Mongols barred from using logo
LOS ANGELES -- A federal judge Wednesday barred the Mongols motorcycle gang from wearing or distributing its trademarked logo after authorities arrested dozens of its members under a racketeering indictment.
U.S. District Judge Florence-Marie Cooper granted an injunction requested by prosecutors that prohibits gang members, their family members and associates from wearing, licensing, selling or distributing the logo.
"If a Mongol is wearing a vest or jacket bearing the Mongols patch, that item is pursuant to seizure based on this order," Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven Welk said.
The case is thought to be the first in the nation in which the government has sought to take control of a gang's identity through a court order.
Sixty-four Mongol members, including seven from Las Vegas, have been arrested in six states under an indictment released Tuesday.
The 177-page indictment describes a tightly organized group routinely engaging in murder, torture, drug trafficking and other offenses.
Among 79 people named in the indictment, 15 were still at large, said Mike Hoffman, a spokesman with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
