Hells Angels member buys Minto property from behind bars
A man who police describe as a full-patch Nomads member of Hells Angels has bought property on the main street in Minto, making the purchase from jail.
Robin Moulton, who faces several drugs and weapons-related charges, bought 456 Pleasant Dr. for $50,000 a few weeks after a judge denied him bail.
His lawyer, TJ Burke, declined to comment on the purchase.
The property is next door to another building that was owned by homicide victim Ronald Richard.
Richard used to be a member of the Bacchus motorcycle club.
But a Facebook post from Moulton described Richard as the "fallen president" of the Gate Keepers' Capital City chapter.
The club has been described by police as a "farm team" for the Hells Angels.
On a Friday afternoon, the windows were covered at Richard's building. Only the motorcycle club's logo, a smiling Grim Reaper, was visible on the front door.
The building now belongs to Richard's wife, Amanda Dawn Richard, according to property records.
It has a sign for a gym on the front. But the business closed years ago, and the person who answered the number listed for the gym is unrelated to the property.
Next door, the windows of Moulton's property were covered too, with signs for security cameras.
No one answered the door at either building.
An unsolved homicide
Richard's body was found on a rural property in Hardwood Ridge, near Minto, on July 23.
Police have said little about his death, only that the killing wasn't random.
The investigation continues, but no one has been arrested in connection with Richard's death, according to RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Jullie Rogers-Marsh.
In August, about 80 bikers, many with Hells Angels patches, showed up at a memorial for Richard that was organized by the Gate Keepers.
Moulton back in court Nov. 16
After he was denied bail, Moulton's Facebook page was updated to encourage supporters to buy T-shirts supporting Moulton as a "political statement."
"Since they chose not to give me a bail we have made these shirts for my defence team," the post says.
The shirts say "Free Robin Angel" on the front, and "Support Big House Crew, Maritimes Division" on the back.
"No justice," the shirts say. "Just us."
Moulton, 48, will return to Saint John provincial court on Nov. 16 to enter pleas to 12 charges and elect his mode of trial.
Police seized a number of items when arresting Moulton, including high-powered weapons and drugs. The weapons included a rifle with a silencer and a loaded handgun.
Moulton will appear in court with Marie Antonette Bugay, a "known associate" of Moulton's.
She has not yet entered pleas to 10 drugs and weapons-related charges, including possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking and possession of a loaded prohibited firearm without a licence.
Biker arrests
Police across the region have arrested several people they believe to be affiliated with outlaw motorcycle gangs in the past several months.
Two men were arrested after a raid on a Nova Scotia Hells Angels clubhouse last week. They face drug-related charges.
In August, nine men who police believe to be hangarounds with the Hells Angels Woodbridge (Ontario) chapterwere arrested on P.E.I.
A P.E.I. RCMP investigator who specializes in organized crime said in August that police are watching for violence stemming from the re-emergence of Hells Angels in the Maritimes.
"You're competing over turf," Cpl. Andy Cook said at the time.
"There's no way to get around that. That's exactly what's happening."
Hells Angels began strengthening their presence in New Brunswick in the fall of 2016, planting six members in the province, according to Cook.
They established a Nomads chapter, made up of long-standing, elite Hells Angels members.
The organization is called Nomads because it doesn't have its own clubhouse, unlike traditional chapters.
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