FBI affidavit lifts veil off Outlaws gang

The Outlaws logo on a fence outside the gang's Brockton headquarters.

The would-be drug buyer, a member of a notorious international biker gang, was short on the $180,000 he needed to buy 10 kilos of cocaine. So he offered the seller a deal - $50,000 up front for half the cocaine, along with a gray Hummer and a new Harley-Davidson Road King motorcycle, which the seller could hold as collateral, until the rest of the cash was in hand.

Deal, the seller said in a phone conversation.

But when Timothy J. Silvia, an alleged member of the Brockton chapter of the Outlaws Motorcycle Club, and alleged partner Todd Donofrio of Stoughton showed up to pick up their cocaine in the parking lot of the Holiday Inn at Brockton's Westgate Mall in July 2007, they were in for a surprise. Instead of leaving with cocaine, they left in handcuffs.

The dealer was an informant for the FBI, who had recorded numerous conversations with Silvia. Those conversations were detailed in an affidavit filed by an FBI agent.

The 43-year-old Silvia last month pleaded guilty in US District Court in Boston to conspiracy with intent to distribute more than 5 kilograms of cocaine. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years, with a maximum of life, along with a fine of up to $4 million. Sentencing for Silvia, who is in custody and could not be reached for comment, has been scheduled for February. Donofrio's case is still in court.

The arrest of Silvia, along with 13 members and associates of the Outlaws chapter in Taunton on separate drug charges, was part of Operation Roadkill, a two-year investigation by federal, state, and local police agencies into the motorcycle gang.

The operation provided a glimpse into the workings of the Outlaws, an international gang that has been involved in numerous shootings and killings in the United States, particularly involving other gangs. The gang's motto is, "God forgives, Outlaws don't."

The Brockton chapter operates from a house on Hunt Street, near Snow Park. The decrepit two-story building is covered with battered gray shingles. A sign on the tall fence surrounding the property announces "Outlaws parking only."

The gang's logo, a skull on crossed pistons, adorns the fence. The locked fence gate is constructed from one sheet of heavy-grade metal, which looks as if it could resist a battering ram. Video cameras are mounted on a pole at a corner of the lot. No one responded during a reporter's recent visit.

The sting operation started in March 2005, when the Boston office of the FBI, along with state and local police, targeted the Taunton chapter. (The gang also has a chapter in East Boston.)

An undercover officer infiltrated the Taunton chapter and developed a relationship with the chapter president, Joseph Noe. The agent's cover was that he was a "semi-legitimate businessman from Texas who visited Massachusetts on a monthly basis," according to an affidavit filed by FBI agent Timothy Quinn, who was the co-case agent on the investigation

According to the affidavit, the agent bought cars and trucks from gang members, saying he was selling them in Texas. Most of the sales to the agent appeared to be part of an insurance fraud scam, in which the sellers would report the car stolen, file a claim, and get a payment. At least one car was from a carjacking. By 2006, cocaine was added to the mix, with members acting as a "protection detail" for one 40-kilo run, the affidavit said.

Last year, the affidavit continued, an associate of the Outlaws introduced the undercover agent to Silvia, who had vehicles to sell. In May, several undercover agents met with Silvia in Middleborough. Silvia sold the agents four vehicles that had been stolen or were about to be reported stolen for $21,000. Silvia also said he was interested in buying at least 10 kilos of cocaine. He was told it would cost $18,000 per kilo, cash on delivery.

In June, they met again at the Holiday Inn at the Westgate Mall, the affidavit said. Silvia said he wanted 10 kilos for the first delivery and planned "to do between eight and 10 additional deals before retiring from the drug business." The agent told him the next truckload was coming from Florida in mid- to late July, and larger pallets of 25-, 30-, and 100-kilo loads had to be delivered before Silvia's.

In a phone call in July, Silvia said he had to be careful because Outlaw members from Florida had been arrested, the affidavit said. He was also concerned that Noe, arrested on other charges, might be cooperating with police about the Florida deal or give information on other Outlaws.

Silvia said he still wanted to do the deal, the affidavit said, but began arguing about price and said he was worried that withdrawing so much money from his bank account would draw attention to himself.

According to the affidavit, the agent and Silvia haggled. Silvia wanted to pay cash for the first 5 kilos, which he would sell over a few hours and then come back and buy the rest. Silvia said he would pay $50,000 upfront and would guarantee the remaining $130,000 by turning over his Hummer and new motorcycle, which would be returned when the full amount was paid. The agent said he thought his boss would buy the deal.

They later agreed to meet at 7 p.m. on July 30, 2007, in the Holiday Inn parking lot to complete the transaction.

As described in the affidavit, it went like this: Surveillance agents watched Silvia leave his Raynham house in the Hummer, towing the motorcycle. A green Crown Victoria driven by Donofrio, whom agents knew through the investigation, followed Silvia.

Donofrio drove into the parking lot first. Silvia parked near the agents' 18-wheel truck and talked with two undercover agents, saying he had $25,000 and Donofrio $30,000. Silvia handed over the $25,000. Donofrio joined them and handed over his money.

Another undercover agent took the money and returned a few minutes later in a truck that carried the cocaine. An agent gave Silvia a box to hold the 5 kilos. Silvia asked for a knife to cut open and examine one of the kilos. As Silvia tried to open a package, one of the agents then signaled for other officers to move in and make the arrests.

Matt Carroll can be reached at mcarroll@globe.com.