Motorcycle gang member, convicted felon pleads guilty to having gun in Hanover
Nov 13, 2024
HANOVER COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- A North Carolina man affiliated with a motorcycle gang pleaded guilty to having a handgun as a convicted felon on Wednesday. The gun was reportedly found during an April traffic stop in Hanover County.
Thirty-five-year-old Kevin Christian, II of Fayetteville, North Carolina, is a previously convicted felon who was convicted in 2018 of unlawful wounding, according to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). Felons cannot legally possess firearms or ammunition.
According to court documents, on April 28, Christian was driving a motorcycle on Interstate 295 North in Hanover without taillights. State troopers with Virginia State Police (VSP) attempted to conduct a traffic stop.
Christian did not immediately pull over, continuing to drive for two minutes despite the state troopers following him with lights and sirens on, the DOJ said. He then pulled over on the shoulder of an exit ramp.
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State troopers found that the motorcycle's registration tag was expired and that one of the license plate's letters was covered with tape, according to the DOJ. A "large wooden club" -- which was broken on one end and had a metal nail or screw coming out the bottom -- was strapped to the motorcycle's handlebars.
While searching his person, state troopers retrieved a .38 caliber handgun from Christian's pocket.
"Christian was wearing a vest with 'Wheels of Soul' and '1%er' markings, indicating his membership in a motorcycle gang," the DOJ said.
According to an article on the National Library of Medicine's website, "Wheels of Soul" is an East Coast-based motorcycle gang. The term "one-percenter" is used by members of such gangs, reportedly stemming from a 1947 motorcycle rally where the American Motorcycle Association said “99% of the motorcycling public are law-abiding -- there are 1% who are not.”
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Following his guilty plea on Wednesday, Nov. 13, Christian is scheduled to be sentenced on March 13, 2025. He faces up to 15 years in prison, but the DOJ adds that the actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than their maximum penalties.