I don't by any means think that bikers are pussies, I just question his story.
It very well could be bullshit. I may be wrong, but that is a wiseguy type youtuve channel though, so him telling that story to gain viewers or loyalty makes no sense. It makes the opposite of sense.
In this day and age, any pussy asshole can be a wannabe mma fighter who trains, and might actually be pretty tough. Guy next to you at the diner. The nerd at the bus station. We have no clue.
Yet it's just unbelievable to think a few guys who are out riding motorcycles at up to 100 mph in city traffic couldn't beat up a couple Phil Leonettis and Junior Gottis at a chance encounter in a restaurant?
If it's true about the Pagans doing a nationwide expansion as well as working with LA Eme and the Latin Kings, as well as Mongols mc, we'll probably be seeing lots more Pagans busts and news articles.
Sounds like the same thing Doc Cavasos did as leader of the mongols before he got kicked out bad and went to prison, only on a much bigger scale.
Conan Richter began the so-called "Blue Wave"expansion upon taking the helm of the Pagans.
Among other things,he named a Hispanic man ("Zorro Nieves) as the Nat'l Vice President,which is a Mother Club level position. The expectation is that Zorro would be the liaison with street gangs,as well as smaller MC's, which are "patched over" to the Pagans. With Richter back in prison,the new acting President has continued this strategy.
The Mongols MC ( a primarily Hispanic club), is also aligning themselves with the Pagans.and the two clubs are opening chapters in each others territories. Many old school Pagans,as well as hardcore members are leaving the Club mainly for two reasons.
1) The club has never accepted or actively recruited Non-White members. 2) A lot of the smaller Hispanic clubs are not earning their patches by prospecting, but instead are getting them handed to them.
To be fair,a lot of Clubs that patch over,don't have to prospect, but this is usually seen among the 1% Clubs. The reasoning is that if you have earned your Diamond ,you are respected enough to be allowed to bypass the prospecting period for another Club.
I believe that the Pagans will continue the expansion, and we will see more violence as they do.
The real test is going to come if they start trying to make inroads in California. I don't see the Angels letting that happen.
This is just my opinion,but it seems like the major 1% Clubs are getting serious about going against the Angels. They are the top of the heap in the MC world,and I think some Clubs are tired of being second fiddle to them. Mind you,the Angels aren't going anywhere,and overall 'they will always be the best of the best,but I think some Clubs just want to chip away at them,and maybe take a bigger piece of their territories,and rackets.
I was hoping you'd chime in, Lou. I also saw it says Richter took over by force. Did you ever hear any details on that?
I heard there are some Pagans in Arizona now. If that's true it could kind of be their test run for California. Now that barger went back to California there is some speculation everybody is going to open up shop there and 81 will lose their grip on the state. Arizona, that is.
One thing that has surprised me over the years is how it sounds like since the 80s the Bandidos were the true overall powerhouse, but they stayed below the radar. They were apparently the ones back in the 80s (I think) that called 81 and the Outlaws together to establish some territory lines to curb problems. And neither club pushed back against them.
Also I'm sure I saw a story once that George Wegers son got roughed up in Sturgis one year by some Angels and Weger and crew went to the Angels and he basically picked Barger up off the ground by his collar in front of everyone and they took it.
The bikers could swallow the Mafia if they wanted to, but due to the mob's ability to corrupt and infiltrate the political and business world, it would be more beneficial to strike an alliance with them.
What do you guys think will happen in NYC with the Pagan's president killed there and no retaliation yet? What a hot spot to be in there they probably can't strike back yet without all going to prison but its kinda hard to push an offensive into new territories when your NYC is KIA by an 81 death squad and unavenged? Its not that they wouldn't strike back, we know they've got the shooters and commitment but for whatever reason they haven't yet...
I was hoping you'd chime in, Lou. I also saw it says Richter took over by force. Did you ever hear any details on that?
I heard there are some Pagans in Arizona now. If that's true it could kind of be their test run for California. Now that barger went back to California there is some speculation everybody is going to open up shop there and 81 will lose their grip on the state. Arizona, that is.
One thing that has surprised me over the years is how it sounds like since the 80s the Bandidos were the true overall powerhouse, but they stayed below the radar. They were apparently the ones back in the 80s (I think) that called 81 and the Outlaws together to establish some territory lines to curb problems. And neither club pushed back against them.
Also I'm sure I saw a story once that George Wegers son got roughed up in Sturgis one year by some Angels and Weger and crew went to the Angels and he basically picked Barger up off the ground by his collar in front of everyone and they took it.
It's a bit convoluted,but here are the broad strokes of the Richter/Katona saga
Conan pushed Michael Trone out of the top seat in 2017 Trone,was Sergeant-at Arms under former Pres David Barbeito. In June 2003, Trone and Barbeito went to St. Albans WV and forced the chapter brass to surrender their colors. Trone pleaded no contest to kidnapping charges and got five years suspended sentence Black Bart was indicted for racketeering in 2009, convicted and stepped down as Pres. Katona succeeded Trone as Sergeant at Arms, then became boss for two years until he was nailed in 2011 on drug and weapons charges. A guy named James (Jersey Jim) Coles became boss with the understanding that it was a temporary arrangement, and was really an acting Boss .Trone took over in 2013. Richter by then had finished his Racketeering and attempted murder sentence and was back on the scene. After Trone stepped down, Richter was voted in by the membership as the Pagan’s new national president..
Rooster, by then was still a Member,but didn't hold any rank,due to his drug case and ongoing legal (and newsworthy) battles. Upon Richter taking power, Rooster, who really didn’t like the direction that Conan was taking the Pagans started his own Club, the Sutars Soldiers. He also was very upset that other Pagan’s snitched on him in his drug case. He took a few other old school guys with him.. After he left, Conan declared him “out bad”. There is no love lost between the two. If you check out the Sutarssoldiersmc Facebook page, and go back in the archives, you can find some of Roosters more interesting comments about Mr. Richter.
Once these relationships with the Latin kings and Mexican mafia are solidly on the record, these guys are all fucked. They are all gonna get Rico'd up the ass left and right.
No jury in this country is gonna believe they're anything other than a malicious criminal organization. When pictures of co-conspirators are Mexicans covered in face tattoos with the kinds of records those guys have? Game over.
This whole thing is literally a prosecutor's wet dream.
It also makes you wonder about younger guys following this plan. Richter will be 65 when he gets out this time. They're following an old guy on his final winds over a cliff. An interview with Richter would be fascinating though.
It all just seems, literally, like a plan to destroy the Pagans. Of course, I could be completely wrong.
You make some good points Alice. Although it is not unusual for 1% Clubs to absorb and patch over other smaller MC's, lining up with established OC groups is a whole "nother ball game. I would guess that if they are 1/2 smart,they'll conduct their activities the same way they do with some of the Italian mob Families,i.e. trading of favors,and exchanging pieces of rackets back and forth.etc.
Having said that,(and I'm not trying to be funny) Richter is on the way to becoming the John Gotti of the 1%er biker world. A lot of the regular rank and file Pagans are absolutely fine with Richter,and look at him as preserving the Pagan legacy.
One thing to bear in mind is that the Pagans have always been content with having the "most violent gang" crown. Compared to the other big Clubs,they are low income generators,have no significant presence or businesses outside of the US,and still rely heavily on the basic rackets,like Meth,Strip Clubs,Strong arm stuff,bike thefts,small time extortion,etc. It's almost a badge of honor to say "'We're not the richest gang,but we're the baddest".
Richter is the prototype of the old school,hardcore biker,and the membership loves him.
The Pagans always were the most prominent MC Club on Long Island. In recent years the HA are giving them a run for their money. But decades ago the HA were strong in Lower Manhattan where they owned a building that housed their clubhouse, and the Pagans had representation in Queens and especially out in Suffolk County.
Aside from their main bases in PA, NJ, MD, etc. They were always a northeastern corridor club. They weren't elsewhere like Florida, midwest, etc.
You make some good points Alice. Although it is not unusual for 1% Clubs to absorb and patch over other smaller MC's, lining up with established OC groups is a whole "nother ball game. I would guess that if they are 1/2 smart,they'll conduct their activities the same way they do with some of the Italian mob Families,i.e. trading of favors,and exchanging pieces of rackets back and forth.etc.
Having said that,(and I'm not trying to be funny) Richter is on the way to becoming the John Gotti of the 1%er biker world. A lot of the regular rank and file Pagans are absolutely fine with Richter,and look at him as preserving the Pagan legacy.
One thing to bear in mind is that the Pagans have always been content with having the "most violent gang" crown. Compared to the other big Clubs,they are low income generators,have no significant presence or businesses outside of the US,and still rely heavily on the basic rackets,like Meth,Strip Clubs,Strong arm stuff,bike thefts,small time extortion,etc. It's almost a badge of honor to say "'We're not the richest gang,but we're the baddest".
Richter is the prototype of the old school,hardcore biker,and the membership loves him.
That one article compared him to Taco Bowman as well. I've never seen anyone in writing compared to Bowman so that's saying something.
If the Taco Bowman murder contract via the Detroit Arm is to be believed, it should also register with the reader someone on the Outlaws side was conniving. LCN would never make such a move independently.
when the bikers in that supposed fight are the ages of the guys they fought, and they get into a fight with guys way younger, it will be them on the losing end of the fight. I am assuming these restaurant men were older.
I had an encounter back in the day with the Pagans in a bar in L.I.
I only went to this joint to support a friends band and the Pagans were the bouncers...
One idiot tried to make a big deal that my hand wasn't stamped...Imagine getting stabbed because your hand wasn't stamped ?? The other guys backed him off
Motorcycle gang member arrested on drug, weapon charges in Monroe County MONROE COUNTY, Fla. – A 26-year-old Key West man who is affiliated with the Pagan’s motorcycle gang was arrested Thursday on firearm and drug charges, authorities confirmed. According to Monroe County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Adam Linhardt, Austin Christopher Reynolds is the second person with ties to the group to be arrested by the Sheriff’s Office in a week. Reynolds was taken into custody Thursday following a traffic stop. According to Linhardt, Reynolds initially fled from a deputy who was patrolling Stock Island when he spotted Reynolds just before 5:15 p.m. on U.S. 1. Linhardt said the deputy knew Reynolds from previous encounters and knew that he had a suspended driver’s license. The deputy was unable to keep up with Reynolds’ motorcycle, but he and another deputy searched the area and later found Reynolds near Fifth Avenue and Balido Street, authorities said. According to Linhardt, the deputies detained Reynolds and found about two grams of cocaine and a large knife in his possession. They said a .45-caliber pistol was found nearby in the grass, and a witness told them they saw Reynolds throw away the gun as he was fleeing from them Reynolds was arrested on charges of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, possession of cocaine, fleeing and eluding, evidence tampering, reckless driving and knowingly driving with a suspended license. “The Sheriff’s Office remains vigilant in holding all criminals in our community accountable as this case shows,” Sheriff Rick Ramsay said in a statement Friday. “I want to thank the Deputies involved for their great work in this arrest.” Linhardt said Reynolds has a prior felony drug conviction from 2016 out of Georgia. He said Reynolds’ fellow gang member, Justin August Meyer, 31, of Key West, was arrested on Jan. 27 following a search warrant of his Staples Avenue home. About 12 grams of cocaine were found inside his home, along with an AR-15 pistol, a 9mm pistol, 140 rounds of ammunition, $3,310 in suspected drug sales and a digital scale, Linhardt said. Meyer was arrested on charges of possession of cocaine, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of ammunition by a convicted felon and possession of drug paraphernalia. A Pagan’s gang member was also arrested in 2019 in Monroe County for allegedly making threats on Facebook. Linhardt said in that incident, Adam Matthew Miller, 42, of Big Pine Key, posted a photo of himself holding a knife and captioning the picture: “Support Pagan’s MC or else! Support or life support! Sons of the Fire God coming to a neighborhood near you!”
So after outrunning the cops he didn't ditch his coke and picked up a charge for about 2 grams? What is that like $100-150 worth? Ok.
Some of the charges these fucking DA's come up with out to be outright illegal. Felony possession of a gun, ok. But then a second charge possession of a weapon for the same gun. When I was young I got three disorderly conducts for the same incident. Of course two were immediately dropped in court but it's such bullshit. And then they wonder why the public has animosity towards police and the system.
That last part, a guy got arrested for a fucking picture? Remind me never to go to Florida wtf?
Back in the '80's it was all Outlaws in Fl. with the Warlocks around Orlando and the east coast. Last twenty or thirty years there's been an increase in Pagans, especially on the west coast between Ft. Myers and Tampa, I read they have a chapter in Pasco county.
Pagans in Florida? I always heard that Florida was Outlaws all the way. Even though the club started in Illinois, Florida is to Outlaws what California is the Hells Angels.
3rd person with ties to motorcycle gang arrested, deputies say A third person with ties to a motorcycle gang has been arrested, according to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies took into custody 29-year-old Ryan Alan St. Clair of DeLand, who was arrested for firearms and drug-related violations, deputies said. St. Clair is affiliated with the Pagan’s motorcycle gang. St. Clair was charged with carrying a concealed weapon without a license, possession of cocaine, possession of marijuana and possession of a controlled substance without a prescription. A deputy responded to the Bahia Honda Bridge at approximately 7 a.m. regarding a call of a suspicious person under the bridge. St. Clair was found with two knives visible on his hip. St. Clair was wearing a Pagan’s sweatshirt and ball cap, but had no motorcycle and was alone. St. Clair stated he had an argument with his girlfriend and slept there overnight. The following were found in St. Clair’s possession following a search: Two knives, a 9mm handgun, a stun gun, two grams of cocaine, four grams of a crystal-like white powder that St. Clair identified as “Molly,” and eight grams of marijuana. St. Clair was taken to jail. • Deputies previously arrested Pagan’s member Austin Christopher Reynolds, 26, of Key West on Feb. 3 after fleeing from a Deputy on U.S. 1 on Stock Island. Reynolds was charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of a weapon (a large knife) by a convicted felon, possession of cocaine, fleeing and eluding, evidence tampering, reckless driving and knowingly driving with a suspended license. • Deputies previously arrested Pagan’s member Justin August Meyer, 31, of Key West on Jan. 27 following a search warrant of his Staples Avenue home. Meyer was charged with possession of cocaine, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of ammunition by a convicted felon and possession of drug paraphernalia. About 12 grams of cocaine, an AR-15 pistol, a 9mm pistol, 140 rounds of ammunition, $3,310 in suspected drug sales and a digital scale were found in the residence.
