An expert on criminal organizations says the mayor of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality made a serious misstep when he endorsed a local motorcycle club this month, because the group is associated with the Hells Angels.

Mayor Cecil Clarke said he didn’t know of the association when he wrote the July 6 letter on behalf of the Celtic Crew Motorcycle Club so it could lease property in CBRM, and only did so after asking the regional police force if it was OK.

“There was nothing at all that would create a concern,” Clarke said.

Stephen Schneider, a criminology professor at Saint Mary’s University and an expert on organized crime, said Cape Breton Regional Police should have checked the RCMP database, which shows the Celtic Crew is affiliated with the international outlaw motorcycle club.

He said the mayor’s letter was a mistake.

“Definitely, it was a significant faux pas on his part, because he’s essentially endorsing a motorcycle club that is a support club for one of the biggest criminal organizations in Canada, the Hells Angels,” said Schneider.

Clarke said Celtic Crew members are known for riding motorcycles and helping out in the community, such as the grading day event for schoolchildren at CBRM’s Centre 200 arena last month.

“There was no reason not to be supportive of a group doing, you know, community engagement activities and not-for-profit support for community and youth and other initiatives,” he said.

A social media post that appears to be affiliated with the Hells Angels, and has since been taken down, praised the Celtic Crew for getting the letter from the mayor.

Clarke said he was not aware of that until CBC News asked about it.

Distinctive patch

Photos on social media show members of the Celtic Crew with a red diamond-shaped patch on their vests with the number 81 on it. That is considered a reference to the eighth and first letters of the alphabet — HA — representing the Hells Angels.

Clarke said the symbol is “beyond anything I’m aware of and/or have knowledge of.”

“I have no association, affiliation, communication or whatever with anyone outside of the people locally with the Celtic Crew I’ve been dealing with … and again, did the appropriate due diligence and research to identify that there were no local concerns,” he said.

No one from the Celtic Crew could be reached for comment.

Schneider said even if they didn’t check the RCMP’s criminal intelligence information system, regional police should have been aware of the red diamond “81” patch.

“That’s a clear signal,” he said.

No accusation of criminal activity

“I’m not accusing Celtic Crew at all of being involved in criminal activity, but certainly they’re a Hells Angels support club. That’s clear and they’re not hiding that,” Schneider continued.

Nova Scotia RCMP confirmed that connection.

Stephen MacKinnon, acting chief of the Cape Breton Regional Police, would not comment on what advice the police gave CBRM about the Celtic Crew Motorcycle Club.

But MacKinnon said until CBC News raised the question, he was unaware of the Celtic Crew’s affiliation with an outlaw motorcycle club.

MacKinnon said around six years ago, he was part of a police operation that successfully kept a Hells Angels rival club out of Cape Breton.

At the time, police said it’s common for biker clubs to raise money for local community groups in order to gain favour with the public.

Schneider said that’s been a longstanding tactic.

“The Hells Angels and their support clubs have been doing charity work for decades,” he said. “It’s part of their PR campaign to try to sanitize their image.”

MacKinnon said police are taking a closer look at Celtic Crew’s affiliation, and he now has concerns.

“We know the associations to violence and drugs, those other things that we don’t want in [a] community,” he said.

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