Biker claims that he has changed. The judge remained inactive, sent him to prison

Article content

The Big Red didn’t get a second chance.

Article content

Article content

Even though I told a judge this earlier this year he was a changed man Ryan (Big Red) Daigneault, president of the local Outlaw motorcycle club who devoted his life to the Bible and his education while in custody, did not recess his sentencing hearing Tuesday on cocaine trafficking and weapons charges.

One reason was that his crimes were so serious. Another was that the court had heard his promise to change before, as Superior Court Judge Spencer Nicholson noted in his decision to sentence Daigneault, 48, to a total of 10 years in prison.

Article content

He was referring to the last time Daigneault appeared before an Ontario Court judge in 2016 to be sentenced for hydromorphone trafficking. He said at the time that he had left his criminal lifestyle behind, retired from cycling and wanted to move from London for a “fresh start”.

He was given a suspended sentence and two years probation.

“Just four years later, you were head of the Outlaws motorcycle club, which trafficked cocaine and firearms. You were in the evaluation phase for the national presidency. The only conclusion that can be drawn is that you had no intention of making a fresh start, but instead escalated tensions,” said Nicholson.

“Accordingly, you already had the opportunity to make a fresh start, and you are not entitled to a fresh start from this court today.”

Daignneault and Daniel (Tattoo) Bell, 37, both He pleaded guilty in February just before they were due to stand trial on two counts of trafficking cocaine and one count of transfer or offering to transfer a gun.

A lengthy statement of facts agreed upon during the plea was presented outlining how a police agent was able to infiltrate the club and gain Daigneault’s trust in October 2020 and between November 12, 2020 and January 19. In 2021, the agent was able to purchase 3.5 kilograms of cocaine for a total of $120,000 and a loaded black handgun for $4,000.

Article content

Article content

All negotiations were conducted directly with Daigneault, and Bell served as courier. The police agent was given a biker vest, an encrypted cell phone, and was offered membership in the Outlaws.

A subordinate of an Outlaw with no criminal record, Bell was assigned to delivery duties. At one point, she forgot to pick up the medications from Daigneault for delivery, and the agent finally drove with her to St. Louis. Bell had a black eye and a bleeding nose when we met at his home in St. Thomas.

The sentencing hearing was postponed in June after Daigneault’s attorney asked that a parole officer investigate Daigneault’s claim. He had local connections and may be in line with Gladue sentencing considerations that take into account systemic failures, intergenerational trauma from the residential school system and the overrepresentation of Indigenous offenders in the prison system, he said.

A month later, the officer reported that he could not verify Daigneault’s allegations, and Daigneault withdrew his request.

This meant Bell had to wait longer to hear what he was already waiting for. Nicholson accepted the Crown and defence’s joint sentencing offer of five years’ imprisonment.

Article content

Bell, who has no criminal record since his arrest, is released on bail and is taking welding courses in an attempt to distance himself from a criminal lifestyle. The judge said his lack of a criminal record was “remarkable considering his relationships and his age”.

He acknowledged that Bell “was merely the middleman in the transactions and it was clear who was making the decisions.”

“It’s clearly a grumble within the motorcycle club hierarchy,” said Nicholson.

But Daigneault was in a different category. Daigneault dropped out of high school when he was in the 11th grade and had been a member of a motorcycle club since 1995, Nicholson said. He was shot three times in the chest in 2008.

He was in a relationship until the beginning of this year. His past endeavors include earning a degree in hotel management in 2002, working as a machine operator and starting a tattoo business that was discontinued “after a bad slip and fall” for which he received disability benefits.

He had drug and alcohol problems but the judge said these were no longer a concern. He was prescribed oxycontin for his back and shooting injuries.

Article content

Although Daigneault suffered from obesity, at his sentencing hearing in September, Nicholson heard that he had shed 190 pounds from his 486-pound frame since his arrival at the Elgin-Middlesex Detention Center in January 2023 on unrelated charges that were later dropped.

They have various health problems such as sleep apnea, high blood pressure and diabetes.

However, he claimed that he had changed and “learned his moral responsibility as a citizen”. While in custody, he took many classes and excelled, especially in Bible studies and Canadian law. He told the judge in September that he planned to apply to Bible schools. Nicholson also reviewed instructors’ certifications and glowing recommendations.

But Nicholson said “the mitigating circumstances far outweigh the aggravating circumstances”.

Daigneault was “part of a sophisticated criminal organization motivated primarily by financial gain and greed.”

He was president of the local chapter and a candidate for national leadership.

“Mr. “Daigneault was one of the leaders of the Outlaws,” the judge said. “It is also noteworthy that Mr. Daigneault shielded himself from detection by using lower-level members of the club, such as Mr. Bell, while negotiating transactions with the police agent.”

Article content

The “serious crimes” involved the transportation of large quantities of cocaine at short notice, and the gun sold to the police agent was concealable and loaded; it was also revealed that Daigneault had access to many firearms.

His criminal record included 23 prior convictions, including assault, theft, fraud, unauthorized possession of a firearm, drug trafficking and drug possession.

The sentence followed the Crown’s advice. Nicholson also factored in time credit for pre-sentence detention equivalent to 1,072.5 days, along with harsh prison conditions and strict bail totaling one year. Six years and three weeks of the sentence remain.

“You were, and perhaps still are, president of the local chapter of the Outlaws motorcycle club. You were in the evaluation phase for the national presidency. “Your moral responsibility is much greater than Mr. Bell’s,” Nicholson told Daigneault.

“Those at the top of these initiatives probably reap the highest rewards,” he added. “With these advantages comes the risk that those at the highest levels will face the harshest consequences if caught.”

[email protected]

Article content