Biker claims he’s a changed man. Judge unmoved, sends him to prison

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Big Red didn’t get a second chance.

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Despite telling a judge earlier this year that he was a changed man while in custody and was devoting his life to the Bible and his education, Ryan (Big Red) Daigneault, the president of the local Outlaw motorcycle club, didn’t catch a break at his Tuesday sentencing hearing on cocaine trafficking and gun charges.

One reason was because his crimes were so serious. Another, as Superior Court Justice Spencer Nicholson pointed out in his decision to sentence Daigneault, 48, to a total of 10 years in prison, was because the court has heard his promises to change before.

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He was referring to the last time Daigneault was before an Ontario Court judge, in 2016 to be sentenced for hydromorphone trafficking. At that time, he said he was leaving behind the criminal lifestyle, retiring from the bikers and wanting to move from London for “a fresh start.”

He was given a suspended sentence and two years of probation.

“Only four years later, you were at the helm of the Outlaws motorcycle club, trafficking cocaine and firearms. You were under consideration for the national presidency. The only conclusion that can be drawn is that you had no intention to get a fresh start, rather you escalated,” Nicholson said.

“Accordingly, you’ve already had your opportunity for a fresh start and you are not entitled to a further one from this court today.”

Daignneault and Daniel (Tattoo) Bell, 37, both pleaded guilty in February just before they were supposed to go on trial for two counts of trafficking in cocaine and one count of transferring or offering to transfer a handgun.

A lengthy agreed statement of facts was filed at the time of the pleas that outlined how a police agent was able to infiltrate the club and gain the trust of Daigneault in October 2020, and how between Nov. 12, 2020, and Jan. 19, 2021, the agent was able to purchase 3.5 kilograms of cocaine for a total of $120,000 and a loaded black handgun for $4,000.

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All the negotiations were done directly with Daigneault and Bell acted as a courier. The police agent was given a biker vest, an encrypted cellphone and offered an Outlaws membership.

Bell, who was an Outlaws underling with no criminal record, was tasked with delivery chores. At one point, he forgot to retrieve the drugs from Daigneault for delivery and when the agent finally met him at his St. Thomas home, Bell had a black eye and a bloodied nose.

The sentencing hearing was delayed in June after Daigneault’s lawyer requested that a probation officer investigate Daigneault’s claim that he had Indigenous connections and that he could be eligible for Gladue sentencing considerations that take into account systemic failures, intergenerational trauma from the residential school system and the over-representation of Indigenous offenders in the jail system.

A month later, the officer reported being unable to confirm Daigneault’s claims and Daigneault withdrew his request.

That meant Bell had to wait longer to hear what he was already expecting. Nicholson agreed to a joint sentencing submission from the Crown and the defence for a five-year prison sentence.

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Since he was arrested, Bell, who had no criminal record, has been on bail and taking welding courses, with a goal to distance himself from a criminal lifestyle. The lack of criminal record was “remarkable given his associations and his age,” the judge said.

He agreed that Bell “was only a middle man in the transactions and it was clear who was calling the shots.”

“He is a clearly a grunt within the hierarchy of the motorcycle club,” Nicholson said.

But Daigneault was in a different category. Nicholson said Daigneault dropped out of high school in Grade 11 and has been a member of a motorcycle club since 1995. In 2008, he was shot three times in the chest.

He was in a relationship until earlier this year. His past endeavours include a diploma in hotel management in 2002, working as a machine operator and starting a tattoo business that was discontinued “after a bad slip and fall” for which he received disability benefits.

He’s had drug and alcohol issues, but the judge noted they are no longer a concern. He was prescribed oxycontin for his back and shooting injuries.

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Daigneault suffers from obesity, although at his September sentencing hearing, Nicholson heard he had shed 190 pounds from his 486-pound frame since his arrival at the Elgin-Middlesex Detention Centre in January 2023 on unrelated charges that were later dropped.

He has a range of health issues including sleep apnea, high blood pressure and diabetes.

But he claimed he had changed and “had learned his moral responsibility as a citizen.” While in custody, he has taken a number of courses and did particularly well in Bible studies and Canadian law. He told the judge in September that he planned to apply to Bible colleges. Nicholson also reviewed certificates and glowing recommendations from instructors.

However, Nicholson said “the mitigating circumstances are far outweighed by the aggravating circumstances.”

Daigneault was “part of a sophisticated criminal enterprise that was motivated primarily by financial gain and greed.”

He was president of the local chapter and up for national leadership.

“Mr. Daigneault was one of the Outlaws’ leaders,” the judge said. “It is also noteworthy that while Mr. Daigneault was negotiating the transactions with the police agent he was insulating himself from detection through the use of lower level members of the club, such as Mr. Bell.”

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The “serious crimes” involved moving large amounts of cocaine in short periods of time, and the handgun that was sold to the police agent was concealable and loaded – and it appeared Daigneault had access to many firearms.

His criminal record included 23 prior convictions including assaults, thefts, fraud, unauthorized possession of a firearm, drug trafficking and drug possession.

The sentence matched the Crown’s recommendation. Nicholson factored in time credits for harsh jail conditions and strict bail that totaled one year, along with the equivalent of 1,072.5 days for his pre-sentence custody. That leaves six years and three weeks left on the sentence.

“You were and perhaps remain the head of the local chapter of the Outlaws motorcycle club. You were under consideration for the national presidency. Your moral responsibility is far greater than Mr. Bell’s,” Nicholson said to Daigneault.

“Those at the highest echelons of these enterprises presumably reap the highest rewards,” he added. “With those benefits comes the risk that if caught those at the highest echelons will face the harshest consequences.”

jsims@postmedia.com

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