Frédéric Faucher
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Frédéric Faucher (born 16 December 1969) is a Canadian
outlaw biker An outlaw motorcycle club, known colloquially as a biker club or club (in Australia), is a motorcycle subculture generally centered on the use of cruiser motorcycles, particularly Harley-Davidsons and choppers, and a set of ideals that purpo ...
and
gangster A gangster (informally gangsta) is a criminal who is a member of a gang. Most gangs are considered to be part of organized crime. Gangsters are also called mobsters, a term derived from ''Organized crime, mob'' and the suffix ''wikt:-ster, -st ...
who served as national president of the
Rock Machine Motorcycle Club The Rock Machine Motorcycle Club (RMMC) or Rock Machine is an international outlaw motorcycle club founded in Montreal, Quebec, Canada in 1986. It has eighteen Canadian chapters spread across seven Canadian Provinces, provinces. It also has nin ...
during the
Quebec Biker War The Quebec Biker War () was a turf war in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, lasting from 1994 to 2002, between the Quebec branch of the Hells Angels and the Rock Machine. The war left 162 people dead, including civilians. There were also 84 bombings and ...
(1994-2002). He played a significant role in the conflict and was responsible for facilitating the merger between the Rock Machine and the
Bandidos Motorcycle Club The Bandidos Motorcycle Club, also known as the Bandido Nation, is an outlaw motorcycle club with a worldwide membership. Formed in San Leon, Texas, San Leon, Texas, in 1966, the Bandidos MC is estimated to have between 2,000 and 2,500 members and ...
, which took place on December 1, 2001.


Criminal career


Rock Machine

Born in
Quebec City Quebec City is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Census Metropolitan Area (including surrounding communities) had a populati ...
,
Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...
, Faucher and his brother Jean-Judes joined the local chapter of the
Rock Machine Motorcycle Club The Rock Machine Motorcycle Club (RMMC) or Rock Machine is an international outlaw motorcycle club founded in Montreal, Quebec, Canada in 1986. It has eighteen Canadian chapters spread across seven Canadian Provinces, provinces. It also has nin ...
and both attained full membership in the club by the early 1990s. Frédéric Faucher would play a key role in co-leading the Rock Machine against the
Hells Angels The Hells Angels Motorcycle Club (HAMC) is an international outlaw motorcycle club founded in California whose members typically ride Harley-Davidson motorcycles. In the United States and Canada, the Hells Angels are incorporated as the Hells ...
during the
Quebec Biker War The Quebec Biker War () was a turf war in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, lasting from 1994 to 2002, between the Quebec branch of the Hells Angels and the Rock Machine. The war left 162 people dead, including civilians. There were also 84 bombings and ...
. He was involved in the initial wave of attacks which initiated the conflict. On 13 July 1994, three Rock Machine members walked into a motorcycle shop in Rivière-des-Prairies and killed Pierre Daoust, a member of a Hells Angels
support club An outlaw motorcycle club, known colloquially as a biker club or club (in Australia), is a motorcycle subculture generally centered on the use of cruiser motorcycles, particularly Harley-Davidsons and choppers, and a set of ideals that purpo ...
Death Riders MC. The following day, the Rock Machine attempted to kill Normand Robitaille, a member of a Hells Angels' Montreal Rockers support club. Robitaille survived the shooting and was transported to hospital. On the same day, Faucher along with four other members of the Rock Machine were arrested in a hotel by the ''
Sûreté du Québec The (SQ; , ) is the State police, provincial police service for the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. There is no official English name, though the agency's name is sometimes translated as Quebec Provincial Police ...
'' after they uncovered a plot to blow up the South Shore clubhouse of a Hells Angels support club called the Evil Ones MC. Police seized two fully loaded pistols, three radio-detonated bombs with triggers, and twelve pounds of dynamite. Faucher and the other members were charged and received minimal sentences; during this period, corruption in Quebec's law enforcement and court system was at an all-time high. In 2000, a Montreal Crown attorney (a prosecutor) complained to the media that "they he bikerskill with impunity", saying it almost impossible to convict members of either the Hells Angels or the Rock Machine because of widespread corruption in the Quebec justice system.


National president

By 1996, Faucher had been released from prison, In mid 1996, Marcel Demers who was acting president of the Quebec City chapter created a second Rock Machine chapter in the city, it was located in the suburb of Beauport. With Demers becoming the president of the new Beauport chapter, Faucher was promoted to president of the Quebec City chapter. In mid 1997 Claude Vézina, who was the founder of the chapter, was reinstated as national president after the arrest of Giovanni Cazzetta. On 21 May 1997, Vézina and fellow Rock Machine member Dany "Le Gros" Légaré were both charged with the trafficking of narcotics. After the arrest of Vézina, Faucher was promoted to national president. Faucher had gained wide attention in underworld circles by blowing up the Hells Angels' clubhouse in Quebec City in February 1997, and he became the Rock Machine's new national president on 11 September 1997, Alain Brunette was promoted to president of the Quebec City chapter. Faucher decided the best hope for the Rock Machine was to have the club absorbed into the
Bandidos Bandidos may refer to: * Bandidos (film), ''Bandidos'' (film), a 1967 Italian spaghetti western film * Bandidos Films, a Mexican film production house * Bandidos (TV series), ''Bandidos'' (TV series), a 2024 Mexican TV series See also

* Ba ...
, the second-largest outlaw biker club in the world. As the biker war turned into a battle of attrition, the Hells Angels began to gain the upper hand as ever-increasing levels of support poured in from around Canada and internationally. At the same time, the
Nordic Biker War The Nordic Biker War was a gang war that began in January 1994 and continued until September 1997 in parts of Scandinavia and Finland, involving the Hells Angels and Bandidos outlaw motorcycle clubs. The conflict is also known as the Great Nordi ...
was taking place in northern Europe, and Faucher and the Rock Machine were impressed with the way that the Scandinavian branches of the Bandidos held their own against the Scandinavian branches of the Hells Angels. In June 1997, Rock Machine leaders Faucher, Johnny Plescio and Robert "Tout Tout" Léger went to
Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...
to seek support from the Swedish branch of the Bandidos, but were expelled by the Swedish authorities, who declared that they did not want Canadian bikers in their country. Remaining undeterred, on 14 July 1997, Faucher along with chapter presidents Plescio and Paul Porter, attended a motorcycle show in
Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...
. There, the Rock Machine was seen meeting with high-ranking members of the Bandidos. Faucher was the authorities' prime suspect for the attempted murder of a member of the Hells Angels' Nomad chapter, Louis "Melou" Roy, that occurred on 24 July 1997. Roy survived the attack, despite being struck four times, and no one was brought up on charges. On 23 August 1998, a team of Rock Machine members led by Faucher, including Gerald Gallant and Marcel Demers, rode by on their motorcycles and gunned down Paolo Cotroni in his driveway. Cotroni was a member of the Calabrian 'Ndrangheta
Cotroni crime family The Cotroni crime family, originally CotroneAuger and Edwards ''The Encyclopedia of Canadian Organized Crime'' p.63. (), was an Italian Canadian crime family based in Montreal, Quebec. The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) consi ...
, who were the rivals of the Sicilian Mafia
Rizzuto crime family The Rizzuto crime family () is an Italian Canadian crime family based in Montreal, Quebec, whose organized crime activity covers most of southern Quebec and Ontario. The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) considers the family a ...
. Cotroni was killed partly to gain the favor of the Rizzutos and partly because he was a friend of Hells Angels leader
Maurice Boucher Maurice Boucher (21 June 1953 – 10 July 2022) was a Canadian gangster, convicted murderer, reputed drug trafficker, and outlaw biker. He was once president of the Quebec Nomad (motorcycle club membership), Nomads chapter of the Hells Angels M ...
. The Rock Machine became a "hang-around" club for the Bandidos in May 1999. In December 1999, authorities raided the house of Faucher's brother, Jean-Judes Faucher, who was also a high-profile member of the Rock Machine at the time. Police seized photo albums loaded with pictures of Hells Angels members and associates that were targets of the group. The increased media coverage of crime in
Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...
caused by the conflict made the
Rizzuto crime family The Rizzuto crime family () is an Italian Canadian crime family based in Montreal, Quebec, whose organized crime activity covers most of southern Quebec and Ontario. The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) considers the family a ...
, regarded as the most powerful Mafia family in Canada, to seek a truce between the warring biker clubs. On 26 September 2000,
Vito Rizzuto Vito Rizzuto (; 21 February 1946 – 23 December 2013), also known as "Montreal's Teflon Don", was an Italian-Canadian crime boss alleged to be the leader of the Sicilian Mafia in Canada. He headed the notorious Rizzuto crime family based in ...
held a meeting at an Italian restaurant named ''Bleu Martin'' attended by both Boucher, the leader of Hells Angels in Quebec, and Faucher, the leader of the Rock Machine, in an attempt to impose a truce. On 8 October 2000, to celebrate
Thanksgiving Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in October and November in the United States, Canada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Germany. It is also observed in the Australian territory ...
, Boucher and Faucher had dinner together at ''Bleu Martin'' and, while a photographer from ''Allô Police'' recorded the scene, the leaders of the Hells Angels and the Rock Machine exchanged handshakes, hugged and broke bread together (a common symbol in French-Canada of reconciliation). To seal the truce, the biker leaders then went to the ''Super-Sexe'', the most exclusive and expensive
strip club A strip club (also known as a strip joint, striptease bar, peeler bar, gentlemen's club, among others) is a venue where strippers provide adult entertainment, predominantly in the form of striptease and other erotic dances including lap dances. St ...
in Montreal on the Rue Sainte-Catherine, with the photographers from ''Allô Police'' covering their visit. The truce brokered by the Rizzutos lasted only a few weeks and was ended when the Rock Machine officially joined the Bandidos. In a sort of reverse takeover, Faucher arranged for the Rock Machine to "patch over" to join the Bandidos in a bid to "internationalize" the conflict by involving the Bandidos, who were based in Texas. The Rock Machine was sponsored to "patch over" by the Swedish and French branches of the Bandidos while the American leadership disapproved, not wanting to be dragged into a war with the Hells Angels. After 18 months as a "hang-around" club, the Rock Machine became a probationary chapter of the Bandidos in on December 1, 2000. With the
Loners A loner is a person described as not seeking out, actively avoiding, or failing to maintain interpersonal relationships. There are many potential causes for this solitude. Intentional causes include introversion, mysticism, spirituality, rel ...
providing security at the ceremony in
Vaughan, Ontario Vaughan ( ) (2022 population 344,412) is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is located in the Regional Municipality of York, just north of Toronto. Vaughan was the fastest-growing municipality in Canada between 1996 and 2006 with its population increa ...
, the Ontario faction of the Rock Machine formally took on the Bandidos patches. Unlike the Hells Angels, those bikers joining the Bandidos had to enter as "prospect" members regardless of what their membership had been in the Rock Machine, which was considered very off-putting, causing several members to join the Angels. Shortly afterwards, Faucher was arrested on December 6, 2000, on charges of importing cocaine into Canada and Alain "Red Tomato" Brunette became the probationary Bandidos new national president.


Imprisonment

On 6 December 2000, Faucher along with Marcel Demers, a founding member of the Rock Machine and President of its Beauport chapter, were arrested on multiple charges and for ordering a bombing that caused major damage to a Hells Angels bunker located in
Saint-Nicolas, Quebec Saint-Nicolas () is a district within Les Chutes-de-la-Chaudière-Ouest borough of the city of Lévis, Quebec, Canada on the St. Lawrence River The St. Lawrence River (, ) is a large international river in the middle latitudes of North Am ...
. Alain Brunette would he promoted to the position of national president until he became the first president of Bandidos Canada on December 1, 2001, Jean-Claude Belanger would replace Brunette as president of the Quebec City chapter. Robert Léger would head the Beauport chapter. Police reported that Faucher's arrest was due to the fact he was the leader of a narcotics empire and had been responsible for the bombing of the bunker and six other buildings between 1996 and 1997. According to authorities, he was earning $250,000 per month from cocaine trafficking alone. He pled guilty to 28 charges and was sentenced to 12 years in prison on 11 May 2001. An additional thirteen bikers also received charges, including Simon Bédard, Gérald Gagnon, Michel "Sky" Langlois, Mario Dallaire, Guy Descarreaux and Serge Richard, would also receive charges. Faucher would later be caught up in Operation Player, which saw the arrest of eleven people after hitman Gerald Gallant became a Crown informant. Gallant had been employed by the Dark Circle and had also been employed to do jobs by the Rock Machine. During the conflict with the Hells Angels, he had been hired by Faucher seven times, and other club leaders Vézina and Giovanni Cazzetta had also hired him several times between the years of 1994 and 2002. Gallant had attempted to flee to
Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...
, Switzerland but was eventually arrested on credit card fraud and mistaken identity, testifying and giving more than fifty hours of statements. This enabled the authorities to apprehend Faucher and ten other sponsors or accomplices of his 28 murders in 2009. On 8 November 2012, Faucher avoided going to trial over the Gallant murders; he pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of conspiracy to commit murder and his eleven year sentence was increased to 23 years with possibility of parole.


Release

In November 2016, Faucher was released from prison after fifteen years of incarceration. He was ordered by the
Parole Board of Canada The Parole Board of Canada (PBC; ; formerly known as the National Parole Board) is the Canadian government agency that is responsible for reviewing and issuing parole and criminal pardons in Canada. It operates under the auspices of Public Sa ...
(PBC) to spend six months in a
halfway house A halfway house is a type of prison or institute intended to teach (or reteach) the necessary skills for people to re-integrate into society and better support and care for themselves. Halfway houses are typically either state sponsored for those ...
before returning to life as a law abiding citizen. Faucher had taken construction courses during his time in prison. Faucher, who had recently been married and had a child, made a statement saying: "I am committed to volunteering and legitimate employment". He also stated that he "did not want his child to adopt the same kind of life" as the one he led in his early life. He claims he has not been associated with bikers since 2005. Authorities remarked they were going to be keeping an eye on Faucher, but they believed the risk of him reoffending after the progress he had made was low. However, there were still widespread concern among some that he might join the Hells Angels. Faucher's brother, Jean-Judes, had joined the Angels in 2003.


References


Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Faucher, Frédéric 1969 births Living people 20th-century Canadian criminals 21st-century Canadian criminals Canadian male criminals Canadian gangsters Canadian crime bosses Canadian drug traffickers Canadian prisoners and detainees Prisoners and detainees of Canada Canadian people convicted of drug offences Bandidos Motorcycle Club Rock Machine Motorcycle Club People from Quebec City