George Christie remembers the moment he decided to leave the Hells Angels.
“I got into the outlaw motorcycle life because it was a live-and-let-live society,” the former club executive told Fox News Digital. “A lot had changed. I came to the meeting and told everyone what I was going to do. It was a very difficult decision. I said we had become the people we were against. we’re rebelling, and I’m leaving. It’s time for me to move on.”
“I foolishly thought I could leave because of my position at the club and the 40 years I had dedicated to them,” admitted Christie. “But at the end of the day, you’re either in or you’re out.”
Former undercover agent recalls infiltrating Hells Angels: ‘a dangerous game to play’
Christie shares her story in a new A&E series, “Secrets of The Hells Angels,” which examines the history of the famous motorcycle club. It features new interviews with past chapter presidents, as well as law enforcement officials, undercover agents and victims.
The 77-year-old resigned as president of the Ventura chapter and left the club in 2011. Christie said he became disillusioned with the club, which had gone from a fraternity to an all-out war, fighting all the country’s major outlaw bike clubs. United States – as well as law enforcement.
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According to Christie, he was immediately excommunicated by the men he once called brothers. Members were no longer allowed to speak to him, he said.
“I miss the camaraderie, the brotherhood,” Christie said. “I miss the good times. I even miss the bad times. But I’m realistic. I don’t live in a hypothetical world. It’s what it is. I gave them 40 years of my life. I left when I I thought it was an appropriate time to do it and I think I’m where I’m supposed to be in life right now.”
The organization has a long history in California, dating back to its founding in 1948 by returning World War II veterans in the dusty town of Fontana. It includes a notorious incident at a Rolling Stones show in Altamont in 1969, during which an audience member was stabbed by a Hells Angels security guard. A jury later acquitted the killer, finding he had acted in self-defense.
In 2011, the U.S. Department of Justice said the Hells Angels had up to 2,500 members in 230 chapters across 26 countries. According to the FBI, the Hells Angels are still listed as an outlaw motorcycle gang involved in various criminal activities, including drug trafficking.
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Federal, state and local police have pursued the club for decades, infiltrating it with undercover agents, pursuing suspects with harsh charges once reserved for the Mafia and indicting members on charges ranging from drug trafficking to mortgage fraud .
However, the club has prospered over the years. She then opened chapters around the world and aggressively asserted her brands in court. He also won high-profile acquittals and other legal battles with law enforcement.
The only child of a Greek immigrant family in Ventura, Christie grew up fascinated with motorcycles. Over his father’s objections, he bought his first bike, a 1957 Panhead, for $200 in 1966. He soon found himself frequenting local clubs.
“I think America has a love affair with outlaws – they always have and they always will,” he explained. “When I was young, I always identified with outlaws. And when I left the Marine Corps, I was still looking for that camaraderie. I drifted into the world of outlaw motorcycles- law and eventually ended up riding with the Angels.”
Christie became a full Hells Angel in the Los Angeles chapter in 1976. Six months later, he became president before becoming club leader of the Ventura chapter in 1978.
“What you have to do is make your presence known,” Christie explained of what it takes to join the Hells Angels. “Back in the ’60s when I started, you had to build your custom motorcycle. It becomes an extension of your personality. If you had a cool looking motorcycle, the majority of these guys would think you were probably a pretty cool guy . That’s how I established myself. My bike was an extension of myself. It may seem abstract to some people, but it was a work of art to me.
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The Angels have always maintained that they are a club of motorcycle enthusiasts unfairly viewed as an organized crime syndicate due to the crimes of a few members acting independently. The club participates in charity events, such as “Toys for Tots”, motorcycle races and blood drives.
“When we do well, no one remembers,” says the club’s website. “When we do wrong, no one forgets.”
In the early 1980s, Christie became involved with the Hells Angels trademark committee and communicated with the press.
“We vigorously protect our name and logo,” he said. “. . . This taught me the importance of protecting your brand, your image, particularly vis-à-vis the media. . . . If a false story was circulating, you had to respond to it. So I made contacts in the media with the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times and the local newspapers. We were trying to protect our image. The police were trying to tarnish it.
“The federal government and law enforcement would have you believe that the Hells Angels are a criminal organization,” Christie continued. “That’s not the case. This is an organization that has criminals, like Congress, the Senate… I could go on and on with different people breaking laws. But as an organization, the Hells Angels are not a criminal organization.
“The badge is like a flag. You don’t want it to be desecrated, you don’t want it to be disrespected. When people fly it, when people wear it, when they ride their motorcycle , they do it proudly. They defend it. It is the soul of the club. It must be protected at all times.
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The first episode of “Secrets of the Hells Angels” details how undercover agent Jay Dobyns infiltrated the Hells Angels in Arizona. Christie said it was common to wonder who “a real brother” was.
“You always have doubts,” Christie said. “If you look at someone and you can’t really trace their history very far back, you have to ask yourself, ‘Is this guy involved with the FBI? The ATF?'”
In 1997, the Ventura County District Attorney opened an investigation. Christie was arrested in 2001 with a 59-count indictment. He spent a year in solitary confinement before being offered a plea deal for time served.
Weeks after Christie resigned his presidency, he said the federal government “wasted no time” walked back with an indictment for a 2006 plot to bomb two tattoo parlors in Ventura. Christie explained in court that he never ordered anyone to burn down the two stores, but would accept responsibility for “poor leadership.”
After two years of house arrest recovering from a double hip replacement, Christie spent the next year in a federal prison in Texas. He was released in 2014.
“I don’t miss prison,” Christie laughed.
Today, Christie is eager to share her story in hopes of debunking “falsehoods” about the Hells Angels. He has written books about his journey and currently has a podcast called “Speak of the Devil.”
“I don’t want anyone 100 years from now speculating about my lifestyle,” he explained. “I want this on the record now, in my lifetime. If anyone wants to challenge me, I’m ready to debate it.”
“I’m not trying to glorify my life, but I’m not going to apologize for it either,” he added.
Original article source: Former Hells Angels frontman reveals why he left outlaw motorcycle club: ‘I don’t miss prison’
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