Three men associated with the Gypsy Joker Motorcycle Club have been charged by a federal grand jury for kidnapping, torturing, and murdering a former Portland member of the club in 2015.

Mark Dencklau, Earl Fisher, and Tiler Pribbernow—all residents of the Portland metro region—were initially indicted by a Multnomah County grad jury in 2016. The indictment followed an investigation into the death of Robert Huggins, a Portland man who had been a member of the Gypsy Jokers until he was accused of stealing money from the club in 2014. Shortly after his excommunication, Huggins burglarized the home of the club's president. This allegedly prompted Dencklau, Fisher, and Pribbernow to kidnap Huggins from his Northeast Portland home, drive him to Washington, torture him extensively, and leave him to die in a rural field.

According to detective testimony, Huggins was discovered with a fractured skull, a broken rib, a broken leg and a removed nipple.

The three men have been held in Multnomah County Detention Center awaiting trial since their 2016 arrest. But instead of letting this case play out in the county courts, it appears the US Department of Justice intervened—probably because the charges cross state lines. This new federal indictment means the men will (probably) be crossing Lownsdale Square to have their case heard in Portland's federal courthouse. Each man faces four federal charges.

“This indictment is an important step toward dismantling this violent gang, and should send a clear message that the Department of Justice will bring to justice those who commit such heinous crimes on our streets," said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General John Cronan in a press release.