PROVIDENCE — Two Douglas Leedhams came to court Monday: The full member of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club who admitted to firearms and methamphetamine-trafficking offenses and the 54-year-old brother, longtime boyfriend and devoted friend who cared for his parents in ill health and opened his home to provide housing to those in need.
“The story of how you took care of your mother moved me incredibly …,” U.S. District Court Judge John J. McConnell said. “It tells me you are in fact a very good person who took a bad turn.”
And with that, McConnell agreed to sentence Leedham, of North Providence, to the seven-year term jointly recommended by lawyer William C. Dimitri and Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul F. Daly Jr.
“I apologize to family and friends,” said Leedham, whose bald head was entirely covered with tattoos, a skull at the back. About 10 supporters attended the proceedings, including his sister and girlfriend, and a half dozen men who sat in the back row, one wearing a Hells Angels T-shirt.
McConnell said he had to accept the lengthy sentence terms based on the potential volatility of placing firearms in close proximity to methamphetamine, a highly addictive psychostimulant.
“Seven years is a long time … but the crime you committed is severe,” McConnell said. In addition, Leedham received four years of supervised release. He must undergo substance-abuse treatment, and must forfeit his firearms.
Authorities in February arrested and charged Leedham after a search of his residence at 1117 Douglas Ave., Unit 12, found 39 grams of methamphetamine; 19 grams of cocaine; a 9mm Glock pistol with 14 rounds in it; a .25 caliber Raven Arms handgun with five rounds; and a Mossberg 12-gauge shotgun. Investigators also recovered two body armor vests; 35 knives, including throwing knives; four hatchets; five expandable batons and four flashlight batons; and brass knuckles. In addition, agents seized $6,422, a digital scale, a drug ledger and other drug paraphernalia as well as Hells Angels memorabilia.
Leedham in May pleaded guilty to possession of 5 grams or more of methamphetamine with intent to deliver; possession of cocaine with intent to deliver; and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to an FBI affidavit, Leedham is a fully initiated member of the Hells Angels Outlaw Motorcycle Club, which operates out of a clubhouse at 161 Messer St. in Providence.
On Dec. 29, Leedham flagged down a North Providence police officer to report that one of his two female passengers had lost consciousness after taking heroin or crystal methamphetamine. As an officer administered Narcan, the other woman lost consciousness, also due to an apparent overdose. Both survived after being taken to the hospital.
Rhode Island State Police in 2012 charged Leedham with carrying a pistol without a license and possession of a weapon other than a firearm after a traffic stop. At the time, he was riding a motorcycle while wearing a vest identifying him as a “full patch” member of the Hells Angels, recognized by the U.S. Department of Justice as an outlaw group with a proclivity for drug trafficking and violence.
A search revealed that he was in possession of two knives, a ball-peen hammer, and a 9mm pistol loaded with 13 rounds. He admitted to carrying a pistol without a license in that case and received a suspended five-year sentence with probation.
Letters from Leedham’s supporters filed in U.S. District Court told a man “with a heart of gold” whose judgment and behavior became altered by drug addiction.
Source: Providence Journal
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