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Not too long ago, the subject of motorcycle gangs came up at lunch.  I had heard of the story of someone infiltrating the Mongols, but didn’t know that the story was avaiable by book as an account from the actual agent.  This interest coupled with the fact tht I have been spending a good amount of time on airplanes was the motivation for me to buy the book.

Truth be told, I don’t really care for the true ‘biker’ lifestyle and/or Harley Davidsons in general.  While I respect the brotherhood an camaraderie that biker gangs have, I have no place for the thuggery.  Therefore, I wasn’t too sure of how much I could take.

William Queen served in Vietnam as a Special Forces soldier.  Since returning, he has been a law enforcement officer in different applications, ending up at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms in Los Angeles.  As someone who was into bike outside of work and undercover assignments at work, he was a good choice when the ATF had an opportnity to infiltrate the baddest motorcycle gang of outlaws called the Mongols as Billy St-John.  The motive was that the Mongols crime wave and violence was not just internal, but extended to the general public.

Billy details how he progressed from a “hang-around” to a “prospect” to a full-patched member of the Mongols.  Soon after, he was an office of the chapter as the secretary-treasurer.  As an ATF agent, this gave him access to the gang’s books that he never expected.  Although he was challenged many times, his cover was never blown (it turns out that the Mongols even had some law enforcement officials on their payroll).

This investigation took about twenty-eight months ending up with a lot of arrests and subsequent prison sentences for illegal drugs and firearms, assault, and even murder.  Over the course of the investigation, the combination of Queen’s ability to improvise and…well…luck allow him to carry on without witnessing firsthand murder, kidnapping, or rape.  Even though Billy St-John was able to avoid the drug thing, my GOD did these guys drink beer. 

I also enjoyed the detail of the cast of characters.  As I was reading the story, I was able to create a visual of what each one of these Mongols looked like.  To my surprise, there was a middle section of photos where I was able to confirm my own created pictures.  Quen also details the struggle about keeping his identity.  Who was he - an ATF agent or an outlaw? 

In the end, his sacrifice was selfless and great.  His girlfriend was gone, and he had all but lost some two-plus years with his two young and impressionable sons.  This was the bigget and most successful infiltration of an outlaw motorcycle gang.  I’m not a big reader, but I had a hard time putting this book down and finished it in two days of free time.  From the bar fights, to the parties, to the stupidity of felons, the book is 95% action ans 5% internal struggle.  It never lost my attention and puts into perspective that some people are just beetter off behind bars.