 |
| Charles "Cash" Filteau |
| Charles Filteau was born in the mid 1950s. He, along with brothers Jacques and Claude, roared through the streets of Sherbrooke during the 1960s and 1970s, as members of the feared Gitans biker gang. Filteau was known as "Cash" to associates, supposedly because he pulled in a lot of money from his activities. He and the rest of the Gitans became Hells Angels on December 5, 1984, when the gang officially became the Sherbrooke Chapter for the international biker club. Since that day, the Sherbrooke Chapter has become, arguably, the richest and most powerful Hells Angels Chapter in the country. |
Filteau, who was the Sherbrooke group's first secretary-treasurer, was allegedly connected to the infamous North Chapter slaughter in 1985, when five Hells Angels were lured to the Sherbrooke Chapter's Lennoxville clubhouse and murdered. Filteau would be sentenced to three years for his role in the plot. In the mid 1990s, Filteau was among the Quebec delegation of Hells Angels that participated in the club's World Run. In the Hells Angels quest to set up shop in Ontario, Filteau and eight members of the Sherbrooke chapter marched into Toronto in September, 1997 for a meeting with the Para-Dice Riders. As the group approached the latter's clubhouse, police stopped one of their automobiles, a Cadillac driven by Hells Angel Sylvain Vachon. Trouble ensued and officers were soon surrounded by about 40 members of the Para-Dice Riders. Police called for back-up but calmer heads prevailed and Vachon was placed under arrest. According to police, Filteau and fellow Hells Angel Michel Fortier were called to an important meeting at the gang's Lennoxville clubhouse on February 18, 2000. For unknown reasons, both men were forced into leaving the club. The decision hit Filteau hard and he reportedly fell into a depression. At around 8:30 p.m. on March 16, less than a month after being forced into retirement, Filteau was found dead sitting inside his car in his garage. He had of carbon monoxide poisoning. He was 46 years old. The family held a small, private ceremony three days later. According to police, only a handful of Hells Angels, including Maurice "Mom" Boucher, were authorized by the family to attend the event. |