“Satan’s Slaves!” - Hells Angels Boss on ATF Coverup, his Top Secret DoD Job & FEAR | Christie • 378
Quick Read
Summary
Takeaways
- ❖George Christie served in the Marine Corps and later held a top-secret Department of Defense job maintaining a submarine surveillance system during the Cold War.
- ❖He simultaneously became the leader of the Los Angeles Hells Angels, a role he held for decades, eventually moving the chapter to Ventura.
- ❖Christie faced multiple federal and state indictments, including murder-for-hire and racketeering charges, often claiming he was framed or entrapped by law enforcement.
- ❖He actively worked to broker peace among rival motorcycle clubs (Hells Angels, Outlaws, Bandidos, Mongols), a position he describes as unpopular within the outlaw culture.
- ❖Christie makes a clear distinction between 'outlaws' (who defy societal norms) and 'criminals' (who commit crimes for profit or malice), identifying himself as an outlaw.
- ❖His legal defense was sometimes handled by his daughter, a criminal attorney, who successfully navigated complex legal challenges.
- ❖Christie carried the Olympic torch in 1984 as a representative of 'HAMCUS' (Hells Angels Motorcycle Club United States), despite alleged attempts by the ATF to link the club to terrorism.
- ❖He believes an ATF unit, previously involved in the Greensboro Massacre, was responsible for a grenade attack on his clubhouse in 1984.
- ❖Christie left the Hells Angels in 2011 due to ideological differences, particularly the club's increasing internal conflicts and aggressive stance towards other clubs, leading to his ostracization.
Insights
1Dual Life: Top-Secret DoD Clearance and Hells Angels Leadership
George Christie maintained a top-secret security clearance while working for the Department of Defense, managing a submarine surveillance system during the Cold War, concurrently with his leadership role in the Los Angeles Hells Angels. This dual existence ended when the DoD discovered his Hells Angels affiliation and forced him to choose, leading to his resignation.
Christie details his eight years working for the Department of Defense, maintaining phone service for a missile range and submarine surveillance system on Santa Cruz Island, and his subsequent dismissal in 1978 when his Hells Angels leadership became known. (, )
2The Outlaw vs. Criminal Distinction
Christie draws a sharp line between 'outlaws' and 'criminals,' defining outlaws as individuals who live outside societal norms and rules but adhere to their own code, while criminals engage in illicit activities for personal gain. He consistently identifies himself as an outlaw, even when recounting actions that could be legally classified as criminal.
He states, 'Don't confuse outlaws with criminals or criminals with outlaws.' He argues that some outlaws are 'pushed to criminal behavior' for survival. He also describes the Hells Angels as 'an organization with criminals in it,' rather than a criminal organization itself. (, , )
3Strategic Peace Efforts in Outlaw Biker Culture
Despite the violent nature of inter-club rivalries, Christie spent over a decade actively petitioning for peace among the Hells Angels, Outlaws, Bandidos, and Mongols. This stance was highly unpopular within the aggressive outlaw biker culture, often perceived as a sign of weakness, and even led to assassination attempts against him.
Christie recounts his decade-long efforts for peace, including unannounced visits to rival club leaders like Taco Bowman of the Outlaws, and his participation in peace talks for the Nordic Bike War. He notes that 'peace is not a popular position in the culture we're in.' (, , )
4Government Entrapment and Alleged Misconduct
Christie alleges multiple instances of government entrapment and misconduct, including the FBI's use of informants like Tony Tate to instigate criminal acts and the ATF's suspected involvement in a grenade attack on his clubhouse. He highlights the manipulation of evidence and narratives by law enforcement.
He details how informant Tony Tate, motivated by money and a book/movie deal, attempted to entrap Hells Angels members in murder conspiracies. Christie also describes an incident where an ATF unit, previously involved in the Greensboro Massacre, was stationed near his clubhouse, which was subsequently hit by a grenade traced back to their armory. (, , )
5The Power of Narrative Control
Christie emphasizes the importance of controlling one's own narrative, especially when dealing with media and legal challenges. He actively used media appearances and strategic communication to counter negative portrayals and shape public perception, a lesson he learned from his legal team.
He recounts his strategy for his 60 Minutes interview with Mike Wallace, where he disarmed Wallace by discussing the Cuban Revolution and Che Guevara. He also mentions his lawyer's advice: 'Remember, George, always control the narrative.' (, )
Bottom Line
Using airport security as a neutral ground for high-stakes peace negotiations between rival outlaw motorcycle clubs.
This unconventional approach leveraged a seemingly restrictive system (airport security checkpoints) to create a safe, weapon-free environment for leaders of warring factions to meet without fear of ambush or interference from their own security details or law enforcement.
Applying 'neutral ground' strategies in unexpected, high-security environments to de-escalate conflicts or facilitate sensitive discussions between adversarial parties in business, politics, or community disputes.
The Hells Angels successfully trademarked their brand, placing them alongside corporate giants like Levi Strauss and Coca-Cola as clients of top-tier trademark lawyers.
This demonstrates a sophisticated understanding of intellectual property and brand protection within an 'outlaw' organization, allowing them to monetize their image and exert control over its use, even leading to a law firm dropping them due to brand conflict with other clients.
Organizations or subcultures with strong, recognizable identities can explore intellectual property rights to protect and monetize their brand, even if their core activities are unconventional or controversial.
The use of social media (Facebook) became a point of contention and a tool for internal club politics, leading to a leader being forced to 'defriend' an ousted member.
This illustrates how new technologies rapidly integrate into existing social structures, even outlaw ones, becoming new battlegrounds for loyalty, control, and public image, sometimes with comically petty outcomes.
Analyzing how emerging communication platforms are adopted and adapted by non-traditional groups, revealing new dynamics of power, loyalty, and conflict resolution (or exacerbation).
Opportunities
Outlaw Brand Management & Legal Services
A specialized legal and brand management firm that helps unconventional organizations, subcultures, or individuals protect and monetize their unique identities and intellectual property. Drawing on the Hells Angels' experience with trademarking, this service would navigate the complexities of mainstream legal systems for 'outlaw' brands, ensuring their image and assets are controlled.
Conflict Resolution & De-escalation for High-Stakes Groups
A consultancy offering mediation and peace negotiation services for groups involved in intense, often violent, conflicts, drawing on Christie's experience in brokering peace among rival motorcycle clubs. The service would specialize in creating secure, neutral environments (like airport security zones or border parks) and developing communication strategies to de-escalate tensions and find common ground.
Lessons
- Cultivate a strong personal narrative and actively control how your story is told, especially in public forums, to counter misinformation and shape perception.
- Challenge assumptions and seek deeper understanding in conflicts; what appears as 'criminal' behavior might stem from complex motivations or systemic pressures.
- Be prepared to adapt and innovate in challenging environments, leveraging unexpected resources (like airport security for peace talks) to achieve objectives.
Notable Moments
Christie's childhood realization of poverty after his parents searched under car seats for change to buy him a burger, leading to a vow never to be laughed at for lack of money.
This pivotal moment instilled a powerful drive in Christie to accumulate wealth and avoid the perceived humiliation of poverty, profoundly influencing his life choices and entrepreneurial ventures.
Being accused of cheating on an IQ test by his high school principal, despite struggling with dyslexia, which led him to leave polite society and join the Marines.
This experience of being unjustly accused by authority figures solidified his rebellious streak and distrust of conventional systems, pushing him towards a life outside traditional societal structures.
His mother's testimony in court, where she proudly admitted he gave her money and paid her house payments, inadvertently leading to her funds being 'tainted' for his bail, but successfully demanding her gambling money back from the judge.
This anecdote highlights the deep family loyalty within his Greek background and Christie's commitment to providing for his family, even if it involved legally questionable funds, while also showcasing his mother's fierce character.
The confrontation with a drug dealer wearing a fake Hells Angels patch, where Christie and his crew forced the dealer to dig his own grave in the desert before he confessed to having the patch and was 'taxed'.
This early experience as a new Hells Angels member demonstrates the extreme measures taken to protect the club's identity and territory, and Christie's willingness to engage in high-stakes intimidation, while also revealing his internal struggle with the potential for lethal violence.
His strategic handling of a 60 Minutes interview with Mike Wallace, where he disarmed Wallace by discussing the Cuban Revolution and Che Guevara, and later overheard Wallace expressing a preference for the Hells Angels over the feds.
This illustrates Christie's media savvy and ability to control narratives, even against seasoned journalists, showcasing his intelligence and strategic thinking in public relations.
Being forced to 'defriend' an ousted Hells Angels member on Facebook after a senior member raised it as an issue in a club meeting.
This humorous but telling incident reveals the evolving nature of outlaw club politics in the digital age, where online interactions became as significant as physical ones, and highlights the petty nature of some internal power struggles.
Carrying the Olympic torch in 1984 as a representative of 'HAMCUS' (Hells Angels Motorcycle Club United States), despite alleged attempts by the ATF to link the club to terrorism.
This moment of public recognition for the Hells Angels, facilitated by Christie's media engagement, stands in stark contrast to simultaneous government efforts to demonize the club, showcasing his ability to navigate and manipulate public perception.
A grenade attack on his Ventura clubhouse in 1984, which he attributes to the ATF, whose unit was stationed in an armory where the grenade's spoon was traced back to.
This serious allegation points to extreme government overreach and potential criminal activity by law enforcement against a civilian organization, blurring the lines between who is the 'outlaw' and who is the 'criminal'.
Quotes
"You know, you have three mandatory minimums of life on the end of this indictment. You've got count six, seven, and eight. They're all mandatory minimums of life."
"And you, Mr. Christie, God only knows what you've gotten away with."
"If you believe in America, the judicial system... the judicial system is weights and measures. And I'm even, man. I don't owe nobody nothing."
"The Hell's Angels is not a criminal organization, there. Hell's Angels is organization with criminals in it."
"Are Mr. Christiey's words so powerful you have to silence him?"
"I was in love with that culture and that and that lifestyle, man. I I I'm not embarrassed to say it, but I know there's some people out there going, 'Fucking guy, man.' You know, but it's the truth, man. I'm being honest with you. I I wanted it so bad."
"Peace is not a popular position in the culture we're in."
Q&A
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