Three members of the Galloping Goose Motorcycle Club have admitted in federal court to racketeering-related crimes tied to a deadly fight on the Bagnell Dam strip at Lake of the Ozarks. The guilty pleas mark the latest turn in a long-running federal probe of violence, meth trafficking and illegal guns tied to the club’s Lake of the Ozarks chapter.
Plea details
Tonka Way Con Ponder, 55, pleaded guilty on May 13 to two counts of a crime of violence in aid of racketeering, one count of conspiracy to commit a crime of violence in aid of racketeering, one count of discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, three methamphetamine-related counts and two counts tied to an unregistered firearm. Keith Nolen, 36, pleaded guilty on May 5 to a crime of violence in aid of racketeering, conspiracy to commit a crime of violence in aid of racketeering and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Tretch Lawrence, 50, pleaded guilty last Wednesday to a crime of violence in aid of racketeering and to attempted extortion, according to ABC 17 News.
What happened in 2021
The pleas all tie back to a July 2021 confrontation outside Casablanca Pub and Grille on the Bagnell Dam strip that escalated into gunfire and left a man identified in court records only as “B.C.” dead. At the time, local coverage described surveillance footage showing several people exchanging gunfire during a fight between rival motorcycle-club members, according to KY3.
Federal racketeering case
Federal prosecutors have been working the broader case since a June 2024 indictment that accused the Lake of the Ozarks chapter of the Galloping Goose of functioning as a criminal enterprise engaged in violent assaults, drug trafficking and illegal firearms activity. The indictment listed multiple defendants and outlined coordinated attacks on rival clubs, including the Iron Celtics and the Mongols, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Missouri.
Admissions and evidence
Prosecutors say Ponder served as the chapter leader and that security video shows him pulling a gun and firing after another man pointed a weapon. Both Ponder and Nolen admitted that they conspired with fellow club members to attack rivals. Ponder also acknowledged selling methamphetamine and possessing a silencer, while Lawrence admitted threatening two Iron Celtics members and demanding money, according to ABC 17 News.
Legal implications
The convictions include charges under the federal violent crimes in aid of racketeering statute, often referred to as VICAR, which targets violent acts carried out to advance an organized criminal enterprise. The U.S. Sentencing Commission notes that VICAR counts, along with related firearm enhancements, can lead to significant increases under the federal sentencing guidelines.
Court status
The guilty pleas resolve the federal counts against these three men, but the larger multi-defendant indictment is still active and other defendants continue to face charges. Court filings and procedural orders remain available through legal-document repositories, and several filings in the case are posted on Leagle.
Federal officials say these latest pleas are among several steps in an ongoing effort to disrupt violent conduct by outlaw motorcycle groups in Missouri. For more on the indictment and the scope of the alleged criminal activity, see the press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Missouri.
