What do you think happens if you mess with the president of an outlaw motorcycle club?
And by mess with, I mean knowingly break into his house, tie up his girlfriend, threaten her, and steal
his guns and money — that kind of mess with. The answer in this case is a frantic manhunt by bikers
for the dumb robber, a kidnapping, nasty murder, sweeping police probe, federal indictments, SWAT
team raids, and an electrifying trial with a shock ending. Outlaw biker culture has been on display
and on trial on America's west coast, offering a roaring tale of greed, loyalty, betrayal, and revenge —
four touchstone incentives in the underworld. The Mob Reporter here with exclusive videos and photos
that reveal a true American crime story, a life- and-death tale with an inside look at a biker club —
its members, rules, and culture, and how they hold up under pressure. Let me tell you about it
The tale will come to an end in April in a courtroom in Portland, Oregon
It began on July 1st, 2015, 20 miles north across the state line, when loggers made a
gruesome discovery in a field in Clark County, Washington. There they found a battered body
later identified as Robert Lee Huggins, a biker known as "Baggar Bob." Bagger, investigators learned,
was grabbed from a driveway in Portland the night before and whisked away kicking and
screaming. He might not have been too surprised. You see Bagger Bob was a biker without a gang
Once he was a member of the Gypsy Joker Motorcycle Club's Portland chapter, but Bagger was kicked out
in 2014 after he was caught stealing from his brother bikers to feed his heroin habit
Such excommunication is called being "beaten out" because, well, you're beaten while you're being
kicked out. Bagger didn't take it well and a few months later pretty much lost his mind
How else can you explain this? As payback, Bagger broke into the house of Gypsy Joker's Portland
president Mark Denklau, tied up his girlfriend, threatened her, and stole his money and guns
When Denklau got home he was furious, as one would be. But his thirst for revenge knew no bounds
Gypsy Jokers and their pals went on a tear looking for Bagger Bob. They eventually found
him they learned he was crashing at a home in Portland, and on June 30th, a little after 10 pm,
bikers in three vehicles started circling their neighborhood keeping watch. We see them
on his neighbor's security system, although their cameras are cheap and the view poor. At 10:54 pm
Bagger was spotted and the bikers pounced. There was a struggle, just visible in the top left, and
they appear to pull something into the SUV before peeling off. Within two minutes the three cars
leave in a convoy; seven minutes later the cops arrive. By then the bikers — and Bagger — were gone
Bagger Bob was driven across the state line to a shed on rural property in southwest Washington
where he was given the full revenge treatment, over several hours
Now I won't describe details of what happened in that shed, suffice to say it was bad
After he was found, it took a while for police to piece together what happened
They got a lucky boost when one of those involved found himself in jail for meth possession
and said too much on the phone to his girlfriend. In April 2016, Portland Police arrested four bikers
for murder and kidnapping. Among those arrested were Mark Denklau, the president of the local
Gypsy Joker chapter since 2003; Earl Fisher, the chapter's vice president; and Tyler Pribbernow, a
member of a support club for the Gypsy Jokers who was a US army veteran of the Iraq war
Officers then conducted post-arrest interrogations. Although they talked for
more than an hour, Denklau was blunt to the cops about his world and his code... "but i'm not willing
to sit here and tell you stories like some piece of sh-- rat, okay? You got your world I got mine
In my world, rats are pieces of sh--. I'm not gonna sit here telling on Nicole
I'm not gonna sit here telling on anybody. I'm not gonna sit here telling on anybody for anything..."
Denklau, though, couldn't resist confirming Bagger Bob was a bad dude who deserved to be kicked out
"It was the heroin and the lyin' and stealing and everything else, you know what I mean? Uh
I don't think that it's, uh uh, that big a deal to tell you guys that he stole from the club
and then, uh, when he got caught for it he blamed it all on heroin, which was automatic kick out for him..."
That didn't help him. I'll upload a full version of this interrogation soon, it's quite a ride
and well worth a watch. The indictments for Bagger Bob's murder sparked police raids
SWAT teams entered the Gypsy Joker's clubhouses in Portland and Seattle
You see photos here from the raid and what police found — and perhaps I'll also upload a video soon
showing you the full monty from both clubhouses — a forensic examination of the bikers' knick-knacks
security, weapons, finances, and how they like to have fun. Now months later, the government made a
federal case of this — I mean that literally — and that boosts prosecution firepower considerably
Additional suspects associated with the club were added in a superseding indictment
including Chad Erickson, a Gypsy Joker member who had been a sergeant in the U.S. army. Most notably
though, in the new indictment, the feds charged the national president of the Gypsy Joker MC
Kenneth Hause, known as "The Wiz." That's not a personal nickname, it's the codename given
to whomever holds the top national office. Hause, the wiz, had been national president of Gypsy Joker MC
for decades after serving in the U.S. Navy. He was hit with a federal racketeering conspiracy charge
but not for murder, unlike the others. That made it easier to release him on bail pending trial
Suddenly Denklau wasn't the biggest name on the indictment. These bikers weren't spring chickens
The Wiz was 62 when arrested; Denklau was 58. Others were in their 60s 50s 40s and 30s. Bagger Bob was
56 when he was killed. Federal racketeering charges are notoriously hard to beat
An accused rarely wins, so much so this was the first federal racketeering case to go to an actual
trial in the state in more than 15 years. Favorable rules for the prosecution pushed most accused to
cut a deal and plead guilty, and one by one, many of these bikers did, including Fisher and Pribbernow
who both agreed to cooperate and testify. In fact, six bikers were lined up as government witnesses
Not Denklau, though, or Ericsson, or The Wiz. They hung in for a trial that stretched right
through to the end of 2021, with legal proceedings still underway. Witnesses said Bagger's demise was
Denklau's show every step of the way. That he ordered Bagger be found and punished
and was hands-on until the end. Defense lawyers warned jurors that the witnesses were bad guys —
self-serving turncoats, especially Pribbernow, a lawyer railed, who was the guy who actually swung
the final blow on Baggar with a baseball bat. But their cumulative testimony was devastating
Pribbernow was the star witness. He was the first to turn and was on the stand for three days
Another witness had been a prospect member of the Gypsy Joker at the time
and another was a member of a support club. Both were promoted to full-patch Gypsy Joker member
after helping in the plot. Denklau took the stand as well, testifying in his defense. He
contradicted witness testimony, saying he wasn't there when Baggar was snatched or killed and that
he didn't order it or participate. He lashed out at his former brothers who testified against him
calling them liars. Lawyers for The Wiz said the Gypsy Joker MC isn't a criminal organization, just
a club full of rogues with strong personalities who may not all follow society's rules
When these kind of guys get together, they said, there's bound to be fisticuffs
but it's personal not club business. Erickson's defense was a tougher sell. His lawyer said
Erickson was there at the time of Bagger's demise but not as part of a plan. He didn't participate
but neither did he intervene. He was, his lawyer said, paralyzed by loyalty or by fear
That seems to encapsulate at least one aspect of life in a one percent biker club, at least
the Portland Jokers. Loyalty and fear. Bagger was loyal once, until he felt only fear. Denklau was
betrayed by all sides. Not only brother bikers pointed a finger at him but also working with
prosecutors was his now former girlfriend, the victim of the incident that started it all
The jury heard evidence of more than just Bagger's fate. The racketeering charge meant prosecutors
sought to prove a pattern of criminal behavior with a hierarchy of an organization behind it
In the police raids, officers uncovered a trove of Gypsy Joker's internal documents. They gave us an
inside view of how the club was run. It turns out that for a bunch of outlaws the bikers sure had a
lot of rules. Rule number one is members must own a Harley-Davidson type motorcycle with a minimum 100
mile fuel capacity; rule number two: no cops allowed. Rule number three: no needle drug use. Rule number
four: never lie to another member. Members are required to attend weekly members-only meetings
on Friday nights, called church. Dues is ten dollars a week, unless you're in hospital or jail. They have
rules on running elections, they have rules on what you can't wear, they have rules on when and
how you can be kicked out of the club, how you can retire or transfer chapters. And even how
members can change the club's bylaws — it takes a two-third majority vote. At the top of the Gypsy
Joker heap, prosecutor said, was The Wiz, Kenneth Hause. The jury heard Hause could be devastatingly
strict; he once knocked the teeth out of a biker who was late to a mandatory motorcycle run. When
a longtime member was kicked out, a thick black X was forcibly tattooed across the Gypsy Joker tat
the guy had the misfortune to have inked across his entire back. Ouch. Breaking a rule meant having
your "eyes dotted," they called it. That meant standing up straight and taking a punch from another member
to give you a black eye. After four days of deliberating, the jury accepted that Bagger Bob was
killed by his former brother bikers. Dencklau and Eriksen were found guilty on Nov. 30th, 2021
Hause, however, was acquitted. The Wiz walked free. That was a stunning surprise. His acquittal was a
blow to prosecutors who nevertheless hailed the case as a success — after all, all told, including
the snitches, a whole whack of Gypsy Jokers were convicted. Their sentencing is scheduled for April —
not just for those found guilty at trial but also for the witnesses. They delayed their sentencing to
see how they do in court. We know what Dencklau and Eriksen will get, their convictions carry
a mandatory life sentence. But the cooperating defendants who took the plea deals will find
out what sort of discount their testimony bought them. Thanks for watching and please subscribe