Ruben Cavazos (born December 28, 1956) is an American criminal, and former International President of the

Mongols Motorcycle Club The Mongols Motorcycle Club, sometimes called the Mongols Nation or Mongol Brotherhood, is a "one-percenter" outlaw motorcycle club. The club is headquartered in Southern California and was originally formed in Montebello, California, in 1969. L ...

. His autobiography, ''Honor Few, Fear None: The Life & Times of a Mongol'', was published by

HarperCollins HarperCollins Publishers LLC is one of the Big Five English-language publishing companies, alongside Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, and Macmillan. The company is headquartered in New York City and is a subsidiary of News Cor ...

in 2008. Cavazos was raised by his father in

Highland Park, Los Angeles, California Highland Park is a neighborhood in Los Angeles, California, located in the city's Northeast region. It was one of the first subdivisions of Los Angeles and is inhabited by a variety of ethnic and socioeconomic groups. History The area was set ...

and joined the Avenues, a

Mexican American Mexican Americans ( es, mexicano-estadounidenses, , or ) are Americans of full or partial Mexican heritage. In 2019, Mexican Americans comprised 11.3% of the US population and 61.5% of all Hispanic and Latino Americans. In 2019, 71% of Mexica ...

street gang A gang is a group or society of associates, friends or members of a family with a defined leadership and internal organization that identifies with or claims control over territory in a community and engages, either individually or collectivel ...

, at an early age before serving time in county jail. He has a license to work as a radiology technician, hence the nickname "Doc". He later became a member of the Mongols and is one of the gang's most infamous members. He has been blamed for turning the club into one of the largest

criminal organization Organized crime (or organised crime) is a category of transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals to engage in illegal activity, most commonly for profit. While organized crime is generally th ...

s on the

West Coast of the United States The West Coast of the United States, also known as the Pacific Coast, Pacific states, and the western seaboard, is the coastline along which the Western United States meets the North Pacific Ocean. The term typically refers to the contiguous U.S ...

during his time as President. In order to bolster the club's ranks, he also recruited members of street gangs into the club, much to the disgust of the old school bikers. He was voted out of the club on August 30, 2008, during a meeting in

Vernon, California Vernon is a city five miles (8.0 km) south of downtown Los Angeles, California, the nearest separate city to downtown Los Angeles. The population was 112 at the 2010 United States Census, the least of any incorporated city in the state. I ...

, due to the membership believing that he was stealing from the club and provoking a war with the

Mexican Mafia The Mexican Mafia (Spanish: ''Mafia Mexicana''), also known as ''La eMe'' (Spanish for "the M"), is a Mexican American criminal organization in the United States. Despite its name, the Mexican Mafia did not originate in Mexico, and is entirely ...

. On October 21, 2008, Cavazos and 37 other Mongols were arrested by the

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE), commonly referred to as the ATF, is a domestic law enforcement agency within the United States Department of Justice. Its responsibilities include the investigation and prevent ...

after an investigation into the club, known as

Operation Black Rain The Mongols Motorcycle Club, sometimes called the Mongols Nation or Mongol Brotherhood, is a "one-percenter" outlaw motorcycle club. The club is headquartered in Southern California and was originally formed in Montebello, California, in 1969. L ...

. Police raided his home in South Hills,

West Covina, California West Covina is a suburban city in Los Angeles County, California Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles, and sometimes abbreviated as L.A. County, is the List of the most populous counties in the United States, most popul ...

, where he lived with his son, Ruben "Lil Rubes" Cavazos Jr, and brother, Al "the Suit" Cavazos, and seized firearms and bulletproof vests. After his arrest during the Operation Black Rain, he pleaded guilty to

racketeering Racketeering is a type of organized crime in which the perpetrators set up a coercive, fraudulent, extortionary, or otherwise illegal coordinated scheme or operation (a "racket") to repeatedly or consistently collect a profit. Originally and of ...

charge. He has been sentenced to 14 years in prison.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cavazos, Ruben 1956 births Living people Gangsters from Los Angeles American people of Mexican descent Hispanic and Latino American gangsters American prisoners and detainees Gang members Mongols Motorcycle Club Organized crime memoirists People from West Covina, California People convicted of racketeering