Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers-Charlie

Quick Overview

Charlie recounts a tumultuous life marked by severe childhood abuse, extensive drug use starting with glue sniffing at age 13, subsequent incarceration totaling about 17 years, and eventual sobriety after his final major sentencing, detailing his complex involvement with the Mongols Motorcycle Club.

Key Points: Charlie grew up in Culver City in an upper middle-class environment but experienced severe physical abuse from his mother, who would make him strip and beat him with a stick until bleeding, leading him to request juvenile hall placement. He possesses a high IQ tested at 141 but became involved in drugs, starting with obsessively sniffing glue and later fixing speed and using heroin, ultimately leading to approximately 17 years of incremental prison time. Charlie gained recognition for his legal acumen, being written up as one of the best pro per defendants in Los Angeles County Superior Court, and once successfully employed an exclusionary rule defense strategy that only James Blatt had previously used successfully. He became deeply involved with the Mongols Motorcycle Club, eventually becoming the president of the Hollywood chapter, where he organized a successful benefit fundraiser featuring Gilby Clark and Tommy Lee's sister to fund a clubhouse. Charlie describes an intense conflict with the Hells Angels (Red and White) when two young men wore unauthorized commemorative shirts, leading to a tense conference call with Chuck Zo where Charlie asserted his right to travel to New York, resulting in him being told he was unwelcome there. His decision to leave the Mongols came after realizing his own people were backstabbing him, exemplified by a threat from a high-ranking member named Dizzy who implied Charlie could not quit the lifestyle, referencing another member who found out quitting was impossible. Charlie is currently sober in his sixth year and reflects on his past, noting that his PTSD manifests as vivid nightmares where younger members see his 'boggles' neck tattoo (received before the required five years) and confront him.