Motorcycle club members charged in Portland kidnapping, killing

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – A federal grand jury in Oregon charged three members and associates of the Gypsy Joker Outlaw Motorcycle Club with murder, kidnapping and racketeering.

The four-count indictment was returned June 28 and unsealed Friday.

Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General John Cronan said the three allegedly kidnapped and killed fellow member Robert Huggins, of southeast Portland.

Huggins’ body was found with nails shot through his boots, an X carved on his body and his teeth knocked out. Police said Huggins had been the club’s treasurer and had allegedly stolen money from the club.

Charged were Mark Leroy Dencklau, 58, of Woodburn; Earl Deverle Fisher, 48, of Gresham; and Tiler Evan Pribbernow, 37, of Portland. The kidnapping and slaying occurred June 30-July 1, 2015.

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News release from U.S. Department of Justice:

Club members accused of kidnapping, torturing and murdering a former club member and resident of southeast Portland

PORTLAND. Ore. – A federal grand jury has returned a four-count indictment charging three members and associates of the Gypsy Joker Outlaw Motorcycle Club (GJOMC) for racketeering, kidnapping and murder. The indictment was returned on June 28, 2018 and unsealed today.

The indictment was announced by Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General John P. Cronan of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Billy J. Williams, U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon; Darek Pleasants, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosive’s (ATF) Seattle Field Division; and Danielle Outlaw, Chief of Police of the Portland Police Bureau (PPB).

“The defendants allegedly violently kidnapped and murdered Robert Huggins to maintain and advance their positions in the Gypsy Joker Outlaw Motorcycle gang,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Cronan. “This indictment is an important step toward dismantling this violent gang, and should send a clear message that the Department of Justice will bring to justice those who commit such heinous criminals mes on our streets.”

“Pursuing organized criminal organizations and individual members that commit violent crimes and threaten public safety is a top priority for the Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the District of Oregon,” said U.S. Attorney Williams. “We will use every law enforcement tool available to hold members of criminal organizations accountable for their violent and lawless criminal gang activity.”

“ATF remains committed to combating violent crime organizations that endanger our communities,” said SAC Pleasants. “ATF will always stand shoulder to shoulder with our law enforcement partners to protect the public.”

“The Portland Police Bureau is proud to be a part of this collaborative effort that resulted in the indictment of people engaged in violent activity,” said Chief Outlaw. “Violent crime deeply affects our community and by working in partnership, we can use effective strategies to locate those individuals who are responsible for violence and hold them accountable.”

Mark Leroy Dencklau, 58, of Woodburn, Oregon; Earl Deverle Fisher, 48, of Gresham, Oregon; and Tiler Evan Pribbernow, 37, of Portland are charged with:

Murder in aid of racketeering in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1959(a)(1); kidnapping in aid of racketeering, resulting in death in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1959(a)(1) and 18 U.S.C. § 2; kidnapping resulting in death in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 1201(a)(1) and (2); and conspiracy to commit kidnapping, resulting in death in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 1201(a)(1) and 1201(c)

in a case stemming from the June 30-July 1, 2015 kidnapping and murder of Robert Huggins, a former GJOMC member and resident of southeast Portland.

According to the indictment, GJOMC oversees several “support clubs” in Oregon and Washington, including the Road Brothers Northwest Motorcycle Club, Solutions Motorcycle Club, Northwest Veterans Motorcycle Club, High-Side Riders, and the Freedom Fellowship Motorcycle Club. The indictment alleges that the three men engaged in the violent actions leading to Huggins’ death for the purpose of maintaining and increasing their positions in the GJOMC criminal enterprise.

Dencklau, Fisher and Pribbernow made their initial appearances before a U.S. Magistrate Judge in Portland on July 9, 10, and 13, 2018, respectively.

An indictment is only an accusation of a crime, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

This case was investigated by the PPB and ATF, with assistance from the Clark County, Washington Sheriff’s Office, the Oregon State Police, and the Oregon and Washington State Crime Labs. Leah K. Bolstad, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon, is prosecuting the case with Rebecca A. Staton, Trial Attorney for the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section.

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 make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.