A reputed vice president of the Hell’s Angels motorcycle gang is facing a federal gun charge in Denver, the Justice Department said Monday.
Richard E. West, 44, of New York, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Denver last week.
He was arrested July 28 on U.S. 50 during a motorcycle rally in Gunnison. He was with a group of 15 to 20 bikers who wearing Hell’s Angel “colors,” according to the indictment against him.
West had a loaded Bulldog Pug 44-caliber revolver tucked in his waistband, prosecutors allege.
West has a 2004 felony conviction in New York for criminal possession of a loaded firearm. As a felon, he is prohibited from carrying a gun.
In a media advisory today, the Justice Department said local, state and federal law enforcement agencies had prepared for the motorcycle rally in Gunnison for more than six months.
West is being held in federal custody without bond. If convicted, he could be sentenced to up to 10 years in federal prison and up to a $250,000 fine, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
