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Judge fines Mongols motorcycle club $500,000, but group retains trademark
Source: NBC News
Judge fines Mongols motorcycle club $500,000, but group retains trademark
The attorney for the Mongols motorcycle club called the decision on the trademark a victory and said the government was trying to limit speech.
May 17, 2019, 11:22 PM EDT
By Phil Helsel and Andrew Blankstein
LOS ANGELES — A federal judge on Friday fined the Mongols Motorcycle Club $500,000 following its conviction in a racketeering case, but declined to strip the group of its trademark protected logos, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office of Central California said.
U.S. District Court Judge David O. Carter in February had said he would not strip the Mongols of its trademarked logo, citing constitutional protections against intrusions on free speech and excessive fines.
A jury convicted the Mongol Nation in December of racketeering in a case in which prosecutors said the group also operated an organized criminal enterprise involved in murder, attempted murder and drug distribution. The jury decided that the Mongols could be stripped of its logo, which Carter in February declined to approve.
Stephen Stubbs, lead attorney for the Mongols, called the judge’s decision to not strip its trademarked logo a victory, but said that the $500,000 would be a "major burden" for the group. He said the group plans to appeal the entire case.
-snip-
The attorney for the Mongols motorcycle club called the decision on the trademark a victory and said the government was trying to limit speech.
May 17, 2019, 11:22 PM EDT
By Phil Helsel and Andrew Blankstein
LOS ANGELES — A federal judge on Friday fined the Mongols Motorcycle Club $500,000 following its conviction in a racketeering case, but declined to strip the group of its trademark protected logos, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office of Central California said.
U.S. District Court Judge David O. Carter in February had said he would not strip the Mongols of its trademarked logo, citing constitutional protections against intrusions on free speech and excessive fines.
A jury convicted the Mongol Nation in December of racketeering in a case in which prosecutors said the group also operated an organized criminal enterprise involved in murder, attempted murder and drug distribution. The jury decided that the Mongols could be stripped of its logo, which Carter in February declined to approve.
Stephen Stubbs, lead attorney for the Mongols, called the judge’s decision to not strip its trademarked logo a victory, but said that the $500,000 would be a "major burden" for the group. He said the group plans to appeal the entire case.
-snip-
Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/judge-fines-mongols-motorcycle-club-500-000-group-retains-trademark-n1007266