St. Louis, MO - Seven members of the Wheels of Soul Outlaw Motorcycle Club were convicted today in federal court of Racketeering Conspiracy and related charges including murder, attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder and tampering with evidence. The trial, which began on October 18 before Chief United States District Judge Catherine D. Perry, lasted more than 30 days. More than 60 witnesses testified about the Wheels of Soul, a nationally prominent mixed-race Outlaw Club boasting some 400 members.

In addition to the Racketeering Conspiracy, DOMINIC HENLEY, a/k/a “Bishop,” of St. Louis, was convicted of conspiracy to commit murder on January 29, 2011. The jury found that Henley and other members of the Wheels of Soul had traveled to East St. Louis, Illinois, planning to commit the murders of several members of a rival motorcycle club at the annual Black New Year event. Another local man, TIMOTHY BALLE, a/k/a “T,” also of St. Louis, was convicted of sale of a firearm to a previously convicted felon for a transaction in which he sold an SKS assault rifle to a fellow member of the Wheels of Soul.

The jury also returned guilty verdicts against the Wheels of Soul’s national Vice-President, JAMES C. SMITH, a/k/a “Animal,” of Philadelphia; JERRY ELKINS, a/k/a “Shakka,” , of Aurora, Colorado; MARSHALL FRY, a/k/a “Bo,” of Lewisville, Texas; and ANTHONY ROBINSON, a/k/a “Blade,” of Chicago, Illinois. Robinson was also convicted of two separate murders in aid of racketeering activity, the first of which occurred on January 2, 2011, in Chicago, Illinois, and the second of which occurred some 60 days later in Marion, Ohio. As a result of these convictions, Robinson faces a mandatory sentence of life without the possibility of parole.

The investigation into the Wheels of Soul began in early 2009 in St. Louis and grew to include seven other states. The case was a joint investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in St. Louis and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives in Chicago, Illinois. The United States Attorney also commended the work of the Chicago Police Department, the Gary (IN) Police Department, the Marion (OH) Police Department, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the St. Louis County Police Department, all of which participated in the extensive investigation.