Grand Jury Indicts Hells Angel Ken Caspers Jr., after Investigation into Brutal Beating at the Vallejo Clubhouse
Thursday, February 02, 2023
Fourth Member Indicted
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a one-count indictment today against Kenneth Caspers Jr., 55, of Vacaville, charging him with being a felon in possession of ammunition, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
Caspers is the fourth individual to be indicted in the Eastern District of California based on an investigation into a brutal beating at the clubhouse for the Vallejo chapter of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club. The other three defendants—Jaime Alvarez, Dennis Killough Jr., and Michael Mahoney—were indicted by a grand jury in 2022.
According to court documents, in October 2021, two different victims—both of whom were members of a different motorcycle club that are considered a “puppet” (or subordinate) club of the Hells Angels—were beaten by Caspers, Mahoney, Alvarez, Killough, and other club members based on perceived infractions of the Hells Angels’ rules.
Court documents state on Dec. 8, 2021, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Caspers’ Vacaville home and found several firearms and ammunition, including 18 rounds of .22‑caliber, .25‑caliber, and/or .38-caliber ammunition in Caspers’ master bedroom and bathroom. Caspers has previously been convicted of several felony crimes—including a previous felony conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm—that prevent him from possessing firearms or ammunition.
In the criminal complaint filed in the Eastern District of California, authorities state they’ve sought arrest warrants for three Hells Angels members and one “enforcer” as part of an ongoing investigation into the Vallejo charter of the Hells Angels. Task Force Officer Shane Raftery described the charter as a “criminal enterprise” that lords over other motorcycle clubs and is involved in a territory dispute with rival clubs in Yolo County. In the documents, Rafferty stated, “To perpetuate the enterprise and to maintain and extend its power, Vallejo Hells Angels Motorcycle Club members and associates engage in a pattern of racketeering predicates, including committing and conspiring to commit murder, attempted murder, intimidation, and assault resulting in great bodily injury against individuals who pose a threat to the enterprise or who jeopardize its operations.”
Case documents mention four informants the FBI were relying on for their charges. One of those included a former Hells Angels prospect named Steve Kerhagen, who testified he infiltrated the group as an FBI informant, becoming one of three former prospects or members around the Bay Area to cooperate with authorities.
The complaint describes an October 2021 hours-long assault at the Vallejo clubhouse, where roughly a dozen Hells Angels allegedly pulverized two members of the Union Iron Workers Motorcycle Club, beating one for one hour and 50 minutes — that victim said he used a clock on the wall to time the beating — and a second into a “semi-conscious state.”
Caspers faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the court's discretion after considering any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which consider several variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
The three other defendants have pleaded guilty and are scheduled to be sentenced as follows: Alvares on March 7, 2023, Killough on March 27, 2023, and Mahoney on May 2, 2023. They all face a maximum statutory sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
An interesting side note is that the Chapter's Facebook page shows the club supporting a Little League fundraiser, urging the public to attend a Bikers Crab Fest, and announcing an upcoming blessing of motorcycles.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence and make our neighborhoods safer. On May 26, 2021, the U.S. Department of Justice launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.