect its agents." How terrible is that? They put these people in dangerous situations and then don't protect them after the agents get what the government wanted. Sound familiar? We send soldiers to Iraq and then don't protect them with the necessary equipment. What the hell is going on, anyway?





Edited for spelling.

[davsand]

20. He did his job.

OK--I was somebody that was running around in the late 70's and I had very little use for the Narco guys working around here back then. Most of the ones I ever encountered were not too different than the folks they were busting--including dealing and using. That was mostly at a local level, too...

I knew an older man who used to be a regular at a club I bartended in, and he was really a good guy. We got to know each other pretty well and he helped me out a few times when he didn't have to. Nothing icky about it--just a nice older guy who likes to talk. Sometimes he'd come in with a date, sometimes not.

One night he came in the club with a younger guy and introduced him--it was his son. Heck of a nice guy--kinda like his Dad. He was in town for a visit and Dad wanted to show him off a bit, I think. We all talk across the bar and the kid is really funny--really sharp mentally. He had a great wit and a fierce intelligence, and he was a lot of fun.

A couple of months later I was talking to my pal across the bar and I asked him how his son was doing. He says "He's fine, but I'm worried about him." I asked why and he tells me that the kid has gone to work for a law enforcement agency and is (Shh!--Don't TELL anyone!) maybe gonna be working undercover. Dad is REALLY not happy about it, but he also says that he knows it is what the kid wants to do.

A few months later dad rolls into the club and is ALL kinds of excited. The son is coming to visit. He's making plans that we all need to go out for dinner. A few days later dad comes in and he's all bummed. The trip is canceled because the son got a new assignment.

Dad proceeds to tell me in confidence that the kid is now assigned to go undercover into some kind of militant militia group that they think is doing all kinds of illegal stuff. He's not sure the kid will EVER be able to come see him again because once the kid's identity as a cop is out the kid may have to relocate under a different name. Dad is almost in tears.

I dunno what ever became of the kid and last I heard Dad had married some rich widow lady and was living on the coast. I always kind of wondered about it...

Anyhow, the point to this whole story is to say that Jay Dobyns may not be a creepy narc at all, and you really have no way to tell just what all his work did to protect us from mayhem. Hell's Angels really have been made out in the movies to be some kind of unholy criminal masterminds--and you just know that it has been overdone. However, I also think there probably is some small kernel of truth to the whole image. Maybe this agent kept a few folks from dying--and that makes it worth it to me.

Not everyone working for the government is a jerk, and I have NO doubt at all that the families of these agents DO suffer a whole lot because of that undercover work.

Frankly, I'd a whole lot rather see the ATF taking care of these agents because MAYBE that will mean that good people are willing to DO that job rather than the stone assholes and idiots that used to do it in the 70's locally.

Regards!


Laura

[Kerrytravelers]

25. Growing up, I had a friend whose dad was an undercover cop.

Of course, I didn't know it until we were adults and he had retired. And he was the nicest man. The whole family was really great.

[yardwork]

21. This is somewhat similar to the White House outing Valerie Plame

There seems to be a trend here of the U.S. government using undercover agents for their own purposes and then abandoning them.

[medeak]

23. Hell's Angels are the largest organized crime outfit in world

was surprised to hear that as they seem like nice guys who have been through rehab. Met Sonny (head dude) and a very likeable fellow..his honchos around him were not "biker" types but wall street stockbroker looking fellows. They are into big time money scams with much sophistication.

Was told this by an ATF agent.

Hell... I gave a few of them a ride in my car when they asked (V600)..won't ever do that again.

[John Q. Citizen]

26. The Angels are deep into meth cooking and distirbution, pimping prostitutes,

and porn. Not nice people. Very dangerous people in fact. Greedy people. Violent people.

[jakem]

27. and to think...

it used to be about the bikes...

not to be nostalgic for the old days, but i liked it better when the hells angels were hard core bikers who also happened to be thugs, rather that just being criminals who might have to buy a motorcycle to join-

[FredScuttle]

28. Yeah the good old days

when a bunch of psychotic racists comprised the Angels. Pining for the days when they were caught on film stabbing a man to death at a Rolling Stones concert (Altamont 1969)? I'll pass on the "biker" nostalgia, thanks.

[jakem]

30. hey, im not saying they were good people then...

or now for that matter...

but as a biker, i prefer my biker gangs to be centered around a 'bike' theme-

now they are just a bunch of poser criminals with bikes.