Endi Veriti, Tom Bil and Vil Dalgrin
BBC News
A company that provides humanitarian aid distribution sites in Gaza is using members of an American motorcycle gang with a history of hostility toward islam, a BBC investigation revealed.
The BBC has confirmed the identities of ten members of the Nevernici Motorcycle Club (Infidels) who work in Gaza for UG Solušns - a private company that provides points for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
Hundreds of civilians died at these checkpoints while searching for food.
We have discovered that seven members of the gang are in senior positions overseeing sites in a controversial humanitarian aid operation supported by Israel and US President Donald Trump.
UG Solutions (UGS) is currently defending the employees and their qualifications.
They don't check for "personal hobbies or preferences that are unrelated to job performance," they say.
Iz controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), through which humanitarian aid is distributed, say they have a "zero tolerance policy towards any discriminatory bias or behavior."
Motorcycle club Infidels was founded by US Army veterans of the Iraq War in 2006.
Its members see themselves as modern-day crusaders, using the Crusader cross as their symbol, a reference to the medieval Christians who fought against Muslims for control of Jerusalem.
Gang members are perpetrators of hate speech against Muslims on their Facebook page, and previously they organized a party with a pig roast - "in defiance" of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
"Motorcycle club borrowing" Infidels to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza is like hiring the Ku Klux Klan to deliver humanitarian aid to Sudan.
"It makes no sense," said Edward Ahmed Mitchell, deputy director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the leading Muslim civil rights organization in the United States.
"It was destined to end in violence and that's exactly what we've seen happening in Gaza."
The gang leader, Johnny "Taz" Mulford, is a former sergeant in the US Army.
He was convicted of planning to pay bribes, theft, and making false statements to military authorities.
He is now the team leader implementing the UG Solutions contract in Gaza.
We sent an email to the Motorcycle Club Infidels asking for their comment.
However, Mulford instructed fellow biker gang leaders not to respond, but he included the BBC in the email, clicking "reply all."
Thus, he inadvertently revealed the email addresses and names of fellow members. Nevernika, some of whom work in Gaza.
By linking those names to publicly available leadership information Nevernika and evidence from insiders at UG Solutions who worked with them, we identified ten gang members that Mulford recruited in Gaza.
In addition to Mulford, we have identified three leading members of the Infidels, who also hold high positions in Gaza:
- Larry "J-Rod" Jarrett, who was publicly elected vice president Nevernika and is in charge of logistics
- Gang treasurer Bill "Saint" Seeb, who leads a security team for one of the GHF's four "secure sharing points"
- One of the gang's founders, Richard "A-Treker" Lofton, team leader at another aid distribution location
Confidential documents, publicly available information, and former UGS employees allowed us to confirm the identities of six more bikers. Nevernika hired to work in Gaza.
The three are leaders or deputy leaders of the company's armed security teams.
Jarrett, Sib and Lofton did not respond to requests for comment.
UGS told the BBC that they conduct extensive checks and only employ approved individuals.
However, news reports indicate that Jarrett was arrested two years ago in the US for drunk driving, as well as a charge of driving under the influence of alcohol ten years ago.
It is not known whether either of these two cases reached a court verdict.
Jamison Govoni, founder and CEO of UG Solutions, was arrested earlier this year in North Carolina for allegedly being involved in a car accident.
He hit one person with his car, fled the scene of the accident and then from police to avoid arrest, court documents show.
Govoni, who lives in the US and is not a member Nevernika, he refused to speak to the BBC.
Malford has so far been the only employee of UG Solušns identified as a member Nevernika.
However, a BBC investigation reveals how widespread the recruitment of gang members is, especially for the better-paid jobs of leading UGS armed security teams.
Social media posts show that in May, just two weeks before they traveled to Gaza, Mulford attempted to recruit US military veterans who follow him on Facebook, inviting anyone who “can still shoot, move and communicate” to sign up.
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In total, at least 40 people, out of about 320 hired to work for UG Solutions in Gaza, arrived from Nevernik, according to the estimate of one former mercenary.
UG Solutions pays each person $980, per day including expenses.
At the same time, $1.580 is being paid to team leaders at GHF's "secure distribution points", documents seen by the BBC show.
Josh Miller, the team leader in Gaza in charge of checkpoint security, posted a photo of a group of mercenaries in Gaza with a banner: "Make Gaza Great Again."
The banner also features the logo of a company he owns that sells T-shirts and other clothing.
Among them are one with the slogan "Embrace violence" and another that says: "Surf all day, fire rockets all night, Gaza summer 25."
His company also posted a video online showing scenes of gun violence and advocating shooting criminals.
"Remember, always shoot until they are no longer a threat," the caption reads.
Miller has the word "Crusader" tattooed across his fingers and "1095" on his thumbs.
That was the year when the head of the Catholic Church, Pope Urban II, launched the First Crusade, describing Muslims as an "evil race."
Miller did not respond to BBC requests for comment.
Post on Facebook page Nevernika which sells caps with "1095" on them says that the year marks the beginning of the Crusades, "a military campaign by Western European forces to retake Jerusalem and the Holy Land from Muslim hands."
"The Holy Land" refers to the area that today is mostly Israel and the Palestinian territories.
Johnny Mulford, in addition to leading the gang, is also listed as the registered agent for a Florida company called Infidels MC, and has the date "1095" tattooed on his chest.
He also has a crucifix tattooed on his right forearm, another on his left upper arm, as well as the word "Infidels."
"When you see anti-Muslim chauvinists celebrating 1095 today, celebrating the Crusades, they are celebrating the mass slaughter of Muslims, the wiping out of Muslims and Jews from the holy city of Jerusalem," says Mitchell of the American Muslim civil rights organization CAIR.
The gang has all the hallmarks of anti-Muslim hate groups that have used the name "Infidels" for decades, he points out.
The anti-Islamic views espoused by the gang include a leaflet advertising the spitting of pigs during Ramadan, which the BBC found on an archived website.
"In defiance of the Islamic holiday of Ramadan... we invite you to come to the Motorcycle Gang branch." Infidels in Colorado for an open biker party and pig roasting," he writes.
The leaflet also shows a woman wearing a burqa that is torn from the neck down, exposing her breasts.
Facebook page Nevernika She organized obviously Islamophobic discussions.
In 2020, the club shared a link to a fake, satirical article claiming that four American politicians, two of whom are Muslims, want the Bible to be declared hate speech.
Among the comments from Facebook members were: "I've loaded the magazine all the way. This won't be the first time we've clashed with Muslims," "deport these miserable bastards to a miserable third world hole where the Holy Bible won't insult them," and one who cursed "them and their Muhammad."
As of Wednesday, September 10th, these comments still stand on the Motorcycle Club's Facebook page. Infidels.
Motorcycle Club website Infidels it also featured the skull logo of the violent Marvel comic book hero the Punisher.
It is a symbol that has been appropriated by white supremacist groups.
It is signed "kafir", in Arabic script, which translates as "infidel".
Scenes of chaos and danger have been common at aid distribution points in Gaza since they opened in late May.
As of September 2, 1.135 children, women and men had been killed near GHF checkpoints while searching for food, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.
The United Nations said most of the killings were committed by Israeli security forces.
Incidents in which civilians were injured while seeking help are "under investigation by the relevant authorities in the Israel Defense Forces," the Israeli military said.
The UGS denied allegations that its mercenaries shot at civilians, and that its employees, through poor leadership, put people seeking food in danger.
However, the company admitted that warning shots were fired to disperse the crowd.
In a statement, UG Solutions, based in North Carolina, said Johnny Mulford was a "respected and trusted individual" with more than 30 years of experience supporting America and its allies around the world.
"We stand behind his reputation, military record, and contribution to the success of combat missions," the company said.
"We do not check personal hobbies or preferences that are unrelated to job performance or safety standards."
"Each team member undergoes extensive background checks and only qualified, approved individuals are engaged in UG Solutions operations," the company added.
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation said it relies on "people of all backgrounds" to provide aid in Gaza and build trust with Gazans.
"The team distributing aid at the Foundation's points is diverse - and for that reason successful," said GHF.
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