Feds arrest Livingston man in crackdown on motorbike gang

CLAIR JOHNSON Of The Gazette Staff

Federal agents arrested a Livingston man Tuesday as part of a seven-state sweep of the Outlaws motorcycle gang on racketeering and other charges.

John “Bull” Banthem, 46, is one of 27 Outlaws members indicted in a federal case filed in Richmond, Va. The 12-count, 50-page indictment, unsealed Tuesday, alleges that the men participated in a criminal enterprise that included attempted murder, kidnapping, assault, robbery, extortion, witness intimidation, drug dealing, illegal gambling and weapons violations.

Agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives arrested Outlaws leaders and members in Wisconsin, Maine, North Carolina, Tennessee, South Carolina and Virginia.

The roundup turned deadly in Maine when one of the indicted Outlaws, Thomas “Tomcat” Mayne, 59, was killed in a shootout with agents who were attempting to serve arrest warrants.

The indictment alleges that the Outlaws motorcycle gang is a highly organized criminal enterprise with a multilevel chain of command overseen by Jack Rosga, 53, of Milwaukee, Wis., who served as president. Rosga, also known as “Milwaukee Jack,” was arrested Tuesday. 

Under Rosga’s leadership, the Outlaws engaged in violent racketeering activities to expand its influence and control various parts of the country against rival motorcycle gangs, particularly the Hell’s Angels, the indictment said.

Banthem made an initial appearance Tuesday afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Carolyn Ostby in Billings.

Banthem is president of a new chapter in Montana, the indictment said. He faces one count of racketeering conspiracy in which he allegedly sold marijuana to undercover agents posing as Outlaws members. 

On June 8, law enforcement officers stopped Banthem in Iowa while he was en route to Virginia from Montana.

Banthem had about 5 pounds of marijuana and two firearms, the indictment said. Banthem posted a $5,000 bond on charges and was released.

Ostby on Tuesday continued Banthem’s detention on the federal charges and ordered him to be transported to Virginia for arraignment and a detention hearing.

The maximum penalty for racketeering conspiracy is 20 years in prison and a maximum $250,000 fine.

The federal indictment said that during a meeting in April in North Carolina, one of the Outlaws regional bosses talked about an upcoming Outlaws function in Bozeman and “described how every member of the Montana chapter has a medical marijuana card and access to high grade marijuana,” the indictment said