Episode overview

#303 Mel Chancey - Youngest President in Hells Angels History

Shawn Ryan Show · 11 May 2026 · 5 Egleze moments

What happened in this episode?

Host Sean Ryan sits down with Mel Chancey, the youngest president in Hells Angels history, who ran the Chicago chapter during one of the bloodiest biker wars in American history before finding Christianity in federal prison. Chancey provides a detailed chronological account beginning with his strict Catholic upbringing in suburban Chicago, where at 16 he was both expelled from school for assaulting the principal and became a father. He describes meeting Hell's Henchmen members at a gym, prospecting for the club, and becoming a full member at 20 before the chapter merged with the Hells Angels in 1994—a move that ignited a six-year war with the rival Outlaws motorcycle club. The conflict escalated from bar brawls with ball-peen hammers to highway shootings, bombings including a 100-pound C4 device (the third largest domestic bomb in U.S. history at the time), and multiple murders on both sides. Chancey reveals that undercover ATF agent Chris Bayless infiltrated the chapter through a member who knowingly vouched for him, attending meetings and feeding intelligence that interdicted planned attacks. Arrested on RICO charges in 2004, Chancey describes a spiritual conversion in his holding cell where he surrendered to God, ultimately serving 49 months and cooperating with prosecutors without implicating others. He explains his philosophy of 'full surrender' to Christ, contrasting his violent past with his current work running Core Medical Foundation, hosting the John 3:16 Devotional Team, and partnering with Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson and Jon Bernthal on an upcoming biopic. The interview includes extensive discussion of motorcycle club structure, the economics of the drug trade that funded his lifestyle, his simultaneous relationships with multiple women, and specific violent incidents including the removal of an unauthorized Hells Angels tattoo. Chancey closes with prayer and a mission statement that no one is too far gone for redemption, citing examples of former Pagans Sergeant at Arms members and other one-percenters who've reached out after hearing his testimony.

What are the key points?

Undercover ATF agent Chris Bayless prospected for the Rockford Hells Angels chapter with a full member's knowing approval, attending meetings and providing intelligence that stopped planned attacks during the Angels-Outlaws war.
The 1995 Chicago clubhouse bombing used 100 pounds of shaped C4 explosive, classified as the third largest domestic bomb in U.S. history after Oklahoma City and the 1993 World Trade Center, creating a 6-foot crater but miraculously killing no one.
Chancey became the youngest Hells Angels president in club history at age 24 during the height of a six-year war that included bombings, highway shootings, and murders, vastly outnumbered 5-to-1 by Outlaws forces.
He admitted to personally ordering and carrying out retaliatory violence including an assault on an Outlaws member's girlfriend after the rival gang broke the unwritten rule against targeting families.
Facing 20-plus years on 2004 RICO charges, Chancey experienced a jailhouse conversion surrendering his life to Christ, cooperating with prosecutors without implicating others and serving 49 months instead of decades.
He now runs Core Medical Foundation providing free testosterone replacement therapy to veterans and is developing a program with the VA to cover treatment, having raised over $160,000 for military causes.
Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson and Jon Bernthal are producing and starring in a biopic about Chancey's life with Seven Bucks Productions, with filming expected to begin by 2026 after nearly seven years in development.

Which topics are covered?

Crime & Justice Espionage Faith & Spirituality

How is this page sourced?

Programme: Shawn Ryan Show
Published: 11 May 2026
Original episode: Open the original source ↗

Egleze verifies the speaker, source and timestamp for each linked moment. Unless a moment is explicitly marked independently verified, statements remain attributed claims by the named speaker rather than established facts.

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5 moments from this episode

Source-linked · editorially selected

Crime & Justice

Youngest Ever Hells Angels President Made Member at Age 20 in Chicago

at 56:40 · Attributed speaker claim

I became a member. They made me a member. I was 20 turning 21. I was 20. And then they made me the Sergeant of Arms about a year later. Now I'm an officer for the club at 21 years old. Then made me the president when I was 24 years old.

Mel Chancey became a full-patch Hells Angels member in 1989 at age 20 after less than a year as a prospect, making him among the youngest in club history. Within a year he was promoted to Sergeant at Arms (chief enforcer) and by 24 became president of the Chicago chapter during the height of a violent territorial war with the Outlaws that involved bombings, shootings, and multiple murders. He held the role during the merger from Hell's Henchmen to Hells Angels.

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Crime & Justice

Youngest Hells Angels President Details Third Largest Bomb in US History Targeting Chicago Clubhouse

at 2:04:32 · Attributed speaker claim

They drove 100 pounds of C4 in a trunk of a car, shaped it, drove it up, put it against the door. They parked that car so nobody could get out that front big door. That thing went off. The feds said to this day it was the third largest bomb, the first one being Oklahoma City, the second one being the Trade Towers from the parking garage.

Mel Chancey described a 1995 bombing of the Chicago Hells Angels clubhouse involving 100 pounds of shaped C4 explosive. Federal agents classified it as the third largest domestic bomb at the time behind Oklahoma City and the 1993 World Trade Center attack. By fortune, no members were present despite several motorcycles outside. The blast created a 5-6 foot crater, blew the door through the back wall, cracked the foundation through three floors, and destroyed aluminum siding across the street.

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Crime & Justice

Former Hells Angels President Reveals ATF Agent Prospected Their Chapter During Bloody War

at 2:35:45 · Attributed speaker claim

Chris Bayless was prospecting for the Rockford Hells Angels. He knew Chris was the agent and brought him around and vouched for him. Grubb sat in the meetings. Anytime that Mel and the crew are coming here, Chris would know and Chris would leave. We were up kind of against more fronts we didn't even know about.

Mel Chancey revealed that undercover ATF agent Chris Bayless, who would later build the RICO case against him, infiltrated the Hells Angels through a full member named Grubb who knowingly vouched for the federal agent. Bayless attended meetings and fed intelligence that stopped multiple planned attacks, including highway interdictions that turned crews around before strikes. The infiltration lasted years during the height of the Angels-Outlaws war in the 1990s.

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Crime & Justice

Hells Angels Leader Confesses to Ordering Retaliatory Violence Including Assault on Woman

at 2:44:35 · Attributed speaker claim

That unwritten rule was like we saved it for the street. They beat up one of our guys' girlfriends that was a bartender. They walked into a bar and busted her nose. We didn't want to do it. The last thing I wanted to do was go sock up some girl but you brought us there and I was the one that wanted to do it and I was the one who did it. I did it to one of their girls.

Chancey admitted to personally carrying out a retaliation attack on an Outlaws member's girlfriend at a strip club after the rival gang assaulted a Hells Angels associate who worked as a bartender. He described the unwritten rule against targeting families being violated by both sides as the six-year war escalated beyond street confrontations into bombings and targeted killings. The confession illustrates how the conflict descended into attacks on civilians despite initial boundaries.

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Faith & Spirituality

Former Outlaw Biker Describes Jailhouse Conversion That Spared Him 20 Year RICO Sentence

at 3:41:26 · Attributed speaker claim

In that cell is where I really felt him speak to me. I felt this heaviness on my heart and that's what came up the women. I said okay I see I didn't give you that full surrender. I'm not going to ask get me out of here tomorrow Lord. I ended up doing that 49 months but in total peace.

Facing 20-plus years on federal RICO charges in 2005, Chancey described a spiritual awakening in his holding cell where he surrendered control over his life of womanizing to God. Rather than fighting the charges, he cooperated with prosecutors without implicating others, ultimately serving just over 4 years. He now runs Bible studies and credits the transformation with keeping him alive through a decade of motorcycle gang warfare where multiple associates were murdered.

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