Dec. 3 (BCN) — Ten members and associates of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club who were arrested in federal raids Wednesday appeared before U.S. magistrates in  San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose today and were formally charged with committing violent acts in aid of racketeering.

The 10 Bay Area men are among 42 Hells Angels members and associates from five states who were indicted in federal court in Las Vegas on Tuesday on charges stemming from a fight between the Hells Angels and a rival motorcycle gang, the Mongols, in Nevada in 2002. Three people died in the fight. In addition to those arrested, three Bay Area men who were also named in the indictment are still at large.

The indictment was unsealed today. All 42 defendants are accused of 10 counts of violence in aid of racketeering plus one count of use of a firearm. A total of 34 have been arrested.  "The charges are really that they're a business enterprise," said ATF spokeswoman Marti McKee. "They're an ongoing criminal organization."

The defendants were informed of the charges during their initial appearances  today and will eventually be transferred to federal court in Las Vegas for arraignment and trial. The trial date has not yet been set.

Two defendants who appeared before a federal magistrate in San Jose agreed to be transferred to Nevada without further hearings. They are James Hannigan, 36, of Mountain View, and Justin Harrah, 33, of Watsonville.l:

In San Francisco, four other defendants were ordered to return to the court of U.S. Magistrate Joseph Spero on Tuesday for a detention hearing. They are Robert Anello, 49, of Petaluma; Matt Comach, 38, of Novato; Raymond Foakes, 40, of Petaluma; and Wayne Hodges, 52, of San Francisco. In Oakland, U.S. Magistrate Wayne Brazil scheduled detention hearings on Tuesday for Michael Smullen, 46, of Pinole, and David Steely, 36, of Concord. Brazil ordered Steve Eades, 39, of Martinez, and Shawn Frazer, 33, of Pinole, to return Monday for identification of their defense attorneys and setting of a date for detention hearings.

The three fugitives are Matthew Carlock, 29, of San Pablo; Frederick Donahue, 38, of Rodeo; and Daniel Roay, 45, of San Pablo. The indictments are the result of a two-year, federal undercover investigation into the operations of the Hells Angels that culminated in the early morning
raids of 85 sites in California, Nevada, Arizona, Alaska and Washington state. In the Bay Area, raids occurred in large cities including Richmond, San Francisco and San Jose. Other search warrants were executed in cities including

San Pablo, Petaluma, Novato, Concord and Watsonville. About 150 ATF agents joined with local law enforcement officials to bring the total number of personnel involved in the Bay Area raids to between 250 and 300, officials said.