Sonoma County Hells Angels’ members convicted of murder

Three members of the Sonoma and Fresno counties’ Hells Angels Motorcycle Club chapters were convicted Wednesday of the 2014 murder of a fourth member.

Tulare resident Brian Wayne Wendt, 45, and Santa Rosa residents Jonathan Nelson, 46, and Russell Taylor Ott, 69, were convicted in U.S. Federal Court in San Francisco following a nine-week trial, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

They each played a role in the July 15, 2014, murder of former Hells Angel Sonoma County member Joel Silva.

Each defendant was convicted of murder, racketeering and conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering. Nelson also was convicted of assault with a deadly weapon and possession of a firearm.

“The jurors found that these members of a violent motorcycle gang killed one of their own and engaged in a conspiracy to commit many other serious criminal acts,” U.S. Attorney Stephanie Hinds said in a statement.

According to the DOJ, 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.

Ott and Silva went to Fresno, where Wendt shot Silva in the head at the local clubhouse, according to the DOJ.

The three were among 11 members and associates indicted in October 2017 of conspiracy to commit criminal activity, including murder, narcotics distribution, assault, robbery, extortion, illegal firearms possession and obstruction of justice

Testimony during the trial showed members threatened witnesses and their families to prevent them from cooperating with law enforcement.

“(Wednesday’s) verdict marks a milestone in an investigation that spanned nearly eight years and involved multiple agency partners, including the Santa Rosa Police Department and the California Highway Patrol. Each agency involved in this investigation provided crucial expertise and resources, making a guilty verdict possible,” FBI Special Agent in Charge Sean Ragan said in a statement.

The defendants are scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 13 and could be ordered to serve life in prison.

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