Canada - ~Crown seeks six-year prison sentence for Hells Angel convicted of extortion, weapons offences~
VANCOUVER -- The Crown is seeking a six-year prison sentence for a Hells Angels member convicted of extortion and weapons offences.
Jean Violette was convicted by a jury last July at a trial of four Hells Angels members.
Violette was convicted of possessing two prohibited firearms - a loaded Beretta 20 semi-automatic pistol and a Ruger SP 101 revolver, with readily accessible ammunition.
The guns were found at Violette's home, along with a bullet-proof vest.
"Body armour found in the same room suggests the guns weren't used for target practice," the prosecutor said.
Violette was also convicted of the extortion of Glen Louie, a North Vancouver drug dealer who was beaten for using the Hells Angels name without permission.
"Mr. Violette was part of a group, the Hells Angels . . . and acted on behalf of the group, who did not like Mr. Louie going around the reserve in North Van selling drugs and using the Hells Angels name," prosecutor Mark Levitz said during a sentencing hearing Thursday.
He pointed out that the beating of Louie took place at night on Burnaby Mountain and a participant in the beating was Jonathan Bryce Jr., who had applied to become a Hells Angels member and was the son of John Bryce, the president of the East End Hells Angels.
The son earlier pleaded guilty to the extortion and trafficking cocaine. He was sentenced to three years for playing a lesser role in the extortion.
The prosecutor said Violette was in charge of the extortion so he should be sentenced to 4.5 years for the crime, plus another 18 months consecutive for the weapons offences.
The Crown pointed out that Violette had only one previous criminal incident involving an assault, for which he received a conditional discharge by the courts.
Violette was arrested in July 2005 for his latest offences, but only spent 22 days in jail before being released on bail.
Defence lawyer Michael Klein urged B.C. Supreme Court Justice Selwyn Romilly to impose a 2.5-year prison sentence on Violette.
The lawyer said Violette, 58, was born in Quebec, obtained his commercial pilot's licence in 1968 and worked for many years as a bush pilot.
He later entered the military, took training in Chilliwack and reached the rank of lieutenant before leaving the military in 1976.
Klein said his client became involved in diamond drilling in 1982 while living in Smithers and started his own business, Advanced Diamond Drilling, and later ran the fourth largest diamond drilling company in the world, which had 300 employees before it went under in the 1980s.
The lawyer explained Violette joined the Hells Angels because of his passion for motorcycles, which led to him being involving in the motorcycle racing team with John Bryce Sr.
The judge said he will impose sentence at 10 a.m. Friday Nov. 13 at the Vancouver Law Courts.
Violette was among six Hells Angels members and a dozen associates arrested in 2005 after a two-year, $10-million police investigation that targeted the East End Hells Angels, which was considered one of the wealthiest and most powerful chapters in Canada.
So far, after three Hells Angels trials in B.C., the Crown has been unsuccessful in its attempt to have the courts rule that the East End Hells Angels is a criminal organization.
A fourth trial involving drug charges against Hells Angels members John Punko and Randy Potts is in pre-trial proceedings.
Potts was convicted last July of four offences: having control of illegal grenades, possessing a loaded Colt .45 semi-automatic pistol, possessing an Intratec 9-mm semi-automatic pistol, a Ruger .22-calibre semi-automatic rifle and Voere bolt-action rifle and a .44 Ruger revolver.
Punko was convicted of the unauthorized possession of a loaded Smith & Wesson semi-automatic pistol.
Another Hells Angels member, Ronaldo Lising, was convicted last July of possessing two loaded prohibited firearms: a Rossi .357 Magnum revolver and a Walther PPK/S .380-calibre semi-automatic pistol.
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