Two Hells Angels Sentenced for Racketeering Attempted Murder

Two members of the violent outlaw motorcycle gang, the Hells Angels (HAMC), were sentenced this week for participating in a gang-related attempted murder. David Lee Woodall, 47, of Fayetteville, North Carolina, and Jason Lee Hathaway, 48, of Columbia City, Indiana, each previously pleaded guilty to Violent Crime in Aid of Racketeering (VICAR) attempted murder against their principal rivals, the Pagan Motorcycle Club (PMC). On June 10 and June 12, the court sentenced Hathaway to 51 months in prison and Woodall to 57 months in prison, respectively.

According to court documents and evidence presented in court, the HAMC is a transnational violent outlaw motorcycle group that uses violence, threats, and intimidation to carry out its perceived mission and enforce its rules. According to the indictment, the HAMC has several support clubs to include the Red Devil Motorcycle Club (RDMC) that act as feeder outlaw motorcycle clubs in order to recruit members into the HAMC. The HAMC members were under a standing order to attack, injury and kill members of the PMC.

On July 22, 2023, Hathaway rode on his motorcycle into a Dairy Queen in Cumberland County, North Carolina during daytime hours. Finding three PMC members there, Hathaway threatened them with a hammer. Hathaway attempted to strike one with the hammer but instead shattered the glass of the victims' vehicle. After this attack, Hathaway called other HAMC members to the Dairy Queen as backup. Woodall was among those who answered the call. Once the HAMC assembled, they went out to the parking lot and confronted the same three PMC members, attacking them with hammers, brass knuckles and fists. The attack was suspended only when a PMC member shot at the HAMC members, killing one of them. This occurred while other citizens were patronizing the Dairy Queen. Several unrelated vehicles were damaged by the attack.

Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department's Criminal Division A. Tysen Duva and U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina W. Ellis Boyle made the announcement.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), Raleigh and Fayetteville, North Carolina Police Departments and Cumberland County, North Carolina Sheriff's Office are investigating the case.

Deputy Chief Kelly Pearson of the Criminal Division's Violent Crime and Racketeering Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Casey Peaden and Charity Wilson for the Eastern District of North Carolina are prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department's Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).