Podcast Summary: Julian Dorey Podcast #378

Title: “Satan’s Slaves!” - Hells Angels Boss on ATF Coverup, his Top Secret DoD Job & FEAR | George Christie
Release Date: January 30, 2026
Host: Julian Dorey
Guest: George Christie (former Hells Angels leader, author)

Episode Overview

This riveting episode features George Christie, legendary former leader of the Hells Angels’ Ventura and Los Angeles chapters. Christie delves into his wild life at the intersection of American outlaw biker culture, law enforcement intrigue, and secret government work. He shares gripping behind-the-scenes stories about internal club discipline, ATF operations and suspected cover-ups, his “top secret” Department of Defense job, and what it means to be a true outlaw. Christie also offers candid reflections on loyalty, betrayal, and the personal cost of living at the edge—balancing adrenaline, violence, camaraderie, and survival.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

I. Early Life, Family, and Rebellion

• George Christie grew up in a traditional Greek-American family in Ventura, California.
• His first encounter with motorcycle outlaws left a lasting impression:
  • “This guy is controlling the whole narrative here. And he’s not even doing anything, man. He’s just being himself.” (21:25)
• Christie’s sense of rebellion was inspired both by admiration and dissatisfaction with his family’s economic struggles.
• He shared stories about his stoic grandfather, known as “the Governor,” and the lessons he learned about discipline, respect, and the value of money.

II. From Marines to Outlaw Biker

• Christie joined the US Marine Corps after a dispute with his high school principal, who accused him of cheating due to his (then undiagnosed) dyslexia (43:16).
• Both his parents were veterans; his father was a WWII CB and his mother a Marine—a fact humorously highlighted by a newspaper headline: “Son Follows in Mother’s Footsteps” (46:43).
• After leaving the Marines (following a notorious “duel” challenge with a gunnery sergeant), he worked for the Department of Defense on classified submarine surveillance projects during the Cold War (65:32).
  • Job involved maintaining top-secret direct lines for countering potential Russian submarine threats (66:10).

III. Hells Angels, Outlaw Life, and Internal Law

• Christie started riding motorcycles in the 1960s, officially joining the Hells Angels in the mid-'70s (63:09).
• The club was, in his view, about “riding and partying and brotherhood,” but soon turbulence and violence—internal and external—became central (68:12).
• On the initiation ritual and complete commitment:
  • “From this point on, we will come first. Before your wife, your children, your mother, your father. We call, you come. Drop everything else.” (127:16)
• Christie described the club’s code of conduct, distinction between “outlaws” and “criminals,” and the difficulties in holding the line as crime encroached (68:23).
  • “Hells Angels is not a criminal organization. Hells Angels is an organization with criminals in it.” (80:29)

IV. Legal Battles, Investigations, and Informants

• Multiple indictments from 1986 onwards, ranging from conspiracy to firebombing to murder-for-hire allegations (10:04; 2:00; 83:10).
• His daughter, a criminal defense lawyer, became instrumental in challenging federal charges and negotiating plea deals (2:53).
• Stories of informants—most notably Tony Tate, who betrayed the club for book/movie deals and government money (16:16; 85:57).
  • Ironies and dangers of undercover entrapment: “He didn’t even have a beef. He just wanted to write a book and get a movie made about him and set up the Hells Angels.” (17:45)
• Candid tales of entrapment operations, including how taping and attempts to provoke violence or drug deals would fail (89:42).

V. ATF and Law Enforcement—The Coverup Allegation

• Christie describes years of constant surveillance, culminating in the claim that an ATF squad (formerly from the Greensboro Massacre investigation) bombed the Ventura Hells Angels clubhouse using military ordinance from Akron, Ohio—then covered it up (182:16–190:54).
  • “I have a long list. And the ATF’s right at the top.” (190:03)
  • “In my new book, I identify the police officer that told me the ATF threw the bomb in there.” (190:30)
• He reflects on being aware of government plants or even possible CIA/NOC operations in outlaw biker circles, especially during the Nordic Biker War (198:59–201:17).

VI. Secret DoD Job — “You Can’t Be a Hells Angel with Security Clearance!”

• Eight years with a top-secret clearance on missile and submarine detection programs for national defense (65:32).
• Forced out when the DoD discovered he was simultaneously leader of LA’s Hells Angels: “Look, are you really in Hell’s Angels?...We’re going to take your clearance away because Hell’s Angels can’t have a security clearance.” (67:10)

VII. The Price of Power, Loyalty, and Leaving the Club

• Christie recounts the challenges of leadership, internal betrayals, and the unpopular but deeply considered pursuit of peace between rival biker organizations (96:06–104:58).
  • “The position of peace is very unpopular in the outlaw bike culture...They take it as a sign of weakness.” (99:51)
• Describes the pain and challenge of leaving the Hells Angels—knowing his life and identity would be forever changed and ostracized:
  • “It took me two years to build up the nerve to do it. I know once I cross that threshold, my life will never be the same.” (111:54)
  • Both Hells Angels and rivals put murder contracts on him at various points.

VIII. Colorful Stories & Behind-the-Scenes Anecdotes

a. Administration and Legal Tactics

• Christie ran several businesses (bail bonds, promotion, tattoo/paraphernalia shops).
• Served as administrator for his daughter’s law firm—often requesting police evidence directly: “We need the police paperwork on this. I need discovery on my murder.” (85:10–85:23)

b. Hollywood, Rock, and Media Encounters

• Personal friend of Jerry Garcia, and knew icons from Rolling Stones, Jefferson Airplane, and more (62:52–63:00).
• On reneging Stones’ $50,000 legal fee for a member’s justified homicide at Altamont, and (allegedly) plotting to blow up Jagger’s yacht until payment was made (61:18–62:22).
• Gave details on appearing with Mike Wallace on 60 Minutes, and learning how to “control the narrative” (115:49–121:58).

c. Olympic Torch and Community Relations

• Orchestrated Hells Angels’ acceptance to carry the Olympic torch in LA 1984 under the name “HAMCUS” (179:20–181:29).
• “Not only do we support the Olympics, we are now participating in the Olympics.” (186:31)

d. Internal Club Justice

• Graphic account of confronting a man with a fake Hells Angels patch, taking him into the desert with a gun and making him dig his own grave:
  • “I tell him, start digging. And I got him digging his own grave...The sun’s going down. I tell him, come on up here, man. We’re all going to watch the sunset. It’s probably going to be your last one.” (162:24–165:44)
  • Ultimately, the patch is surrendered, and the “punishment” is a “tax” on the impersonator.

e. Outlaw Versus Criminal

• Explains the complicated distinction:
  • “Hells Angels is not a criminal organization. Hells Angels is an organization with criminals in it.” (80:29)
  • “Don’t confuse outlaws with criminals or criminals with outlaws.” (68:23)
  • Emphasizes rules: criminal activity is tolerated as long as it is not brought into meetings or made the club’s business (84:01)

f. Relationships, Family, and Growth

• Profound love for his children, even as club initiation demanded he put club before family:
  • “It came very easy from being a Marine... I changed from one uniform to another and that's how I saw it." (157:55)
• Concludes on personal growth, contentment, and happiness after leaving behind the outlaw life and remarrying a lifelong friend (206:38–210:55).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

(Timestamps in MM:SS or HH:MM:SS)

• “From this point on, we will come first. Before your wife, your children, your mother, your father. We call, you come. Drop everything else.” (127:16)
• “I tell the guy, start digging...We’re all going to watch the sunset. It’s probably going to be your last one.” (165:44)
• “Would I do it again? In a minute.” (00:00, 128:03)
• “Hells Angels is not a criminal organization. Hells Angels is an organization with criminals in it.” (80:29)
• “Don’t confuse outlaws with criminals or criminals with outlaws.” (68:23)
• On ATF cover-up: “I have a long list. And the ATF’s right at the top.” (190:03)
• “Not only are we supporting the Olympics, we are now participating in the Olympics.” (186:31)
• “Peace is not a popular position in the culture we’re in.” (99:51)
• “I was blinded by my own—maybe my own ego, my own thoughts. I can do this, man, I can make this happen.” (103:20)
• “If you look at your history, what happens to cultures in their decline, they start turning on themselves.” (148:55)
• On the outlaw vision: “I was in love with that culture, in that lifestyle, man. I’m not embarrassed to say it, but I know there’s some people out there going, guy, man, you know, but it’s the truth, man. I wanted it so bad.” (128:03)

Key Timestamps

| Segment | Description | Timestamp | |---------|-------------|-----------| | Outlaw origin story, first biker encounter | Early childhood inspiration | 21:25 | | Initiation and total commitment | Club before family | 127:16 | | Marines, DOD work, Top Secret job | Espionage, security clearance trouble | 65:32–67:19 | | Biker justice/desert story | Fake patch, grave-digging | 162:24–165:44 | | Firebomb accusations arson-case plea | Fed negotiation, daughter as lawyer | 2:53–6:08 | | ATF Coverup and grenade attack | Bombing, agent provocateur | 182:10–191:14 | | Hells Angels, ATF & Nazi informants | Greensboro shooting, law enforcement corruption | 184:15–190:54 | | Internal peace process—Nordic biker war | CIA/knock implications | 198:59–202:15 | | Reflections on loyalty/exit from club | Leaving the life behind | 111:54–113:03 | | Humor and self-reflection | Controlling the narrative, media | 115:49–121:58 |

Tone and Style

• George speaks with a mix of brutal honesty and dry wit, reflecting years spent both as an outlaw and learning to “control the narrative” through media.
• The conversation is direct but full of storytelling flourishes and colorful metaphors.
• No glorification or denial of violence; Christie toggles between hard truths and philosophical reflection.

For Further Listening or Reading

• George Christie’s books: Exile on Front Street, Marked, and Crossing the Rubicon
• Relevant films and shows:
  • Hell’s Angels ’69
  • The Wild One
  • The Bike Riders (Tom Hardy)
  • Outlaw Chronicles (History Channel series with Christie)

Closing

This two-and-a-half hour episode is a masterclass in the psychology, inner codes, and realpolitik of American outlaw biker culture, as told by one of its sharpest survivors. Christie’s stories offer rare insight into how legacy criminal investigations, government intrigue, and the search for personal integrity can collide at high speed—sometimes explosively.

”If I could go back to that moment in time, would I do it again? In a minute. I was in love with that culture, in that lifestyle, man.” (128:03)

For questions or follow-up episodes, send suggestions to Julian Dorey Podcast.

[End of Summary]