Pagans MC (Motorcycle Club)
OnePercenterBikers
pagans-mc-logo-700x350
Pagans Motorcycle Club are one of the big 4 one percenter motorcycle clubs, along with the Hells Angels MC, Bandidos MC and Outlaws MC.

Unlike other motorcycle clubs such as the Hells Angels MC and Bandidos MC, the Pagans MC website shares little information about the club, in fact, the Pagans MC website is merely a shell for advertising events and doesn’t provide any history about the club or the locations where they are active, so information must instead be sourced from a number of other places. It is this cloud of mystery that the club most likely wants to grow, as it is also makes it harder for law enforcement to identify their size and locations.

Pagans Motorcycle Club Founding / Pagans MC History

The Pagans Motorcycle Club was founded in 1959 by Lou Dobkin in Prince George’s County which is located in Maryland, USA. When first founded they consisted of only 13 members.

When first founded the Pagans could usually be seen wearing blue denim jackets and riding Triumph motorcycles, however by the mid 1960’s this had changed and they had transformed to be more in line with the other one percenter motorcycle clubs riding Harley Davidson motorcycles and wearing more common one percenter attire.

Pagans Motorcycle Club Logo / Pagans MC Patches

The Pagans MC Patch is made up of the Norse fire-giant Surtr who is sitting on the sun and holding a sword.

Pagans MC members do not wear a bottom rocker, which usually would display the location of their chapter. This is said to have been done so that the police and other law enforcement agencies will not know which area the Pagans member has come from.

Some of the common other patches that may be seen on members include the following numbers:

Number 4: The motto “Live and die”.
Number 5: The Nazi SS motto.
Number 7: An “In memory” patch.

Many Pagans Motorcycle Club members also wear Nazi and other white supremacist patches and common tattoos including “ARGO” (standing for “Ar Go Fuck Yourself”) and “NUNYA” (standing for “Nun ‘Ya Fuckin’ Business”).

Pagans MC Motto

The Pagans often wear the number 4 patch, which signifies the motto “Live and Die”, so many people see this as a semi-official Pagans MC Motto.


A significant amount of the growth of the Pagans Motorcycle Club chapters can be attributed to their merging with smaller clubs.

Their biggest presence is on the East Coast of the USA, with a total of over 40 chapters. The main hubs for chapters are the following areas:

Pagans MC Delaware
Pagans MC Florida
Pagans MC Maryland
Pagans MC New Jersey
Pagans MC North Carolina
Pagans MC Pennsylvania
Pagans MC Virginia
Pagans MC West Virginia
Rumours exist of Pagans MC France, Pagans MC Sweden and Pagans MC Europe chapters, however no hard evidence exists to prove that this is the case. These areas are heavily held by other motorcycle clubs including the Hells Angels MC.

The Pagans Motorcycle Club Headquarters are in Delaware County, Pennsylvania.

Pagans MC Clubhouse Indian River County Florida

Like most information about the club, details are somewhat vague. The above image of the “clubhouse” in Indian River County, which is located in Florida, is the only image that could be found of any of the Pagan’s Motorcycle Club Clubhouses. This is in stark contrast to almost all of the other big 4 clubs including the Hells Angels and Outlaws MC, who have large plaques outside of their clubhouses, which makes them much easier to identify.

Famous Pagans MC Members

Lou Dobkin – Pagans MC Founder

Lou Dobkin founded the Pagans Motorcycle Club in 1959. Lou Dobkin served in the Navy as a medic before being honourably discharged.

John “Satan” Marron – Former Pagans Motorcycle Club Leader

John Marron, also known as Satan Marron, led the club during the 1970’s and steered their direction towards higher levels of crime.

Pagans MC Support Clubs

The Sons of Satan MC are one of the known Pagans MC Support Clubs. The club at one point was run by John “Satan” Marron, who later went on to become the Pagans National President.
Thunderbirds MC, which is a Baltimore based black motorcycle club, is also one of the Pagans MC Support Clubs. This is rather unusual as it is a black motorcycle club in support of a predominately white motorcycle club.
Pagans MC Enemies and Allies

Pagans MC Enemies:

Hells Angels. The Pagans MC biggest enemies are known to be the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club, due to fights over territory in some areas.
Demon Knights MC are enemies, they are a support club of the Hells Angels.
Fates Assembly are also known to be Pagans MC Enemies, however this club have also combined with the Hells Angels MC, so they can almost fall into the point above about the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club. The same can also be said for other Hells Angels MC supporter clubs including the Tri-County MC which is mentioned later in this article, where a fight broke out and members of the Pagans were killed.
Pagans MC Enemies Hells Angels
Pagans MC Enemies Hells Angels
The Breed MC are a known enemy of the Pagans in the North East area of the USA.
Avengers MC are enemies in the Midwest.
Road Disciples are enemies.
Pagans MC Allies:

Thunderguards MC are a close ally.
Tribe MC are a close ally.
Mongols MC are allies.
Sons of Satan MC are allies (Pagans support club).
Pagans Motorcycle Club In The Media / Pagans MC Crime

1991 – 28 May, 1991. There is a fight outside a bar in Baltimore between Fates Assembly Motorcycle Club and the Pagans MC. One member of the Pagans, Mike Massaro, is killed and two members of Fates Assembly are injured.

1991 – 26 July, 1991. Members of Fates Assembly Motorcycle Club are waiting for the Pagans Motorcycle Club at the Woodbridge Inn in Woodbridge, Virginia, where the Pagans were expected to be attending a party. Upon noticing Pagans member Kirby Gallaghan entering the carpark in his truck Fates Assembly members Richard “Wolf” Capote and Melvin Payne begin following him in a van. The two men shoot into the van driven by Kirby Gallaghan, however miss. Kirby Gallaghan returns returns fire, hitting Richard Capote in the head, killing him. The funeral for Richard Capote is held on 27 July, 1991 and shortly after war is declared on the Pagans.

1991 – August, 1991. Fates Assembly members throw a hand grenade into the house of Pagans MC member Kirby Gallaghan (the shooter on 26 July), however the grenade does not explode.

1991 – August, 1991. Members of Fates Assembly plan multiple ambushes on Pagans members armed with pipe bombs and rifles, however the ambushes are unsuccessful.

1991 – 12 September, 1991. A remote control bomb is constructed by Fates Assembly. The bomb is placed on a vehicle driven by members of the Pagans and explodes. Nobody is seriously harmed, although the explosion causes damage to the vehicle including blowing off a wheel and the gas tank.

1991 – 4 October, 1991. A bomb is constructed and Fates Assembly members George “Pit Bull” Hughes, Robert Paris and Melvin Payne drive to the house of Kirby Gallaghan (the shooter on 26 July) and attach it to a vehicle owned by a roommate. The vehicle is driven to Kirby Gallaghan’s workplace in an industrial complex in Fairfax County, however fails to explode. The Fates Assembly members retrieve the unexploded bomb and decide to attempt the attack again. Later they return and attempt to reattach the bomb, however it explodes, killing Fates Assembly member George Hughes and injuring Robert Paris and Melvin Payne.

1994 – Pagans MC Jersey – July 17th, 1994. 8 members of the Pagans Motorcycle Club showed up to an event of the Tri-County Motorcycle Club. A fight erupted and 2 Pagans Motorcycle Club members were shot dead, with more injured. It is believed that Pagans MC attended the event to intimidate the Tri-County MC who were allies with the Hells Angels MC.

2005 – Pagans MC Philadelphia – 2005. Pagans members shot to death the Hells Angels Vice-President of the Hells Angels Philadelphia chapter as he was driving along the Schuylkill Expressway in his truck. The Hells Angels MC Philadelphia Chapter closed not long after this incident.

2009 – October, 2009. National Leaders of the Pagans as well as over 50 members and associates are indicted on planning to kill and extort rival outlaw motorcycle clubs. Included in the indictment are Pagans President David Keith “Bart” Barbeito and National Vice President Floyd B. “Jesse” Moore. Also named are members and associates in West Virginia, Kentucky, Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Delaware and Florida. One of the main charges in the 44 count indictment are that David Barbeito and Floyd Moore conspired to kill an inmate suspected of cooperating with law enforcement. Floyd Moore is also charged with conspiring to murder a chapter President from Avengers MC, although this killing did not proceed.

2010 – Pagans MC New York – September, 2010. 19 Pagans members were arrested for conspiring to murder members of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club. Agents from the ATF agency infiltrated the Pagans and rose to roles as high as Sergeant-At-Arms in order to gather the evidence required to bring these charges.

2011 – June, 2011, Dennis “Rooster” Katona, the former Pagans Motorcycle Club National Leader is charged and convicted of drug offences. A police raid of his home found over 84 grams of cocaine and almost 100 grams of meth with a total street value of $20,000. In 2014 he was sentenced to 40-80 months in prison, which he later appealed in 2015 on the grounds that the grounds for the search warrant were illegal.

Pagans MC President Dennis Rooster Katona
Pagans MC President Dennis Rooster Katona
2015 – 17 October, 2015. Suffolk County Police make 11 arrests of members of the Pagans MC, Dirty Ones MC, Steel Wheels MC, Black Sheep MC and Armored Saints MC in Lindenhurst, Long Island, New York at a fundraiser event being held by the Pagans Motorcycle Club at Duffy’s Ale House. Five handguns, a rifle, a shotgun, marijuana, cocaine, crystal meth, a billy club and three vehicles are seized. Those arrested were:

Pagans MC – Michael John Parnsip – Two counts of Criminal Possession of Controlled Substance 4th Degree, three counts of Criminal Possession of Controlled Substance 7th Degree for possessing crystal meth, cocaine, and morphine.
Pagans MC – Jason Lucian Craft – One count of Criminal Possession of Controlled Substance 4th Degree and three counts of Criminal Possession of Controlled Substance 7th Degree for possessing crystal meth, cocaine, and morphine.
Pagans MC – Boudewijn Rob – Two counts of Criminal Possession of a Weapon 2nd Degree for possessing two loaded firearms.
Pagans MC – Kenneth Reynolds – Two counts of Criminal Possession of a Weapon 2nd Degree for possessing two loaded firearms.
Pagans MC – Adam Sockriter – One count of Criminal Possession of a Weapon 2nd Degree for possessing a loaded firearm and two counts of Criminal Possession of Controlled Substance 7th Degree for possessing crystal meth.
Pagans MC – Todd Hathaway – One count of Criminal Possession of a Weapon 2nd Degree for possessing a loaded firearm and one count of Criminal Possession of Controlled Substance 7th Degree for possessing crystal meth.
Dirty Ones MC – Julio Rosa – Criminal Possession of Marijuana 5th Degree.
Dirty Ones MC – Manuel Tull – Criminal Possession of Marijuana 5th Degree.
Steel Wheels MC – Edward Otto – Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance 7th Degree for possessing cocaine.
Black Sheep MC – Mark Harmon – Criminal Possession of Controlled Substance 7th Degree for possessing cocaine.
Armored Saints MC – Eneldo Rivera – Criminal Possession of a Weapon 4th Degree for possessing a billy club.
Pagans MC Duffys Ale House Long Island New York
Pagans MC Duffys Ale House Long Island New York
2016 – 2 December, 2016. The Pennsylvania Court of Appeals find in favour of Dennis “Rooster” Katona in his appeal against his 2011 drug offence charges.

2017 – 17 February, 2017. Pagans MC members Joseph Mitchell and Patrick Treacy are sentenced to 20 years in prison for their involvement in a drug operation. Together with Pagans associate Joseph Mehl a.k.a “Joseph Montanero” and osteopathic medicine doctor William O’Brien the group had arranged for recruited patients to receive hundreds of prescriptions for restricted drugs including oxycodone, which were then sold on the streets for significant profit. The investigation showed that from March 2012 to January 2015, more than 700,000 pills containing oxycodone and other Schedule II controlled substances were distributed by members of the conspiracy. William O’Brien had earlier been sentenced on 5 October, 2016 to 30 years in prison and on 16 October, 2016 Pagans MC member Joseph Mitchell was sentenced to 9 years prison and on 24 August, 2017 Pagans associate Joseph Mehl is sentenced to 180
months prison for his involvement.

2018 – 23 May, 2018. Rhode Island State Police announce that 49 people related to the Pagans Motorcycle Club and Kryptmen Motorcycle Club have been arrested as part of a year-long police investigation which had been named Operation Patched Out. Members of the groups were believed to have been involved in gun and drug trafficking, large scale agricultural equipment theft and other crimes. Included in those arrested was Jason Oliver, who is believed to be in the leadership group of the Massachusetts Pagans MC. Police had performed wire taps, monitored text messages and performed other electronic surveillance before raids were performed on several properties beginning at 4am, mainly around the Rhode Island area. 53 illegal guns and drugs including a large amount of heroin were found during the raids.

Pagans MC Books & Media

Pagans MC on YouTube

A compilation of various short clips showing members of the Pagans riding:

Pagans Book – Riding on the Edge: A Motorcycle Outlaw’s Tale by John Hall. Starting from the 1960s, where John Hall was the Pagans Long Island President. Find out more on Amazon (link opens in a new window).

Pagans MC Book Riding on the Edge A Motorcycle Outlaws Tale John Hall
Pagans MC Book Riding on the Edge A Motorcycle Outlaws Tale John Hall
Pagans Book – Jersey Tough by Wayne “Big Chuck” Bradshaw

Wayne Bradshaw was a member of the Pagans in the late 1970s before leaving to join the Middletown New Jersey Police Department where he had a 20 year career. Find out more on Amazon (link opens in a new tab).

Pagans Book Jersey Tough Wayne Big Chuck Bradshaw
Pagans Book Jersey Tough Wayne Big Chuck Bradshaw
Read More:

List of One Percenter Motorcycle Clubs
What is a one percenter motorcycle club?
Hells Angels MC
Bandidos MC
Outlaws MC
Famous Hells Angels Members
Outlaw Motorcycle Club Books
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Changing of the Guard for the Pagans MC. Sources: “Conan”out, “Big Bob” in, as New National President

Post author:?dave.schratwieser?August 6, 2021

Sources tell Mobtalksitdown.com there’s been a changing of the guard within the Pagans MC in recent weeks after National President Keith “Conan” Richter decided to step aside and Robert Francis, aka “Big Bob”, stepped in to fill the leadership void in the troubled outlaw motorcycle club.

Richter, who spearheaded a widespread expansion of the club known as “The Blue Wave”, plead guilty last week to being a felon in possession of a gun after facing federal gun charges in New Jersey. Richter is facing a possible 10 year sentence, but is expected to serve 2 years, nine months, according to federal authorities.

Sources tell Mobtalksitdown.com that “Big Bob” and an entourage of Pagans from Virginia made two appearances in New Jersey last month, one at a Pagans event in Atlantic City, the other at a funeral in Linden.

Richter has already served a 16 year sentence for conspiracy to commit murder. He was arrested on the latest charges back in February after an SUV he was riding in was stopped by federal and local authorities as it crossed state lines from Pennsylvania to New Jersey. Police discovered a hidden compartment containing a loaded handgun. Richter and a fellow Pagan were released and sent on their way, but several days later Richter was charged by federal authorities in Newark, New Jersey.

Sources say Richter had just left a meeting of the Pagan hierarchy in Lancaster, Pa. and was headed to his Bayshore, Long Island home when the pair was pulled over. According to biker experts and insiders, there is widespread thinking among club members that Conan was betrayed by someone within the Pagans who knew about Richter carrying a gun to the Pennsylvania meeting.

Biker world sources also tell Mobtalksitdown.com that there were some high ranking Pagans upset with Richter’s tactics while increasing the ranks of the Pagans by the hundreds in recent years. There were indications that some new members bought their way into the club with cash. There were also reports that some new members were not required to serve a probationary period before being granted full membership, as was the Pagans policy in years past.

The Pagans in New Jersey have been under fire from federal authorities in the past year with 11 members being charged in a variety of cases, some involving violence committed against other Outlaw Motorcycle clubs and their own associates.

The president of the Bronx, New York chapter of the Pagans, Francisco Rosado, was also gunned down execution style in May 2020 by a pair of hitmen in a brazen broad daylight hit. The murder came after someone opened fire at the new Bronx headquarters of the Hells Angels. Some believe the move was in retaliation for the clubhouse shooting.

Authorities say two Hells Angels members, Frank “Loose Cannon” Tatulli and Sayanon Thongthawath, were arrested a year ago for the murder of Rosado. The entire hit was caught on video by a nearby surveillance camera. It showed the two masked gunmen exit a Jeep armed with weapons equipped with silencers and open fire on Rosado and another Pagan member, who was wounded. The two gunmen jumped back in the SUV and fled the scene while horrified neighbors looked on.

Police sources say there has been no retaliation by the Pagans for the Rosado hit.

Now sources say Richter has been replaced as President, at least on an interim basis, by Robert “Big Bob” Francis who lives in Virginia. Francis, an imposing figure much like Conan, proudly wears a patch on his Pagans colors indicating he was one of 73 Pagans members arrested on Long Island back in 2002 at the so called “Hellraisers Ball”.

One man was killed, three others were wounded at that Long Island brawl between the Pagans and the Hells Angels. It was supposed to be a tattoo and motorcycle show before it turned violent and bullets started flying. It was attended by more than 1,000 people. Police said baseball bats, knives, clubs and guns were confiscated.

Insiders tell Mobtalksitdown.com that “Big Bob” is well respected within the Pagans MC and will most likely assume a much more low profile stance as the new leader.

Some other changes in Pagans leadership, including at least one in the Philadelphia chapter, have occurred since Richter’s arrest. No details have been disclosed as to the Pagans involved in those changes.

A wild bar brawl in Pittsburgh between undercover cops and members of the Pagans Motorcycle Club in 2018 will finally be reviewed in court now that a civil suit brought by the bikers has been approved by a federal judge.

The Pagans are accusing the police of excessive force, false imprisonment, and malicious prosecution after a confrontation in a bar suddenly degenerated into violence – allegedly caused by police officers who had been drinking for hours.

“We’re ecstatic. We cannot wait to bring this case to trial. I think that if people pay attention that they will be enlightened during the course of the trial,” Marty Dietz, an attorney representing the Plaintiffs, told WPXI.

The city wanted the lawsuit shut down, and argued for its dismissal. However, surveillance footage that captured the brawl convinced a federal judge that the bikers had a point.

For a comprehensive account of the original incident, you can Google Pagans Kopy's bar.
Kopy's is a dive bar here in the area we refer to as Southside.
It's much more info than I can type here.

LEO really screwed the pooch on this one.

Here was a significant NJ pinch they took...


Eleven Members of the Pagan’s Motorcycle Club Charged

NEWARK, N.J. – Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New Jersey Division Susan A. Gibson, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Toby C. Taylor, Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police Colonel Patrick J. Callahan, Acting Union County Prosecutor Lyndsay V. Ruotolo, and Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey Rachael A. Honig announced two high-ranking members of the Pagan’s Motorcycle Club were arrested today for assault in aid of racketeering.

Luis Arocho, aka “LuRoc,” 43, of Keansburg, New Jersey, and Maurice Guzman, aka “Dawg,” 51, of Newark, are charged by complaint with one count of aggravated assault in aid of racketeering. They are scheduled to appear by videoconference today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Leda Dunn Wettre.

“This investigation has dealt a significant blow to the Pagans motorcycle gang,” Special Agent in Charge of the DEA’s New Jersey Division Susan A. Gibson said. “The use of violence, weapons, and intimidation was standard for this criminal organization, and law enforcement made it clear that their behavior would not be tolerated. It is a bad day for the Pagan’s when the combined forces of DEA, ATF, New Jersey State Police and Union County detectives come after you. These arrests made New Jersey safer and this investigation demonstrated the determination of DEA and our amazing partners to pursue the most violent criminal gangs who choose to violate the law.”

“Today’s arrests are the latest in a long-running investigation into the illegal activities of the Pagan’s Motorcycle Club,” Acting U.S. Attorney Honig said. “We have now charged 11 members of this outlaw gang with various weapons, drug-trafficking and violent crimes. Together with our federal, state, and local partners, we remain fully committed to combatting violent crime in New Jersey and prosecuting the members of the criminal organizations who are responsible for it.”

“I can say without question that our collective efforts have disrupted and dismantled the daily illegal activities of the Pagan’s outlaw motorcycle gang, by strategically removing their most violent and most egregious firearm and drug trafficking members and associates,” ATF Newark Field Division Acting Special Agent in Charge Toby C. Taylor said. “This collaborative investigation will undoubtedly make communities safer throughout our state and beyond.”

“The success and scale of this investigation is a testament to the impact a collaboration between law enforcement agencies can have on the safety and security of our communities,” Acting Union County Prosecutor Lyndsay V. Ruotolo said. “Thanks to the hard work and dedication of investigators and prosecutors in this long-term effort, which occurred during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, dangerous actors, along with mass quantities of narcotics and firearms, have been removed from our streets.”

“Long-term operations of this magnitude require a tremendous amount of work and patience by cooperating detectives, and while the full scope and impact of this investigation may yet be fully realized, its success continues a year after it began,” Col. Patrick J. Callahan, Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police, said. “I commend the hard work and dedication of all the agencies involved. Their efforts have led to the arrests of violent offenders and the seizure of weapons and drugs, which has undoubtedly made our communities safer.”

On April 24, 2018, Arocho, Guzman, and other associates of the Pagans assaulted an associate of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club at a gas station in Newark. The Pagan’s and the Hells Angels have a long-standing rivalry. The victim was beaten with an axe handle, punched, and kicked by the Pagan’s assailants, resulting in significant injuries. Both Arocho and Guzman are high-ranking leaders in the Pagans’ organization.

Acting U.S. Attorney Honig also announced that a federal grand jury returned an indictment today charging Nicholas Bucciarelli, aka “Booch,” 56, of Brooklawn, New Jersey, with aggravated assault in aid of racketeering, brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, and possession of firearms by a convicted felon, arising from his commission of a gang-related gunpoint assault in which an associate of the Pagan’s was assaulted for breaking the organization’s rules. Nicholas Marino, aka “Lefty,” 75, of Williamstown, New Jersey, Anthony D’Alessandro, aka “Fugit,” 55, of Williamstown, New Jersey, and Michael Dorazo, aka “Cage,” 42, of Gloucester City, New Jersey, were previously charged by federal criminal complaint for their roles in the assault. At the time of their arrests, Bucciarelli was the sergeant at arms for the Pagan’s Camden County membership chapter, Marino and D’Alessandro served as the president and sergeant at arms, respectively, for the Pagan’s Gloucester County membership chapter, and Dorazo was a member of the Pagan’s. Bucciarelli was also indicted for distributing five grams or more of methamphetamine.

These charges were filed as part of a multi-agency investigation into the Pagan’s Motorcycle Club – an outlaw motorcycle gang known to engage in illegal activity, including narcotics trafficking, weapons trafficking, and violent crimes. The Pagan’s have established membership chapters in numerous states and U.S. territories, including multiple active chapters in New Jersey. This investigation involved court-authorized wiretaps, the use of multiple undercover law enforcement agents, and execution of multiple search warrants at physical locations in multiple jurisdictions. Through the investigation, law enforcement seized 10 firearms and more than 800 grams of methamphetamine.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office previously announced the arrest of Keith Richter , aka “Conan” – the national president of the Pagan’s – in connection with his illegal possession of a firearm on Feb. 20, 2021. Those charges remain pending.

Law enforcement officials also previously arrested the following individuals in connection with the investigation. (Each of the defendants is charged by federal criminal complaint; the specific charges and corresponding penalties are listed in the chart below.)
Larry Ortiz, aka “Savage,” 31, of Elizabeth, New Jersey, and Junius Aquino, aka “Jayo,” 38, of Vauxhall, New Jersey, were charged with aggravated assault in aid of racketeering and discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence for their roles in a gang-related shooting. On Oct. 28, 2020, Ortiz and Aquino shot at an associate of a rival gang while driving on the New Jersey Turnpike. The shooting was committed as part of an ongoing dispute between the Pagan’s and the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club.

Aquino was also charged in a separate criminal complaint with possession of ammunition by a convicted felon in connection with a shooting that occurred three days later. On Oct. 31, 2020, Aquino shot at an occupied vehicle in Elizabeth. Law enforcement officers recovered seven .40 caliber shell casings from the shooting scene. On Nov. 5, 2020, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Aquino’s residence and recovered, among other items, multiple .40 caliber rounds of ammunition and approximately 50 grams of cocaine. After law enforcement officers recovered the cocaine from Aquino’s residence, Aquino was charged with possession with intent to distribute cocaine. At the time of Aquino’s arrest, he was the vice president of the Pagan’s Elizabeth membership chapter.
Ortiz was also charged with possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. On Nov. 17, 2020, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Ortiz’s residence and recovered approximately 300 grams of methamphetamine and a loaded firearm. At the time of his arrest, Ortiz was the president of the Pagan’s Jersey City membership chapter.

Daniel Hooban, aka “Jersey,” 33, of Bayonne, New Jersey, was charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon; possession with intent to distribute a quantity of cocaine; and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. On June 29, 2020, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Hooban’s residence and recovered approximately 30 grams of cocaine and a loaded firearm. At the time of Hooban’s arrest, he was the sergeant at arms for the Pagan’s Jersey City membership chapter.
Glen Turner, aka “Glenny,” 73, of Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania, was charged with possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. Turner is a long-time member of the Pagans. On Dec. 10, 2020, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Turner’s residence and recovered approximately 450 grams of methamphetamine.

Acting U.S. Attorney Honig credited a joint task force comprised of special agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Newark Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Gibson; special agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, Newark Division, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Taylor; the Union County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Acting Prosecutor Ruotolo; and the New Jersey State Police, under the direction of Col. Callahan, with the investigation leading to these charges.

Acting U.S. Attorney Honig also thanked the U.S. Marshals Service, under the direction of U.S. Marshal Juan Mattos Jr.; special agents of the FBI, Cherry Hill Resident Agency, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Driscoll in Philadelphia; the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, under the direction of District Attorney Timothy D. Sini; the Elizabeth Police Department, under the direction of Chief Giacomo Sacca; and the West Deptford Police Department, under the direction of Chief John Chambers, for their assistance with this investigation.
                                                                    

Police: 3 members of notorious biker gang arrested in Lenoir
April 12, 2023

LENOIR, N.C. — Three men in a notorious biker gang were arrested by police in Lenoir on April 5.

Police searched the Pagans Motorcycle Club’s clubhouse, seizing drugs and cash, after investigators said they got in a chase with three of their members. The clubhouse is along Highway 321 in Lenoir.

Police were there for more than three hours while they searched. Several viewers shared video and images of the large police presence along Highway 321 Wednesday night.

Channel 9?s Dave Faherty spoke to some of the other gang members, who told him police stole their cash. Then, they told Faherty to get off their property.

Investigators in Lenoir said they initially got a call from a restaurant a few miles away about a fight between the Pagans and Hellions.
“Everything is going smooth and then I get told by the bar manager, ‘Hey, there’s a fight out in the parking lot,’” said a woman, who works at that restaurant.

She said the Pagans went after the customers as they were leaving.

“The other clubs that I’ve seen riding around, and even in Hickory, they’re very nice, very friendly, very respectful,” she said. “They’re not showing up to jump people at bars and starting trouble like that.”

Police say as they were responding, they spotted three motorcycles in the area driving well above the speed limit.

After a chase that ended at the Pagans’ clubhouse, police, sheriff’s deputies, and the highway patrol responded. They searched everyone involved and found concealed firearms and body armor on the drivers. Investigators said they also searched the clubhouse, seizing guns, marijuana, steroids, and about $11,000 in cash.

Court documents say while checking the firearms, police were unable to locate the serial number of one of those weapons.

Chris Dishman eats at the restaurant in Lenoir often. He believes more needs to be done to keep people safe from the group. “Two guys walked outside and they were jumped, and it wasn’t a fair fight,” he said. “They keep being allowed to do this and no one is doing anything about it to them.”

Jody Maltba, 34, and Timothy Maltba, 63, a father and son, along with a third man, Richard Barton, 31, have all been charged with felony speeding to elude. Police confirmed to Channel 9 that all three men are members of the Pagans.

Faherty saw police back at the restaurant looking at surveillance video on Thursday. They said their investigation is not over and more charges are pending.

Marion County detectives arrest another suspect in 2022 Carolina area Pagan Motorcycle Club hit

FAIRMONT, W.Va. — Detectives with the Marion County Sheriff’s Department have made another arrest in the Sept. 2022 murder of Henry Siler at a Carolina apartment complex by members of the Pagans Motorcycle Club.

Sheriff Jimmy Riffle reports Ryan Lane, 36, of Fairmont, has been arrested Tuesday and charged with first degree murder after detectives executed a search warrant at his home.

Pagan Motorcycle club member John Wolfe was found guilty of first degree murder in the case in April and is awaiting sentencing. Court documents said the murder was carried because Wolfe learned Silver was in a relationship with his girlfriend.

Detectives said Wolfe worked with other members of the club to carry out the killing of Silver.

Court documents said Lane and Wolfe were communicating via text message in the hours leading up to the killing. At one point, Wolfe put Lane on notice that he might bail money on the day of the killing.

Detectives had previously arrested Jonathan Biller, Derek Clem, Dane Hall, and Austin Mullins for first degree murder and conspiracy.
Lane is the sixth person arrested and Sheriff Riffle said the investigation remains active.

Member of the Pagans Motorcycle Club Sentenced to More Than 27 Years in Prison for Armed Methamphetamine Trafficking

Friday, February 10, 2023
For Immediate Release

U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of North Carolina

WILMINGTON, N.C. – A Kings Mountain-based Pagans Motorcycle Club (PMC) member was sentenced today to 330 months in prison for armed drug trafficking. On June 7, 2022, Justin Matthew Fite, also known as “Raw,” pled guilty to the charges. Fite, 31, is one of 20 defendants charged as part of Operation Ice Diamond, which was announced last week, when Christopher Lamar Baker, a national leader of the PMC was sentenced to 75 years (900 months) in prison on drug trafficking, firearm and money laundering charges. The PMC is recognized by law enforcement as an Outlaw Motorcycle Gang (OMG).

The investigation was initiated by members of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Raleigh Police Department into individuals involved in the distribution of firearms and methamphetamine in multiple states. Investigators utilized controlled   purchases, confidential informants, and undercover agents to successfully identify 20 individuals, including Fite and Baker, who were involved in the drug trafficking operation.

“This case is yet another example of the coordinated action that law enforcement is taking to address organized crime and stem the flow of methamphetamine into our community,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. “It should serve as a warning to gangs and other armed drug traffickers.”

“This collaborative effort was aimed at disbanding a violent criminal operation from the top down,” said Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Special Agent in Charge Bennie Mims. “Not only were we recently able to apprehend, charge, and sentence one of the top leaders in this organization, but we also worked to make sure that those participating in the violence and drug crimes associated with this group were also brought to justice.”

Fite was associated with Baker through their shared involvement in the PMC, a criminal enterprise with leaders across the United States of America and Puerto Rico. Fite was stopped in July of 2021 when law enforcement in Aiken County, South Carolina, initiated a traffic stop on a motorcycle operated by Fite. Law enforcement knew that Fite was picking up methamphetamine on behalf of Baker from his source in the Atlanta area.  The officer observed a concealed firearm and Fite was detained. A K9’s positive hit on the motorcycle’s saddlebag revealed two large bags containing nearly two kilograms of crystal methamphetamine. Fite admitted he was a member of the PMC and was federally arrested at his residence in Kings Mountain on March 18, 2022.

It was discovered during interviews conducted by law enforcement that Fite repeatedly dealt and purchased crystal methamphetamine for himself and other members of the PMC. Fite is accountable for distributing nearly five kilogr
ams of methamphetamine between October of 2020 and March of 2022.

The prosecution of Fite is part of Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force Operation (OCDETF) Ice Diamond. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launders, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

Michael Easley, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Raleigh Police Department (NC), and the Aiken County Sheriff’s Office (SC) investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelly L. Sandling  prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina

The motorcycle gangs are the real organized crime today. The Italians def take a back seat them nowadays, if a war ever erupted the MC Gangs wouldn't hesitate to use violence. I doubt the Italians could muster up anyone willing to even go to war. MC just don't care

You hit the nail on the head majicrat.
Any major 1% er Club will stop at nothing to avenge an insult,disrespectful behavior, or any incursion into their territory or rackets.
They are heavily armed psychopaths that consider it an honor to die or go to prison for their brothers and their Patch.
There's a big difference between going after someone with a silenced .38 and having your ass shredded by an Uzi before your house (and everyone in it) gets lit up by a military grade rocket launcher.

Leader of the Pagans Motorcycle Club Sentenced to 75 Years in Prison for Methamphetamine Distribution, Firearm Distribution and Money Laundering Convictions

Friday, February 3, 2023
For Immediate Release

U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of North Carolina

WILMINGTON, N.C. – Christopher Lamar Baker, 49, a Raleigh-based national leader of the Pagans Motorcycle Club – which is recognized by law enforcement as an Outlaw Motorcycle Gang - was sentenced today to 900 months in prison following a conviction by a jury in September for drug trafficking, firearm, and money laundering charges.

Baker was a “13” in the Pagans Motorcycle Club prior to his November 2021 arrest by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF). This designation means that he was one of only thirteen national leaders in the United States.  This case is part of an ongoing operation that has resulted in the indictment of 20 individuals, including Baker.

“The circumstances of this case highlight the coordinated action that we, as law enforcement, are taking to address organized crime and the growing epidemic of methamphetamine in our community,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley. “It should serve as a warning to gangs and other criminal enterprises perpetrating violence. We will prosecute you and seek sentences that fit the crimes.”

According to court documents and other information presented in court, Baker supplied over 268 kilograms of methamphetamine into the Raleigh area and surrounding states on the East Coast.  Baker was convicted by a jury of 17 counts, including conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, distribution of methamphetamine, possession of firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking crimes—including a machine gun—and conspiracy to commit money laundering. 

“The Raleigh Police Department is proud to work alongside our federal partners to investigate and prosecute those who seek to destroy our community with violence and drugs,” said Raleigh Police Chief Estella Patterson.  “Removing this very dangerous person from our streets was an extraordinary step in making our community and state safer. By disrupting illegitimate criminal enterprises that seek to traffic guns and drugs into our community, we send a message that we will not tolerate the harm these dangerous organizations cause.  Making Raleigh the safest city in the nation remains the top priority of the Raleigh Police Department.  We can only do so through collaboration with the community, local and state law enforcement, and our federal partners.   We thank the United States Attorney’s Office Eastern District, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Raleigh/Wake City-County Bureau of Identification, and the United States Marshals Service for their strong partnership.”

“ATF has a long history with outlaw motorcycle gangs, recognizing that these groups are often tied closely with a number of criminal acts, including gun violence, firearms trafficking, and drug trafficking.” said Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Special Agent in Charge Bennie Mims. “This was a strategic, collaborative effort focused on disrupting a dangerous and violent criminal network.”

Through the course of this investigation, it was determined that Baker was the leader of the Pagan Motorcycle Club (“PMC”) in North Carolina, a wholly illegitimate criminal enterprise.  The PMC is recognized internationally by law enforcement as an Outlaw Motorcycle Gang ("OMG") criminal enterprise that has leaders across the United States of America and Puerto Rico. The PMC has a long history of drug trafficking, firearms trafficking, and violence in the areas where it operates.

Baker has been described as the leader of the North Carolina PMC. According to numerous law enforcement intelligence units, he is believed to have previously held the rank of President of the Raleigh chapter of the PMC prior to becoming a “13.” Baker was responsible for the acquisition and distribution of kilogram quantities of methamphetamine for the Drug Trafficking Organization (“DTO”) linked to the PMC. Baker’s DTO is responsible for the distribution of methamphetamine and firearms across multiple states, including North Carolina.

In his Pagan leadership position, Baker directed members of his organization in distributing and selling methamphetamine in Raleigh and surrounding areas.   Baker’s sources of supply for methamphetamine and firearms lived in the Atlanta area, and he would have various members of the Pagans drive him from North Carolina to the Atlanta area to pick up methamphetamine and firearms for distribution in North Carolina and surrounding states.  

Baker also routinely used and directed violence to promote his narcotics trafficking. Baker was frequently armed; examples of his violence include the directed torture of a Pagan pledge who allegedly stole from another member. In this case, the pledge’s fingers were cut off using a table saw. Baker also directed the murder of an individual who sold him fake drugs. Raleigh Police and ATF had to place that individual into protective custody.

The prosecution of Baker was a part of Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force Operation (OCDETF) Diamond Ice. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launders, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. This investigation spanned into the West Virginia, South Carolina, and Georgia areas where kilogram quantities of methamphetamine were distributed into Raleigh utilizing a complex network of Pagans in surrounding states who have also been indicted in this case. Twenty individuals, including Baker have been indicted. Seven defendants have been convicted and sentenced, and nine others are awaiting sentencing.

Michael F. Easley, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Raleigh Police Department led the investigation with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Raleigh/Wake City-County Bureau of Identification and United States Marshals Service.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kelly L. Sandling  and Robert Dodson prosecuted the case.

Other agencies involved in the investigation include the N.C. Highway Patrol, the Virginia State Police (VSP), the Dekalb County Police Department (GA), the Barrow County Sheriff’s Office (GA), the Georgia State Patrol (GSP), the Gwinnett County Police Department (GA), the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Department (NC), the S.C. Highway Patrol, the Craven County Sheriff’s Office (NC), the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department (SC) and the Reidsville Police Department (NC).

Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North CarolinaLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the “external link” icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. or on PACER

Id love to see an interview with Richter. To see his personality.

Amazes me they let him go that night with the gun, being who he was, and being on parole.

When I was young and everyone was on small time probation for fights, drunk and disorderly, etc, get police contact for anything it was an automatic lock up.

Tail light out, go to jail. It's Friday and you won't get out for 4 days and lose your job, fuck you.

In the US? I'd have to disagree, as a generalization.

How can they stop at nothing when there are constant encroachments all over the country? It's been nonstop forever and will never stop. Now if you're talking about certain flare ups of extreme violence at certain times and places? Undeniably true. Especially if you're international, like the Nordic war.

I've never heard of a rocket launcher being used by bikers in the US. I've only read about fully auto weapons being used 3 times in 50 years, though I'm sure there are more. Can't think of drive by on houses killing everyone inside. In the USA, I mean.

I bet most of them don't consider it an honor to go to prison until they are convicted and then have no choice. Drop out or own it and ride it to the max. Plus if it was such an honor they wouldn't be constantly ratting on each other. Sometimes just to avoid short sentences.

alicecooper:
I tend to use hyperbole from time to time.
I was basically trying to illustrate the difference between the violence and firepower between OC and OMG's.
I thought I was being funny,but I totally concede your point.
There was a rocket launcher seized in the Tuna McGuire raid,and of course just about every clubhouse raid (1%er Clubs in general,not just the Pag#ns) results in automatic rifles being confiscated,but I agree with your premise.

On the other point,It does seem like there has been an increase in rats over the last 10 or 15 years.
My personal opinion (and I could be wrong) is that it is a direct result of lowering the standards of recruitment.
Generally speaking,it's a better decision to take a plea. The sentencing will be lower,and their attorneys (some of the best in the profession) can negotiate the most favorable terms for their clients.

Lol well I figured either that or someone hijacked your account.

It seems like rocket launchers get mentioned a lot, but I don't think any of them ever have the rocket to go with it. They'd probably blow themselves up with it if they did.

Worse yet,they might take a completely innocent bystander or even a kid (like the 11 year old Montreal boy blown up by a car bomb in 2015 during the Quebec biker war) with them.

Dangerous sociopaths no matter where they happen to live.

Leader of Massachusetts Pagans biker gang among 49 arrested in raid that netted drugs and 53 guns
* By Melissa Hanson | mhanson@masslive.com

A year-long investigation of biker gangs in Rhode Island led to the arrests of at least 49 people and the seizure of 53 illegal guns. (Rhode Island State Police)

The leader of the Massachusetts Pagans motorcycle gang was among 49 people arrested this week following a year-long investigation by Rhode Island authorities that resulted in the seizure of 53 illegal guns as well as large quantities of heroin and other drugs, according to officials.

Col. Ann C. Assumpico, the superintendent of the Rhode Island State Police, announced the arrests Wednesday, saying that the bust is believed to be the single largest takedown in the Rhode Island State Police history.

The investigation focused on two gangs, The Pagans and Kryptmen, whose members were allegedly involved in gun and drug trafficking and other criminal activity, officials said.

Jason Oliver from Fall River was identified as the leader of the Massachusetts Pagans biker gang, according to Rhode Island State Police. He was among 49 people arrested, several of whom are Massachusetts residents.

The arrests were made following a series of pre-dawn raids conducted by authorities. Most of the raids were conducted at Rhode Island addresses, but police received search warrants for and raided the following properties in Massachusetts: 111 Pulaski Blvd. in Bellingham; 7 Old Mendon Road in Blackstone; 30 Old Worcester Road in Charlton; and 196 West St. in Milford.

"These gang members are not recreational bikers organizing local charities. These are violent criminals who belong to some of the most sinister motorcycle gangs in this country," Assumpico said in a statement. "[Wednesday's] arrests send a clear and convincing message: we will not allow motorcycle gangs and other criminals to sell guns and drugs on our streets and commit violent crimes in our communities."

In conducting the raids shortly before 4 a.m. Wednesday, authorities used explosive devices to breach heavily fortified buildings, an armored truck and battering ram to break down doors, and dozens of heavily armed SWAT team members and other officers, Rhode Island State Police said.

The raids were conducted without incident.

Escalating tension and an increased risk of violence in recent weeks led to the decision to conduct the raids Wednesday, according to Rhode Island State Police Lt. Colonel Philbin.

Massachusetts residents arrested in the raid included Robert Hamilton, of Franklin; Lisa Kakazu, of Bellingham; Marc Bunnell, of Blackstone; and Jason Oliver, of Fall River.

Massachusetts residents still wanted by authorities include Robert Gill, of Blackstone; Robert Minior, of Milford; and Joejihao Qian, of Norwood.

The 12-month investigation was dubbed Operation Patched Out and included assistance from the Massachusetts State Police, the FBI and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, among other agencies.

In addition to the 53 illegal guns that were seized, authorities also discovered large quantities of marijuana, crack, cocaine and heroin, Rhode Island State Police said.

Rhode Island State Police investigators intercepted thousands of phone calls and text messages through electronic surveillance and court-ordered wiretaps through the investigation.

The investigation also revealed what Rhode Island State Police called "extensive evidence" of other criminal activity, including large-scale gun and drug trafficking; widespread theft and sale of stolen ATVs, lawn tractors, snow blowers and other equipment; and fraudulent mortgage and bank activity.

Deadly Pagans biker gang ‘riding streets of NYC today,’ claims ex-undercover ATF agent
Kerry J. Byrne

Robert "Hellboy" Deronde is a longtime Pagan from New Jersey.

A vicious biker gang is aggressively expanding its turf in the Big Apple, warns a former Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agent who infiltrated the group.
“Pagans are riding the streets of New York City today, flying their colors,” ex-ATF agent Ken Croke, 54, who spent two years undercover with the gang, told The Post. “There are s–tloads of Pagans running around, actively recruiting and have been for years.”
He chronicles his harrowing covert experiences a decade ago in the new book, “Riding with Evil: Taking Down the Notorious Pagan Motorcycle Gang,” co-authored with Dave Wedge.
Twenty Pagans were arrested and pleaded guilty to racketeering, drugs, firearms and conspiracy to commit murder, among other charges, following his undercover investigation. The gang has stormed back in recent years however, the former fed says.
Croke was an ATF supervisor in Boston in 2008 with a history of undercover operations, including efforts to take down the Vagos and Mongols motorcycle gangs in Los Angeles, when a series of events put him deep inside the Pagans of New York as they seized more northeast turf.

The Pagans Long Island chapter meets with a chapter of the Vagos motorcycle gang.
“Pagan members sold crystal meth and guns, gang-raped women, brutalized rivals, and extorted businesses,” he writes.
Croke witnessed the gang hitting up local businesses for old-fashioned protection money; watched in shock as members beat a man outside a Long Island barroom, and spent time behind bars to maintain his cover after being arrested with a handgun.

“Riding with Evil: Taking Down the Notorious Pagan Motorcycle Gang”
He even helped Pagans move the body of an apparent murder victim from one upstate grave to another. Unearthing the corpse near Swan Lake, 80 miles north of New York City, led to a vigorous debate on law-enforcement ethics within the ATF.
“The thought was that the guy was dead and would not be any less dead a few months later,” Croke writes.
Croke often slept on the floor of a fetid home that was more sewer than crusty gang hang in Middle Island, Long Island, “surrounded by the filth and the scent of stale beer, weed and cigarettes,” he recalls, among Pagans who “smelled like s–t and snored like bears.”
A Pagan known as Hogman “laid out a plan to brutally rape” a female acquaintance one night while he was drinking beers and snorting cocaine in their filthy hideaway, Croke writes. He risked his cover to warn “Tiffany” of the plan. She fled, never to be seen again.
Recruits are drilled in gang history and lore, Croke says. The Pagans were founded by legendary biker Lou Dobkin in Maryland around 1957. They wear patches with Pagans in blue medieval-style font across a white “cloud,” with red stitching around the edges.
The cloud patch is accompanied by the image of sword-carrying Norse god Surtr, plus a 1% patch meant to denote the most violent motorcycle gangsters. Affiliate Pagans sport a blue-on-white number 16 in the same medieval font. P is the 16th letter of the alphabet.

Ken Croke (center) speaks with Long Island Pagans Chapter President J.R. Eberling outside the chapter’s former headquarters in Rocky Point, Long Island. Handout
The white cloud was originally meant to indicate white supremacy, Croke says, and the red trim the bloodshed by gang members to defend their turf and their values. The gang in recent years has shelved much of its white supremacy rhetoric in the interest of expansion. Members in NYC now are often Hispanic.
Pagans’ presence in the city expanded following a hostile takeover of the gang by Keith “Conan” Richter of Bay Shore, Long Island, in 2018. The ruthless outlaw spent 16 years in prison for ordering the murder of a Long Island strip club owner who refused to pay the Pagans extortion money in 1998. He was convicted of recent weapons charges in October and is currently serving a 36-month sentence.
Pagans today number about 2,000 members nationally with 12 chapters in New York, claims Croke: four on Long Island, four upstate and four in New York City. The Bronx has historically been Pagans home turf within the five boroughs.

The Pagans ride together in Maryland in 2010. Handout
The archrival Hells Angels started to squeeze their Bronx territory when they fled their infamous clubhouse at 77 East 3rd St. in the East Village in late 2019 for an abandoned American Legion hall on Longstreet Avenue in Throggs Neck. The Pagans quickly responded, firing up to 14 gunshots into their rival’s new digs in early January 2020.
Francisco Rosado, the leader of the Bronx chapter of the Pagans, whose face was completely covered in prison-style tattoos, was gunned down on Holland Avenue in broad daylight just a few months later in May 2020.

Patches on a Pagans jacket. New Jersey State Commission
His two assassins wore masks and carried handguns fitted with long silencers. Hells Angels honcho Frank Tatulli, 58, and club member Sayanon Thongthwath, 29, were arrested two months later and charged with the murder.
The Pagans are the more dangerous of the two notorious gangs, claims Croke.
“The Hells Angels, in my opinion, they’re like a business,” he said. “They have copyrights and doctors and lawyers who are members not involved in criminal activity. The Pagans are just violent individuals. They’re bad dudes. They don’t have two nickels to rub together but they don’t care.”
Hells Angels “sleep in five-star hotels,” he said. “Pagans sleep in dirt fields.”
The gang’s recent public resume includes the baseball-bat beating of a Hells Angel by Pagan Robert “Hellboy” DeRonde at a Newark gas station in 2018 and a shooting on the New Jersey Turnpike in 2020 that led to the indictment this past December of “high-ranking” Pagans Larry “Savage” Ortiz and Junius “Jayo” Aquino.
The gang has a diverse criminal operation. Pagans are “engaged in criminal activities such as arson, assault, bombing, extortion and murder,” states the DOJ in a 2021 report on outlaw motorcycle gangs.
“The Pagans intimidate, the have a history of white supremacy, they’re misogynists, and they pump communities full of drugs and misery,” said Wedge, the book’s co-author. “They’re outlaws and some of them are downright sub-human.”

5 Pagans Motorcycle Club members arrested in PA, including 4 from West Virginia

Sep 1, 2023
BEAVER FALLS, Pa. (WVNS) — Five members of the Pagans Motorcycle Club were arrested after they reportedly beat a Beaver County resident before also stealing the victim’s gun.

Four of the club members arrested were from West Virginia, including three from southern West Virginia.

According to a press release from the District Attorney’s Office in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, members of the Beaver Fall Police Department and Pennsylvania State Police responded to the Big Beaver Ramada Inn for a report of a fight and assault on Aug. 27, 2023, at 1:45 a.m.
Once on scene, investigators learned the victim was allegedly beaten by multiple Pagans Motorcycle Club members. The club members reportedly kicked, punched, used brass knuckles, and put a gun to the victim’s head before stealing the victim’s gun.

It was discovered that the Pagans Motorcycle Club had reserved a block of 32 rooms within the hotel. A search warrant for all 32 rooms was obtained and carried out. Due to the amount of rooms and club members, extra law enforcement, which included two separate SWAT units, was called in as backup.

During the search, 69 people were removed from the rooms and placed under temporary custody for the duration of the search. A total of 26 guns were run through the federal gun registry database. While looking into the guns, it was revealed that one gun was stolen out of West Virginia. The victim’s gun was also returned.

Five sets of brass knuckles, which are considered illegal weapons in Pennsylvania, were also seized during the search.
Four Pagans Motorcycle Club members were arrested and charged with Robbery and Aggravated Assault. One other member was arrested and charged with Possession of a Stolen Firearm.

Charged:
* John Evans, of Beckley, WV, was charged with Possession of a Stolen Firearm.
* Matthew Richards, of Fayetteville, WV, was charged with Robbery, Aggravated Assault, and Reception of Stolen Property.
* Adam Lowe, of Mount Hope, WV, was charged with Robbery, Aggravated Assault, and Reception of Stolen Property.
* Lucas Stone, of Summit Point, WV, was charged with Robbery, Aggravated Assault, and Reception of Stolen Property.
* Robert Poffenberger, of Fairplay, MD, was charged was charged with Robbery, Aggravated Assault, and Reception of Stolen Property.
Beaver County District Attorney David Lozier had this to say regarding the operation:
The District Attorney recognizes the Beaver Falls Police Department for professionally organizing this substantial response to a complex and potentially dangerous situation. We also wish to recognize the Pennsylvania State Police for their assistance, and the Beaver County ESU and Washington County SWAT for their rapid response and assistance.
All five cases are set for their preliminary hearings on Sept. 8, 2023, in Beaver County, Pennsylvania.

Arrest of The Pagans MC bikers called uncharacteristic of mid-Hudson region
September, 2010


MONTICELLO, NY — Last week's arrest that netted four local members of the Pagans motorcycle gang in a far-ranging murder and racketeering conspiracy to deal cocaine and kill members of the rival Hells Angels was out of the ordinary for the area, police say.

Motorcycle gangs with reputations for violence and drug dealing, such as the Pagans, Hells Angels and Outlaws, can be found at parties and biker bars in the Catskills and Hudson Valley, but the groups have largely coexisted without problems.

This doesn't mean that the police don't characterize these groups as "anti-social" and suspect some members of crimes, such as distributing narcotics.

"Some are violent," said state police Senior Investigator Mike Orrego, who is assigned to the state police's barracks in Liberty: "Some have a nose for making money. You can't go by the assumption that they are a couple of idiots on bikes. "¦ They have far-reaching tentacles that reach out to all communities."

Last week, the feds nabbed 17 members of the Pagans after a 21-month probe on charges of murder conspiracy, racketeering, extortion, witness tampering, drug distribution and firearms offenses.

Among those arrested were Tracy Lahey, 33, of Swan Lake; Douglas "Doc" Youmans, 49, and Robert "Comanche" Santiago, 40, both of Ellenville; and Walter Tarrats, 40, of Sussex, N.J. Along with Long Island and Trenton, N.J., members, they're accused of plotting to kill members of Hells Angels and affiliated clubs using grenades, and distributing cocaine, oxycodone and methamphetamines, among other charges.

In the news release, the feds called Lahey and Youmans "ranking members of Pagans chapters based in Sullivan County." Federal authorities wouldn't comment further.

Numerous Hudson Valley biker groups have friends in the Hells Angels and join events and party together, according to one source in the biker community. The Pagans, who don't get along with the Hells Angels, keep to themselves and hang in Sullivan.

Local police couldn't pinpoint how many hard-core biker gangs operate locally. The groups, by most accounts, aren't well organized and have remained quiet.

"Every once in a while you have a bar fight but when you get there nobody knows anything," Sullivan County Undersheriff Eric Chaboty said.

The Department of Justice estimates the entire national membership of the Pagans gang at 300-350 members operating mostly along the East Coast, with headquarters in Delaware County, Pa.

"It's a gang no different than the Bloods or the Crips or any gang," said Capt. Dennis Barry of the Orange County Sheriff's Department.

vwhitman@th-record.com

Biker club fight leaves 5 men injured at Clayton bar, police say


July, 2021
CLAYTON, N.C. (WTVD) -- Five men were sent to the hospital Wednesday night following a bar fight turned shooting between rival biker clubs in Clayton, authorities said.

Clayton officers were called to the Cleveland Draft House at 9:45 p.m.

On arrival, an officer found " a number of subjects" suffering from injuries in the parking lot of the bar.

Authorities learned the injuries were a result of a fight between the Pagans Motorcycle Club and the Red Devils Motorcycle Club that began at the patio of the bar and spilled into the parking lot.

A 26-year-old Red Devil club member was shot in the upper thigh area and was taken to the hospital for treatment.

Four other Pagan club members between the ages of 44 and 50 were found "severely beaten" in the head and face -- they were also taken to the hospital for treatment.

Investigators seized a motorcycle and a pickup along with "numerous" firearms and blunt force instruments believed to have been used in the fight.

No arrests have been made in the fight.

Anyone with information on the fight is asked to contact the Clayton Police Department at (919) 553-4611.

The Red Devils are an international 1% OMG,and are the largest puppet (support) Club for the HA

Really. I never even heard of them before. They must be based and operating down that way, NC & SC. I don't think they're around the NY area, am I right, Lou?

Yes they are pretty big club in Europe also, to call them a puppet club may seem a bit weird, they are Angels.

Red Devils Motorcycle Club is an international motorcycle club . This club is the largest official support club of the Hells Angels worldwide with its own logo. The structure of the colors corresponds to the club colors of the Hells Angels (red-white). The Red Devils MC is classified as a 1%MC . [1]

History
The club was founded on January 26, 2002 in the United States and Sweden as a support club of the Hells Angels. The Red Devils motorcycle club has approximately 110 chapters worldwide. The officially known (including some prospects) according to the latest figures: Belgium (9), Netherlands (12), Ukraine (1), England (6), Germany (36), Luxembourg (2), Sweden (7), United States (11), Canada (7), Caribbean (3), Brazil (3), Australia (2), China (1), Turkey (8), New Zealand (1). [2]

Puppet Club is an alternative to Support Club. They are commonly used to conduct criminal activities,for the Club they are also "feeder" clubs from which the dominant Club will recruit.
Bottom line,the Red Devils are not Angels,they have a different patch,and are a completely separate Club.
Puppet or Support is not considered a demeaning term in the OMG world. I have also heard Support Clubs referred to as "duck clubs",but I don't know the origin of that term.
Every major 1% OMG has such Clubs.

Interesting info, gents.

About 25 years ago in the midwest 2 guys defected from a non 1%er mc to an Illinois charter of HA. A while later one came back to the non 1%er clubs clubhouse and pulled a knife when they wouldn't let him in. The article said the guy at the door took it from him and stabbed him with his own knife.

I think he was in a bar I was in a few years later and if it was the same guy I can see why he got stabbed.

When I moved out west the first rider I met was just kicked out of a Christian club. He complained they were doing poker runs with 81 and all this and it's not what we should be about. The president became 81. So he said.

This is just in addition to what Lou says, which is widely known info.

Interesting stuff.

This was a massive takedown....

"30 Members and Associates of The Pagans Motorcycle Club Facing Federal Charges"

Wednesday, December 9, 2020
For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of Pennsylvania

PITTSBURGH, PA – A federal grand jury in Pittsburgh has issued three separate, but related, Indictments, charging 30 residents of western Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio with narcotics trafficking and firearm possession, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.

According to U.S. Attorney Brady, the Indictments are a part of an ongoing investigation into members and associates of the Pagans Motorcycle Club (PMC or Pagans) operating in and around western Pennsylvania engaging in illegal activity, including federal violations of drug and firearm laws. The related Indictments are the result of an investigation that began in August of 2018, and ultimately led to a Title III wire investigation with intercepted communications over several telephones from August 2020 through November 2020. The defendants are alleged to have conspired to distribute controlled substances including cocaine, methamphetamine, and heroin.

"For decades, the Pagans have used violence to control cocaine, heroin and meth trafficking throughout western Pennsylvania: that stops now," said U.S. Attorney Brady. "With the arrests of thirty members and associates of the Pittsburgh chapter of the Pagan’s Motorcycle Club, including higher-ranking members, we have disrupted their criminal organization and made western Pennsylvania safer."

"The members and associates of the Pagan’s Motorcycle Club facing charges today had a complete disregard for the law and the safety of the communities they operate in," said FBI Pittsburgh Special Agent in Charge Michael Christman. "Through joint, collaborative investigations and robust partnerships, we will continue to target the leadership of these organizations and bring them to justice for the harm caused by their criminal actions."
According to the Department of Justice, the PMC is a violent Outlaw Motorcycle Gang whose membership distribute cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, fentanyl, marijuana and other illegal drugs. The Pagans are one of the most prominent outlaw motorcycle gangs in the eastern United States. In addition to the PMC insignia, members of the PMC wear a diamond patch with "1%" inscribed inside, which denotes their claim to be among the one percent of motorcycle riders who are not law abiding.

According to information provided to the court, the three Indictments charge 30 individuals with federal drug trafficking and firearms charges. The drugs they distributed include significant quantities of methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin. The Indictments are the result of this long-term investigation, including court-authorized wiretaps on the cell phones of key members of the Pittsburgh Chapter of the Pagans Motorcycle Club. The investigation, which was wide-spread, also resulted in identifying large-scale suppliers of narcotics not only to members and associates of the Pagans, but to local drug traffickers and suppliers within the Greater Pittsburgh Region.

During the course of the investigation, which began in August of 2018, law enforcement received information pertaining to the suspected illegal activities of Bill Rana, aka "Pittsburgh Billy", Eric Armes aka "Knuckles", Jason Evans aka "Shahid", and Patrick Rizzo, who have all been identified as suspected members or associates of the Pittsburgh Chapter of the Pagans Motorcycle Club, as well as Phillip Bonanno, who has been identified as a suspected member of an Ohio Chapter of the Pagans Motorcycle Club, and others.

The PMC members routinely hold "church", a term used to describe their weekly meetings, on Thursdays. They also appeared to hold frequent, large gatherings or parties between PMC members/associates, non-PMC members, and other outlaw motorcycle gangs, at their McKees Rocks Clubhouse, which was one of more than a dozen locations where agents executed federally-authorized search warrants on December 8, 2020.
The three Indictments were returned under seal on December 1, 2020, and unsealed yesterday.

The first Indictment contains two conspiracy counts and one firearm possession count, and names the following nine individuals as defendants:
• Bill Rana, 40, of Cheswick, PA
• Eric Armes, 42, of Cheswick, PA
• Jason Evans, 44, of Pittsburgh, PA
• Hasani James, 49, of Detroit, MI
• Cody Bonanno, 25, of Uhrichsville, OH
• Phillip Bonanno, 54, of New Philadelphia, OH
• Dominic Quarture, 52, of Washington, PA
• Mark Stockhausen, 39, of Erie, PA
• Patrick Rizzo, 45, of McKees Rocks, PA

According to this Indictment, Rana, Armes, C. Bonanno, P. Bonanno, and Quarture conspired to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, a Schedule II controlled substance between January and November of 2020. The Indictment also charges Rana, Evans, James, P. Bonanno, and Stockhausen with conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, a Schedule II controlled substance, also between January and November of 2020.

The Indictment further alleges that on or about October 21, 2020, Patrick Rizzo, a convicted felon, who is prohibited from lawfully possessing a firearm, was found to be in possession of a loaded Taurus Judge .45 LC/410 pistol. As it relates to this count, the Indictment seeks forfeiture of the firearm and ammunition.

The second Indictment contains two counts and names the following nine individuals as defendants:
• Anthony Peluso, 38, of Hampton Township, PA
• Marissa Botta, 28, of Hampton Township, PA
• David Pietropaolo, 23, of Glenshaw, PA
• Thomas Snelsire, 45, of Baldwin, PA
• Wayne Webber, 42, of Duquesne, PA
• Ronald Simak, 37, of Verona, PA
• Anthony Scatena, 22, of Pittsburgh, PA
• James Stewart, 41, of Pittsburgh, PA
• Dorin Duncan, 42, of Glenshaw, PA

According to this Indictment, the above-named defendants conspired to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, a Schedule II controlled substance between January and November of 2020. The Indictment further alleges that Peluso, Botta and Snelsire also conspired to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of heroin, a Schedule I controlled substance, also between January and November 2020.

The third Indictment contains two counts and names the following twelve individuals as defendants:
• Jeffrey Kushik, 29, of Pittsburgh, PA
• Gary Hairston, 40, of Pittsburgh, PA
• Darian Wofford, 27, of Pittsburgh, PA
• Stephanie Zilka, 27, of Baldwin, PA
• Misty Walker, 39, of Pittsburgh, PA
• Richard White, 18, of Pittsburgh, PA
• Randy Camacho, 34, of Pittsburgh, PA
• Damian Cherepko, 26, of Elizabeth, PA
• Brandon Hulboy, 29, of Pittsburgh, PA
• James Crivella, 27, of Glenshaw, PA
• Seaira Collins, 32, of Pittsburgh, PA
• Jessica Taranto, 37, of Pittsburgh, PA

According to this Indictment, Kushik, Hairston, Wofford, Zilka, Walker, Camacho, Collins, and Taranto conspired to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine, a Schedule II controlled substance between August and November of 2020. The Indictment further charges Kushik, Hairston, Wofford, Zilka, Walker, White, Cherepko, Hulboy and Crivella with conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute one kilogram or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of heroin, a Schedule I controlled substance, also between August and November of 2020.

As to the conspiracy counts involving 100 grams or more of heroin and 500 grams or more of cocaine, the law provides for a minimum sentence of five years’ and a maximum sentence of 40 years’ imprisonment, a fine of not more than $5,000,000, or both. As to the conspiracy count involving 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and one kilogram or more of heroin, the law provides for a minimum sentence of 10 years’ and a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, a fine of not more than $10,000,000, or both. As to Patrick Rizzo the law provides for a maximum sentence of imprisonment of 10 years, a fine of not more than $250,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history of each defendant.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation led the multi-agency investigation of this case, which also included the United States Postal Inspection Service, Drug Enforcement Administration, Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office, Pennsylvania State Police, Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, and the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General Bureau of Narcotics Investigations. Other assisting agencies include the Allegheny County Police Department Homicide, Baldwin Police Department, Brentwood Police Department, McKees Rocks Police Department, Stowe Township Police Department and West Deer Township Police Department.

This prosecution is a result of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles high-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten communities throughout the United States. OCDETF uses a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

Assistant United States Attorney Rebecca L. Silinski is prosecuting these cases on behalf of the government.
An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
A video announcement regarding this case can be found here: https://youtu.be/iWAof7-KgLA

Thanks any idea who founded the Red Devils? The Angels in Quebec have founded several other clubs like Devils Ghosts MC.
With the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club being a worldwide force that has 475 chapters in 63 countries, their influence has allowed them to maintain and produce a number of support clubs around the globe.