Gangland (2007) s05e10 Episode Script

male narrator: They've blazed A bloody trail.
narrator: They're a mob-like Gang of killers they're an actual organized Crime family.
We refer to 'em as the sopranos On motorcycles.
narrator: With a vicious Dictator at their center.
john napoli was a gangster.
narrator: They're the breed Motorcycle club, and they'll Stop at nothing.
narrator: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The cradle of liberty is the Nation's sixth largest city.
Its nickname, the city of Brotherly love, suggests Kindness and a generous spirit.
But this otherwise peaceful City has a major problem Outlaw biker gangs.
The warlocks, the pagans, And even the notorious hells Angels all wreak havoc here.
There's one gang that is More violent and ruthless Than all the rest The breed.
narrator: The gang's Headquarters are 22 miles From downtown philly In bristol township.
The breed may be the most Secretive biker gang in The country, and just speaking About the gang to anyone Can mean death.
Big p asked to have his Identity concealed.
narrator: Big p was just back From vietnam when he joined The gang in 1971.
narrator: The breed formed In 1965 and quickly gained A reputation as the most violent Gang in the philly area.
everybody who knows the breed Knows of the breed and the Reputation of the breed As being violent.
Don't mess with them.
narrator: The gang's Standard operating procedure: Eliminate everyone.
Jeff antinucci spent ten Years battling the breed.
they would hang out in the Bars and approach the owners Of the bars.
They wanted to get paid, and if The bar owners or the businesses Balked at that, they would bring Their club members and take over The entire establishment.
narrator: Not all Confrontations were About extortion.
Some were just for fun.
narrator: The breed is Smaller than mammoth clubs Like the hells angels, But their 200 members are Spread across the northeast And midwest.
And they don't let their Size hold them back.
narrator: They call The philly area home and are Willing to defend their turf At any cost.
it didn't matter if you were A larger club or a nationally Recognized club.
If you came through that area And they didn't know about it, They would confront you.
narrator: Many take any Challenge personally.
narrator: This also plays Into their secret culture.
Usually friends of friends Are selected to join.
narrator: Smokey asked to Have his identity concealed.
He'd always wanted To be a biker.
narrator: In 2003, smokey Changed his mind about joining The angels shortly after he Opened his own motorcycle shop.
narrator: It was the day Smokey met the leader of The breed.
John "junior" napoli was vice President of the pennsylvania Chapter of the breed For four years.
narrator: Napoli had built Himself a ruthless reputation.
narrator: By 1995, napoli Had already been in and out Of prison.
narrator: Napoli grew up Around the gang.
His dad, harry, was An original member.
But john was a different Type of biker.
narrator: But napoli's Ambition made him a force To be reckoned with.
narrator: Napoli wanted Absolute power.
As soon as he became a member Of the breed, he started angling To be a chapter president.
narrator: Kirk schwartz asked To have his identity concealed.
narrator: There was a method To napoli's madness.
He wanted the breed to take Control of crystal meth Trafficking in north philly.
They were already selling in Bristol, but junior saw the Opportunity to make millions.
To do it, he would take out Anyone who stood in his way.
January 2003.
Thomas burke was A breed prospect.
As a recruit, he had to follow The orders of full members Or risk their wrath.
John napoli asked burke To deliver a 1/2 pound of Crystal meth to a customer In new jersey.
Burke refused, breaking the Cardinal rule for a prospect.
john napoli wanted him to do Some specific things, and thomas Burke balked at it.
narrator: Napoli was furious.
He would teach burke a lesson.
March 8th.
Burke was invited to john Napoli's house.
There he was cornered by Three breed members.
They beat burke, viciously Kicking and stomping him Until he passed out.
narrator: Burke passed out Again.
Then napoli took it One step further.
He doused burke With lighter fluid.
Then he took out a lighter.
he was gonna set him on Fire inside his own house Until he was stopped by one of The other members who said, "john, you're gonna burn Your own house down," And that's the only thing That prevented that.
narrator: Burke barely Survived the attack, But he refused to file charges, Fearing for his life.
Napoli had thrown down The gauntlet.
It was either his way Or a vicious beating.
narrator: Philadelphia has A proud working-class history.
But the city is home to some of The east coast's most violent Nonconformists The breed outlaw Motorcycle gang.
These brutal bikers take pride In scaring everyone.
narrator: Intimidation has Been integral to the gang From the beginning.
The breed was born in 1965 in Asbury park, new jersey, about 64 miles northeast of philly.
if you talk to the breed Members, they're just a bunch Of motorcycle enthusiasts Who don't necessarily conform To society.
If you look at it from A law enforcement standpoint, They were an organized group Of vicious people, and anybody Who stood in their way, They would confront them And use violence.
narrator: One of their Founding members was Salvatore deiulio, Also known as "the old man.
" To this day, deiulio inspires Almost cult-like devotion.
narrator: Deiulio had A volcanic temper that often Got the better of him.
narrator: By 1971, the breed Had grown to 1,500 members, And deiulio was officially made The national president.
The gang embraced the outlaw Image, riding harleys and Fighting wherever they went.
narrator: The breed also sold And used methamphetamine.
narrator: Many early Recruits, like big p, were Vietnam vets who had trouble Readjusting to civilian life.
narrator: They had expanded Beyond jersey and established 13 chapters from west virginia To ohio.
In ohio, they started to butt Heads with the country's Largest and most powerful Motorcycle gang, The hells angels.
narrator: What began as Bar brawls soon escalated And turned into an all-out War after an incident In cleveland, ohio.
March 7, 1971.
About 150 breed members And 2 dozen hells angels showed Up to the fourth annual Motorcycle custom And trade show.
The angels prepared for The inevitable battle.
narrator: When the breed Showed up the next day, Security wouldn't let them in With weapons.
narrator: The battle Was brutal.
It lasted just two minutes, But four breed members and one Hells angel lay dead.
Two other members of the breed Were castrated by the angels During the melee.
The battle was the bloodiest In biker history, and the war Wasn't over.
narrator: In the '80s And early '90s, instead of Expanding like most gangs, The breed chose to strengthen Its presence in pennsylvania And new jersey.
They did so through an Unprecedented campaign Of violence.
at one point, about 35 Members of the gang walked Into the blue fountain diner, And they confronted A gentleman inside, Asked him if he was enjoying His breakfast, and then began Beating on him and broke A beer bottle over his head.
Two off-duty policemen Were also severely beaten During the brawl.
narrator: Police weren't The only targets.
January 1998.
Stars and bars, Longbranch, new jersey.
This strip club had become The breed's hangout.
well, the breed could come Into that bar on Friday night.
They would have the dancing Girls there or whatever.
narrator: Michael campanella Worked undercover for two years Tailing the breed.
He says national breed president Salvatore "the old man" deiulio Was acting like he owned The place and allegedly Abusing some of the dancers.
if the old man, sal deiulio, Wanted a girl in the back room Or whatever he wanted to do, He made, you know He put an order out, And these guys would make Girls come back there.
narrator: The gang had Become bad for business.
narrator: Then the gang Went too far.
one of the dancers was beat Up so brutally that she lost Her teeth.
She was chained to a chair.
She was made to perform oral sex On members of the breed, Ultimately later that night Was taken to the hospital And told not to say anything To the police or you'll find Yourself dead.
narrator: The abused Dancer eventually went To the police anyway.
The old man and four other Breed members were arrested and Charged with sexual assault.
In the end, one breed member Pleaded guilty.
The old man and three other Breed members were never tried For sexual assault.
John "junior" napoli would Take the message to heart.
narrator: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The outlaw biker gang the breed Rules this blue-collar area with Intimidation and brute force.
narrator: To gain that fear, Breed members operate As a unified force.
Absolute loyalty is demanded From its members.
No exceptions.
they stand beside each other Through thick and thin.
It doesn't matter if you're in A fistfight or a knife fight Or a gun fight.
They expect you to stand next To each other.
narrator: The gang's guiding Principles, which they call Their bylaws, were in part Created by breed founder Salvatore "the old man" deiulio.
narrator: Even more Importantly, you have to be Willing to tcb By committing crimes and Following gang mandates To move more meth.
narrator: The gang's Hierarchy includes chapter Presidents and vice presidents, A sergeant at arms in charge Of protecting gang members, And a treasurer.
Overseeing it all Is the national breed president, Who is still the old man, Salvatore deiulio.
everything is insulated In their criminal activity In that a soldier may receive Orders that's coming from The president, but he doesn't Talk directly to the president.
The president talks to his Trusted people who relay The information further down To the club members who receive Instructions on what it is They're supposed to do, and They do it without question.
narrator: You pledge Allegiance to the club When you join the breed By taking an oath.
Only then do you earn Its colors.
that's to be your most Prized possession.
They care more about their Colors than anything.
narrator: The center patch Is a u.
S.
Flag with 13 stars to Symbolize their 13 chapters when They were at their largest.
Sometimes a black bar Is placed across the flag To honor fallen brothers.
To get his colors, a biker has To go through a rigorous rite Of passage designed to weed out The weak.
During this time, he's referred To as a prospect.
once you're a prospect, You had to do anything a breed Member asks you to do, Whether it be something Illegal, a crime.
narrator: Once a prospect is Voted in, he gets his colors And is considered a full member Or flag holder.
And once you're in the gang, There is no easy way out.
The gang's creed: "breed forever And forever breed.
" if you want to leave The breed motorcycle gang, You have to have a real good Reason and put a request in.
If the request is valid, You can get out of the breed.
But on normal circumstances, You're catching a beating.
narrator: Instead of the Traditional 1% diamond patch, The breed models theirs After a woman.
narrator: The gang refers to Women as "old ladies" and thinks Of them as property.
a lot of the old ladies would Wear a designation that says That "I'm the property of Junior," or "I'm the property Of kicker.
" If a particular woman is wearing A belt or a patch that she's The particular property of A particular club member, The other club members know To leave her alone.
Anybody else is fair game.
narrator: The breed's Children wear patches too.
narrator: The gang has Other rules as well Including attending "church.
" narrator: The clubhouse Is the site of meetings, But more importantly, it's The site of breed parties Fueled by meth.
narrator: Not only do Breed members use meth, They also sell it to finance Their operation.
I've been in allentown for Ten years, and several years Ago, eight or nine years ago, We did a methamphetamine Investigation which led Right to their door.
They were selling Methamphetamine on A regular basis.
It's their main means of income.
narrator: In early 2002, The u.
S.
Department of justice Reported that the breed was one Of the most active Methamphetamine distributors In new jersey.
By 2003, the breed were making Enough money that they were More profitable than gangs Twice and three times Ththeir size.
John "junior" napoli Was making sure of that.
john napoli was in the right Time and the right place to Become the king of crystal meth.
narrator: March 2003.
In the philly area, john "junior" napoli was gunning To be president of the breed's Pennsylvania chapter.
john napoli was a gangster.
There was never a single issue Of remorse or anything heartfelt Or anything repentant about him.
narrator: He had built A reputation on violence.
Napoli nearly killed thomas Burke, a breed prospect, For refusing to do a crystal Meth delivery.
Now he wanted to take out the Pennsylvania chapter's sitting President, james graber.
narrator: In November of The same year, graber decided To do the wise thing.
narrator: Napoli was Appointed president of the Breed's pennsylvania chapter.
But it wasn't enough that Graber was no longer president.
John napoli wanted him erased.
November 24, 2005.
Under the guise of a meeting, Napoli and several other breed Members lured graber to the Gang's headquarters.
narrator: Graber Barely survived.
Napoli stripped the 25-year Breed veteran of his colors and Kicked him out of the gang.
narrator: The pennsylvania Attorney general's office took Notice of the bloody coup.
narrator: In the same year, Agent jeff antinucci was Assigned to supervise an Operation designed to take The breed down.
Since the breed's victims were Usually too afraid to testify Against them, authorities Decided to nail the gangvities,t Wouldn't happen overnight.
our operation was officially Titled "breed on a wire.
" narrator: Napoli revealed His methods through wiretapped Conversations.
he don't get to my tattoo Shop and cover it up, I don't Give a fáááwho he got In that club.
I am going to cut his Motheráááááááarm off, All right? narrator: Napoli was usually Very careful about how he ran His operation, but the state Attorney general was onto him.
narrator: After a few Months, authorities started Making progress.
They identified napoli's most Trusted foot soldier.
his club name was tattoo Billy, and he was actually Working his way quickly up The ladder of the club.
He looked like, at the time During our investigation, He was next in line to be Vice president of the club, And he took his instructions From john napoli.
narrator: William johnson, Aka "tattoo billy," owned a shop Just outside bristol called the House of a thousand tattoos.
billy actually talked to The suppliers and arranged The deliveries and worked out The exchange of the money.
And billy might only have The actual meth in his hands For an hour.
narrator: The breed Was rolling in money.
the profit margin that they Were making was phenomenal.
John napoli was in control of Millions and millions of Dollars' worth of crystal meth.
narrator: Napoli had Realized his dream.
He was living the life Of a mobster.
narrator: The case was coming Together, but authorities knew They needed an informant willing To testify.
They saw the chance to make it Happen in 2005.
narrator: In may, Police raided the shop Of local mechanic And breed associate smokey.
narrator: Before he could Decide, napoli himself paid Smokey a visit.
He knew the feds had been There before him.
narrator: With smokey on Board, the agents began using Him to make meth buys from Breed members.
But smokey knew with napoli, One slipup meant he was As good as dead.
narrator: Just months into The investigation, authorities Got a critical break.
we were anticipating a major Delivery of methamphetamine To billy johnson.
narrator: That large Transaction was 5 pounds Of crystal meth, worth Approximately $100,000.
Antinucci and his team Sprung into action.
we had an airplane up.
Everything was clear.
The radio communications Were good.
We had a lot of people on The street, and we literally tagged billy johnson and Followed him the entire day.
narrator: June 5, 2006.
5:05 pm.
Tattoo billy johnson and his Connection met at morrell avenue And with authorities watching, Exchanged packages.
narrator: Just after 5:50 pm, Tattoo billy returned home.
narrator: The box contained 5 pounds of crystal meth Which police would later seize.
Later that day, authorities Would arrest tattoo billy's Supplier and confiscate The $100,000 he'd used To buy the drugs.
Ironically, the money was Stashed in a dvd box of The sopranos television series.
johnson made the exchange Of money in a box that he had Tucked under his arm that It was a sopranos movie box.
narrator: This was enough Evidence to secure search Warrants for the breed's Properties.
When john napoli heard about The raids, he was furious.
He knew that there had to be A snitch and immediately Suspected an inside job.
Napoli summoned smokey To his home.
Fearing he was a suspect, Smokey called the authorities.
narrator: Smokey went To napoli's house.
When he arrived, tattoo billy And four other members were Sitting around a table talking.
narrator: Smokey's life Hung in the balance.
narrator: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Police had built a case against The breed and their leader john "junior" napoli with the help Of a secret informant.
Napoli smelled a rat and called A meeting at his home to peg The snitch.
narrator: John napoli never Turned on smokey and he walked Out of napoli's house.
The pennsylvania attorney General's office decided It was time to move in.
narrator: Later that day, A task force of 100 officers Raided numerous breed Properties, including the home Of john "junior" napoli.
and we seized 22 pounds of Crystal methamphetamine, and The wholesale street value of That was about $2.
2 million.
narrator: John napoli and 14 Other breed members, including Tattoo billy, were arrested and Charged with drug distribution.
Their crystal meth ring, which Had become a $6-million-a-year Business, was shut down Overnight.
It was the biggest operation of Its kind ever run by an outlaw Motorcycle gang.
narrator: In 2007, napoli Was convicted of conspiracy to Distribute crystal meth, violent Acts in the aid of racketeering, Extortion, and three counts of Possession of firearms.
He remained defiant to the end.
the judge who was about to Sentence him asked him if he Had any words.
And john stood up and looked The judge square in the eyes And said, "I got nothin' To say to you.
" narrator: Of the 15 breed Members sentenced, napoli Received the stiffest Punishment: 36 years in prison.
In the end, many of napoli's Breed brothers ended up Testifying against him.
narrator: The last breed Member standing was national President salvatore "the old Man" deiulio.
Many say he still has a hand In running the gang.
narrator: He's held the Position for nearly 40 years, But many others have Walked away.
Big p says the gang's best days Are in the past.
narrator: Big p thinks There's only one way for the Gang to change its fortunes.
narrator: The pennsylvania Attorney general's office says The gang is far from dead.
They believe the breed Is rebuilding.
I think that as long as There are people who are Dysfunctional and want to Belong but want to stay on The outside of society, The breed'll be back.
narrator: Smokey doesn't Associate with the breed anymore And is trying to get His life back.
narrator: But he still fears Retribution from the breed And john napoli.