Ex-Hells Angels leader gets prison

The former leader of the Spokane chapter of the Hells Angels motorcycle gang was sentenced Monday to 7 1/2 years in prison for racketeering.

Richard "Smilin' Rick" Fabel, 50, was also ordered by U.S. District Judge Robert Lasnik to pay nearly $55,000 in restitution and stay away from other Hells Angels for at least a year.

While Fabel kept his distance from the most serious crimes tied to club members, including murder, he stocked the Spokane clubhouse with people willing to be violent and rewarded them for criminal behavior, the judge said.