Michael Vincent O'Farrell (June 2, 1949 – June 6, 1989), nicknamed "Irish", was an American outlaw biker and

gangster A gangster (informally gangsta) is a criminal who is a member of a gang. Most gangs are considered to be part of organized crime. Gangsters are also called mobsters, a term derived from ''Organized crime, mob'' and the suffix ''wikt:-ster, -st ...

who served as the vice-president and acting president of the

Oakland, California Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, California, Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major We ...

, chapter of the

Hells Angels Motorcycle Club The Hells Angels Motorcycle Club (HAMC) is an international outlaw motorcycle club founded in California whose members typically ride Harley-Davidson motorcycles. In the United States and Canada, the Hells Angels are incorporated as the Hells ...

(HAMC). O'Farrell was alleged by law enforcement officials to be the second-in-command to Sonny Barger, the reputed international president of the Hells Angels. During the early-mid 1980s, he deputized for Barger, serving as the Oakland chapter president and ''de facto'' international leader of the Hells Angels, while Barger recovered from a throat operation for cancer. O'Farrell was murdered in a bar fight in 1989 shortly before he was due to start serving a prison sentence for conspiring to bomb the clubhouse of a rival motorcycle gang, the Outlaws.Hells Angels Stage Funeral for Leader Killed in Bar Fight
''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'' (June 11, 1989)

Hells Angels

While a member of the Night Riders motorcycle gang in Glendale, O'Farrell, along with members of the

San Bernardino San Bernardino ( ) is a city in and the county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States. Located in the Inland Empire region of Southern California, the city had a population of 222,101 in the 2020 census, making it the List of ...

chapter of the

Hells Angels The Hells Angels Motorcycle Club (HAMC) is an international outlaw motorcycle club founded in California whose members typically ride Harley-Davidson motorcycles. In the United States and Canada, the Hells Angels are incorporated as the Hells ...

, the Glendale

Mongols Mongols are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, China ( Inner Mongolia and other 11 autonomous territories), as well as the republics of Buryatia and Kalmykia in Russia. The Mongols are the principal member of the large family o ...

chapter and the Straight Satans of

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

, committed a sexual assault on a fifteen year-old girl in August 1972. He was among eleven biker gang members convicted in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

of rape and sex perversion on April 5, 1973.11 cyclists convicted of rape
''

Long Beach Independent The ''Press-Telegram'' is a paid daily newspaper published in Long Beach, California. Coverage area for the ''Press-Telegram'' includes Long Beach, Lakewood, Signal Hill, Artesia, Bellflower, Cerritos, Compton, Downey, Hawaiian Gardens, L ...

'' (April 6, 1973) Aside from being a registered sex offender, O'Farrell also had convictions for robbery, grand theft, burglary and assault. The Night Riders were issued a Hells Angels charter by the club's San Bernardino faction and "patched over" to become the Angels'

Los Angeles County Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles and sometimes abbreviated as LA County, is the most populous county in the United States, with 9,663,345 residents estimated in 2023. Its population is greater than that of 40 individua ...

(LACO) chapter. The Hells Angels recruited the Night Riders to bolster their ranks during a war with the Vagos. While incarcerated at

San Quentin State Prison San Quentin Rehabilitation Center (SQ), formerly known as San Quentin State Prison, is a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation state prison for men, located north of San Francisco in the unincorporated area, unincorporated place ...

during the late 1970s, O'Farrell requested a transfer to the

Oakland Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major West Coast port, Oakland is ...

Hells Angels chapter. This request was denied by LACO chapter president George Christie because the Hells Angels' bylaws state that members may not transfer from one charter to another while imprisoned. O'Farrell ultimately transferred to the Oakland chapter following his release from custody. Christie described O'Farrell in his book ''Exile on Front Street: My Life as a Hells Angel'' as "a tough-as-nails outlaw, ruggedly handsome with long, thick brown hair and sad, soulful eyes that made him a favorite with women. He was fast with his fists and a legendary fighter, which made him a favorite among ells Angelsmembers". On March 27, 1978, O'Farrell was arrested for parole violations along with Sonny Barger, Russell Beyea and James "Jim Jim" Brandes when 42 Hells Angels members and associates were served with

subpoena A subpoena (; also subpœna, supenna or subpena) or witness summons is a writ issued by a government agency, most often a court, to compel testimony by a witness or production of evidence under a penalty for failure. There are two common types of ...

s requiring them to appear before a

grand jury A grand jury is a jury empowered by law to conduct legal proceedings, investigate potential criminal conduct, and determine whether criminal charges should be brought. A grand jury may subpoena physical evidence or a person to testify. A grand ju ...

investigating the club's activities in Solano County. Known for his prowess as a

street fighter is a Media mix, Japanese media franchise centered on a series of fighting games developed and published by Capcom. Street Fighter 1, The first game in the series was released in 1987, followed by List of Street Fighter video games, six other ma ...

, O'Farrell is alleged to have beaten

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

Hells Angels chapter sergeant-at-arms Vincent "Big Vinny" Gerolamo while Gerolamo was visiting O'Farrell's Oakland chapter in 1979. Upon returning to the East Coast, Gerolamo reported to New York chapter president Sandy Alexander that he had in fact been beaten by not just O'Farrell, but by several members of the Oakland chapter, prompting Alexander to travel to California to make inquiries. Alexander, a former professional boxer, reportedly returned to New York satisfied that O'Farrell was indeed solely responsible for Gerolamo's beating after a fight with O'Farrell at the Oakland chapter clubhouse. Gerolamo died weeks later, on September 12, 1979, of complications from a ruptured spleen, believed to have been sustained in the beating. While Oakland Hells Angels president Sonny Barger was recovering from an operation for throat cancer in the early-mid 1980s, O'Farrell served as acting president of the chapter beginning in 1983. As Oakland is the location of club's unofficial "mother chapter", he was additionally the ''de facto'' leader of the Hells Angels internationally.''Outlaw motorcycle gangs – USA overview''

National Institute of Justice The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) is the research, development, and evaluation agency of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ). NIJ, along with the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), Offic ...

(1991) During his tenure as president, O'Farrell denied to the ''

'' in 1983 that the Hells Angels were involved in

organized crime Organized crime is a category of transnational organized crime, transnational, national, or local group of centralized enterprises run to engage in illegal activity, most commonly for profit. While organized crime is generally thought of as a f ...

, and called Operation Roughrider, a nationwide

Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...

(FBI) investigation that resulted in the arrests of 133 Hells Angels members and associates in May 1985, "an ongoing conspiracy by the government". O'Farrell continued as the Oakland chapter's vice-president after Barger returned as president. On November 10, 1987, O'Farrell and Barger were among thirteen Hells Angels arrested on narcotics, weapons, explosives and conspiracy charges during a series of raids carried out by the FBI,

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

(ATF) and California State Police personnel in the

San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a List of regions of California, region of California surrounding and including San Francisco Bay, and anchored by the cities of Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose, California, S ...

, which also resulted in the seizure of over a hundred weapons, more than $1 million in cash and drugs, and three methamphetamine laboratories. The operation in the Bay Area was executed in synchronization with raids on various other HAMC chapters in four other states – producing a total of thirty-eight arrests – and concluded a two-year FBI investigation of the club, which commenced in 1985 after Anthony Tait, an officer in the

Anchorage, Alaska Anchorage, officially the Municipality of Anchorage, is the List of cities in Alaska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Alaska. With a population of 291,247 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it contains nearly 40 percent of ...

Hells Angels chapter, volunteered to become a paid informant. Travelling the country at government expense, Tait made documented purchases of weapons, explosives and drugs from the Hells Angels. He also covertly recorded club meetings by wearing a wire. O'Farrell, Barger and eight other Hells Angels from California and Alaska were extradited to

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville is the List of cities in Kentucky, most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeastern United States, Southeast, and the list of United States cities by population, 27th-most-populous city ...

, to face trial for conspiring to transport firearms and explosives across state lines in order to kill members of the

Outlaws Motorcycle Club The Outlaws Motorcycle Club, Incorporation (business), 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 ...

in retaliation for the death of John Cleave Webb, the Anchorage HAMC chapter president who was shot and killed by two Outlaws members outside a

biker bar A biker bar is a bar that is frequented by bikers (motorcycle riders). Some are owned or managed by people who are friendly toward bikers.

Jefferson County, Kentucky Jefferson County is a county located in the north central portion of the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 782,969. It is the most populous county in the commonwealth (with more than twice the population of sec ...

, on August 12, 1986.Louisville trial gives bikers an easy ride
Michael York, ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'' (October 23, 1988) O'Farrell and Barger were convicted of conspiracy on October 28, 1988.Jury Finds National Hells Angels Leader Guilty of Conspiracy

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

(October 29, 1988) While awaiting sentencing, the pair attended the funeral of San Bernardino Hells Angels chapter sergeant-at-arms Aristeo Andres "Art" Carbajal, which was held in Bloomington on February 21, 1989.Aristeo Carbajal obituary
''

The San Bernardino Sun ''The San Bernardino Sun'' is a paid daily newspaper in San Bernardino County, California, headquartered in the city of San Bernardino. Founded in 1894, it has significant circulation in neighboring Riverside County, and serves most of the Inlan ...

'' (February 17, 1989) Carbajal had been stabbed to death in a fight with the

at a motorcycle trade show in

Long Beach Long Beach is a coastal city in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is the list of United States cities by population, 44th-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 451,307 as of 2022. A charter ci ...

on February 11, 1989.Bikers’ Trade Shows Ends in Brawl; Man, 38, Killed
''

'' (February 12, 1989) On March 10, 1989, O'Farrell was sentenced to three and a half years in prison.

Murder

Two weeks before he was due to report to

United States Penitentiary, Atlanta The Federal Correctional Institution, Atlanta (FCI Atlanta) is a low-security United States federal prison for male inmates in Atlanta, Georgia. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Just ...

to begin serving his sentence, O'Farrell was drinking at the Halfway Club in

San Leandro, California San Leandro (Spanish language, Spanish for "Leander of Seville, St. Leander") is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. It is located in the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area; between Oakland, California, Oakland to the northwe ...

, on June 6, 1989, when he was recognized by a member of the

Aryan Brotherhood The Aryan Brotherhood (AB or The Brand) is a neo-Nazi prison gang and an organized crime syndicate that is based in the United States and has an estimated 15,000–20,000 members both inside and outside prisons. The Southern Poverty Law Center ...

as the man who had attempted to collect a drug debt from him two months prior. Fearing he would be beaten by O'Farrell again, the Brotherhood member ambushed O'Farrell outside the bar, stabbing him five times in the back, once in the chest and once in the neck, before shooting him four times from behind with a .25 caliber pistol while he was dying. He then shot another Hells Angel, Michael Musick, who fled after being wounded in the shoulder. Powdered

methamphetamine Methamphetamine (contracted from ) is a potent central nervous system (CNS) stimulant that is mainly used as a recreational drug use, recreational or Performance-enhancing substance, performance-enhancing drug and less commonly as a secon ...

was found on the bar's patio, where the killing occurred. Police stated that O'Farrell may have been killed as a result of a power struggle between the Hells Angels and the Aryan Brotherhood in the

East Bay The East Bay is the eastern region of the San Francisco Bay Area and includes cities along the eastern shores of San Francisco Bay and San Pablo Bay. The region has grown to include inland communities in Alameda and Contra Costa counties. Wi ...

. According to the prosecutor Cleve Gambill, O'Farrell was murdered as part of the killer's initiation into the Aryan Brotherhood.How Hell's Angels 'maximum leader' Sonny Barger got convicted in Louisville and still 'won'
Andrew Wolfson, ''

The Courier-Journal The ''Courier Journal'', also known as the ''Louisville Courier Journal'' (and informally ''The C-J'' or ''The Courier''), and called ''The Courier-Journal'' between November 8, 1868, and October 29, 2017, is a daily newspaper published in ...

'' (July 6, 2022) O'Farrell was laid to rest at Evergreen Cemetery after approximately a thousand people, including his wife Teddy and son, attended his funeral in

East Oakland East Oakland is a geographical region of Oakland, California, United States, that stretches between Lake Merritt in the northwest and San Leandro in the southeast. As the southeastern portion of the city, East Oakland takes up the largest porti ...

on June 11, 1989. Two Aryan Brotherhood members charged in connection with O'Farrell's death, Aaron "Jerry" Marsh and Michael Bruce "Tank" Shepherd, were arrested in the following weeks. Marsh – who was accused of firing several shots during the fight, including one that wounded Musick – was taken into custody in Manteca on June 27, 1989, and Shepherd – who was charged with the homicide of O'Farrell – was apprehended by

San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department The San Bernardino County Sheriff-Coroner's Department (SBSD) serves San Bernardino County, California, which is geographically the largest county in the continental United States and is headquartered in San Bernardino. SBSD provides law enfor ...

deputies and

California Highway Patrol The California Highway Patrol (CHP) is the principal state police agency for the U.S. state of California. The CHP has primary jurisdiction, including patrol and Criminal investigation, investigations, over all California Controlled-access highw ...

troopers on Route 60 on July 26, 1989, after a high-speed chase through Chino and

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

.Man sought in slaying arrested in West End
Tommy Li, ''

'' (July 28, 1989) Shepherd allegedly admitted his guilt in the killing to his lawyer Steven Gore. Marsh was strangled to death in

Pelican Bay State Prison Pelican Bay State Prison (PBSP) is a supermax prison in Crescent City, California. The prison takes its name from a shallow bay on the Pacific coast, about to the west. Facilities The prison is located in a detached section of Crescent Cit ...

on July 25, 1997, by cellmate Gary J. Littrell after refusing an order from the Aryan Brotherhood leadership to murder another inmate. Shepherd committed suicide by hanging himself in his cell at Santa Ana Central Jail in December 2004 shortly after pleading guilty in a

RICO The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act is a United States federal law that provides for extended criminal penalties and a civil cause of action for acts performed as part of an ongoing criminal organization. RICO was ...

case.Members of prison gang go on trial
''

Orange County Register ''The Orange County Register'' is a paid daily List of newspapers in California, newspaper published in California. The ''Register'', published in Orange County, California, is owned by the private equity firm Alden Global Capital via its Digit ...

'' (March 13, 2006)

References

Bibliography

* *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:OFarrell, Michael 1949 births 1989 deaths 1989 murders in the United States 20th-century American criminals American male criminals Murdered American gangsters of Irish descent Murdered Hells Angels members American crime bosses People from Glendale, California People from Oakland, California Gangsters from Los Angeles Criminals from the San Francisco Bay Area American people convicted of rape American prisoners and detainees People murdered in California People murdered by American organized crime Deaths by firearm in California Deaths by stabbing in California Burials at Evergreen Cemetery (Oakland, California) Hells Angels Prisoners and detainees of California