Members of Sonoma County Hells Angels convicted in federal court

A former president of the Sonoma County Hells Angels chapter and another man have been convicted on charges of conspiracy to commit murder, racketeering and arson after a two-month federal trial.

Raymond Foakes and Christopher Ranieri were convicted Thursday of a slew of charges that also included robbery, drug dealing, witness intimidation, and obstruction of justice, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Foakes is a former president of the Sonoma County chapter of the Hells Angels. Ranieri was president of the Salem, Massachusetts, chapter.

“Foakes and Ranieri followed a malicious code of conduct that permitted — and sometimes encouraged — the beating, maiming, and even killing of anyone who dared to cross their criminal enterprise,” U.S. Attorney Ismail Ramsey said in a statement. “The defendants now will be sentenced for their conduct and face the consequences of their violent racketeering activities.”

A third defendant, Brian Burke, was acquitted of witness intimidation in proceedings overseen by U.S. District Judge Edward Chen.

Foakes and Ranieri are the latest members of the organization to be prosecuted and convicted in federal court since an indictment in October 2017.

Eleven members and associates were accused of participating in “a broad swath of criminal activity” including murder, conspiracy to commit murder, drug distribution, assault, robbery, extortion, illegal gun possession, obstruction of justice and witness intimidation, according to the DOJ.

Most of the indictments involved members with connections to Sonoma County. Several were arrested during a 2017 raid at Wagon Wheel Saloon on Mendocino Avenue in Santa Rosa.

Nine people have been convicted, including several last year and earlier this year.

Several convictions relate to the 2014 murder of another member, Joel Silva.

In June 2022, three members were convicted of his Silva’s killing. They were identified as Tulare resident Brian Wayne Wendt and Santa Rosa residents Jonathan Nelson and Russell Taylor Ott.

According to the Department of Justice, Nelson and Wendt were chapter presidents in Sonoma and Fresno counties, respectively, in 2014. Ott was a former Sonoma County president and “well-respected member” who had Silva’s trust.

The three concluded Silva had been creating problems for the Sonoma County chapter and arranged for him to be killed in Fresno.

On July 15, 2014, he was lured to the Fresno clubhouse and shot by Wendt. His body was incinerated at a local crematory and his truck was set on fire.

In the most recent trial, Ranieri was shown to have helped organize the killing.

During a 2014 motorcycle event in Laconia, New Hampshire, Silva threatened a Salem charter close to Ranieri, according to the DOJ.

Ranieri agreed Silva should be killed.

He met with Wendt and Nelson two days before the murder and was in frequent phone contact with them the day before and following Silva’s death.

After that happened, Ranieri returned to Fresno for a party to celebrate the “successful killing,” according to the DOJ.

Foakes’ conviction related to an hourslong beating of a former member who was expelled from the group for having an affair with the defendant’s common law wife, according to the DOJ.

During the beating, Foakes beat the former member with a baseball bat, tattooed his forehead and encouraged Nelson to pistol whip his face.

Foakes also sexually assaulted the man’s wife during the beating and threatened her to comply with demands not to contact authorities.

He faces up to 60 years in prison and Ranieri faces a life sentence.

Sentencing hearings haven’t been scheduled.

You can reach Staff Writer Colin Atagi at colin.atagi@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @colin_atagi