Outlaws Motorcycle Club

Not to be confused with outlaw motorcycle clubs in general.
Outlaws MC
AbbreviationA.O.A.[1]
Founded1935; 89 years ago (1935)[1]
FounderJohn Davis[2]
Founded atMcCook, Illinois, United States[3]
TypeOutlaw motorcycle club
HeadquartersChicago, Illinois, United States[4]
Region
Worldwide (441 chapters in 43 countries)[5]
Membership
3,000[6]
International President
John "Tommy O" Erwin[7]
WebsiteOfficial website Edit this at Wikidata

The Outlaws Motorcycle Club, incorporated as the American Outlaws Association or its acronym, A.O.A., is an international outlaw motorcycle club. Founded in McCook, Illinois in 1935, the Outlaws MC is the oldest outlaw biker club in the world.[3] With 441 chapters located in 43 countries,[5] and a membership of over 3,000,[6] the club is also the third-largest in the world, behind the Hells Angels and the Bandidos.[8] Outlaws members typically ride Harley-Davidson motorcycles.[9][10]

The club is designated an organized crime syndicate by numerous law enforcement and international intelligence agencies, including the United States Department of Justice, the Criminal Intelligence Service Canada, and Europol.[11][12][13]

  1. ^ a b The Infamous ‘One Percenters’: A Review of the Criminality, Subculture, and Structure of Modern Biker Gangs Danielle Shields (2012) Archived September 14, 2022, at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ Bikers brought years of feuding -- and guns -- to town Michael Beebe and Dan Herbeck, The Buffalo News (October 2, 1994) Archived April 20, 2021, at archive.today
  3. ^ a b Walter Roberts (December 19, 2012). Biker Gangs. RW Press. ISBN 9781909284067.
  4. ^ Ex-Chicago Outlaws Motorcycle Club boss Orvie Cochran gets early prison release Robert Herguth, Chicago Sun-Times (April 16, 2021) Archived September 18, 2022, at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ a b Pharaoh's case isn't the first that linked an Outlaws leader to a witness' death Dan Herbeck, The Buffalo News (January 30, 2024) Archived January 30, 2024, at archive.today
  6. ^ a b Biker gang setting up shop? The Peterborough Examiner (November 10, 2010) Archived September 1, 2023, at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ Accused international leader of Outlaws Motorcycle Club gets a court-appointed attorney Dan Herbeck, The Buffalo News (April 7, 2024) Archived April 8, 2024, at archive.today
  8. ^ Outlaws president resigns in disgust Peter Edwards, Toronto Star (30 March 2009) Archived September 18, 2022, at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ Edwards, Peter (2018-06-27). "Outlaw bikers say they're loyal to Harley-Davidson, even as Trump's trade policies push the company to look overseas". Toronto Star. Retrieved July 1, 2023. Archived July 1, 2023, at the Wayback Machine
  10. ^ United States v. Warneke, Kadlec, Jensen, Kruppstadt, Miller, Mroch, O'neill, Powers, and Schneider, 310 F.3d 542, 8 (7th Cir. 2002) ("Warfare broke out between the Outlaws and Hell's Angels motorcycle gangs during the 1990s... The conflict seems to have been more about control of criminal activities (such as drug sales) than about divergent methods of motorcycle maintenance or incompatible bikes (both groups favor Harleys)"), archived from the original.
  11. ^ "Motorcycle gang". U.S. Department of Justice. Archived from the original on April 15, 2014. Retrieved January 23, 2010.
  12. ^ 2003 Annual Report on Organized Crime in Canada Criminal Intelligence Service Canada (2003) Archived July 2, 2023, at the Wayback Machine
  13. ^ Outlaw motorcycle gangs Europol Archived September 18, 2022, at the Wayback Machine