The motorcycle club that fought for its right to exist
In short: Founded as an alternative to a segregated biker scene, the Mongols Motorcycle Club evolved into one of the world's largest outlaw organizations. From Vietnam veterans to international chapters, their history is defined by fierce territorial feuds and high-stakes legal battles over the very symbols they wear.
The Mongols Motorcycle Club was founded on December 5, 1969, in Montebello, California. The group was established by a collection of Hispanic bikers from East Los Angeles who sought an alternative to the Hells Angels, which did not permit non-White members at that time. The founding ten members were primarily Vietnam veterans; notably, the first sergeant-at-arms served three tours with the 101st Airborne Division. The club's name was chosen by its first national president, Louis Costello, to honor Genghis Khan and the Mongol Empire.
The club’s growth was marked by rapid expansion and strategic conflict. Within a decade of its founding, it established chapters across Southern California. By 1977, the Mongols entered a long-term feud with the Hells Angels, eventually resulting in a territorial split in the 1980s where the Angels ceded much of Southern California to the Mongols. Today, law enforcement estimates the club has approximately 3,000 'full-patched' members across 29 countries, ranking as the third-largest outlaw biker club globally.
A significant portion of the club's history involves legal warfare over its identity. In 2015 and 2019, federal prosecutors attempted to seize the club's trademarks and emblems through civil forfeiture. However, courts eventually dismissed these attempts, ruling that seizing the patches violated First Amendment rights to free expression. While designated as an organized crime group by agencies like Europol and the DOJ, the club maintains a strict internal constitution—including ten commandments—that officially forbids drug use and mandates expulsion for serious crimes.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Mongols Motorcycle Club
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