Pagan's
Motorcycle Club
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Pagan's MC
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Outlaw motorcycle club
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Pagan's Motorcycle Club, or simply The Pagans, is a one-percenter outlaw motorcycle gang and an alleged organized crimesyndicate formed by Lou Dobkin in 1959 in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States.[1][2] The club rapidly expanded and by 1965, the
Pagans, originally clad in blue denim jackets and riding Triumphs,
began to evolve along the lines of the stereotypical one percenter motorcycle
club.[1]
The Pagans are categorized as an outlaw motorcycle gang by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. They are known to fight over territory with
the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club (HAMC)[1] and other motorcycle clubs, such as Fates
Assembly MC, who have since merged with the HAMC.[3] They are active in thirteen states: Delaware,
Florida, Kentucky, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio,
Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Michigan, Virginia, and West Virginia.[4]
Early history
The Pagans were established in Prince George County, Maryland by
then president Lou Dobkin, in 1959. The group started out by wearing denim
jackets and riding Triumph Motorcycles.[5] Originally they were a comradeship of 13
motorcyclists. In the 1960s they adopted a formal constitution and formed a
governing structure choosing a national president.[6]
They were a fairly non-violent group until 1965, when the Pagans
evolved into an outlaw biker gang with ties to other organized crime groups
such as the American Mafia. Under the leadership of John "Satan" Marron their
violence grew in the early 1970s. Their Mother Club is not in a fixed location
but has been generally located in the North East. Pagan leaders number 13 to 18
members who are chapter presidents with the largest chapter located in
Philadelphia.[6]
The Pagans have grown through merging with other smaller Outlaw Motorcycle gangs (OMG). Considered by law enforcement to be almost as complex and
diversified as the Hells Angels, the discipline and structure of the Pagans is
the most rigid of the Big Four OMGs.[6]
Patch
The Pagans MC patch depicts the Norse fire-giant Surtr sitting on the sun, wielding a sword, plus the
word Pagan's [sic] in red, white and blue.[1] Unlike most one percenter motorcycle clubs, the
Pagans do not include on their club insignia a bottom rocker indicating the
geographical chapter of the member wearing the club's full patch. It is
believed the club declines to follow this one percenter tradition because they
do not want law enforcement to know what state chapters individual Pagans
belong to.
Members wear blue denim vests called cuts or cutoffs with club
patches, known as colors, on the front and back. Symbols of the Pagans also
include a black number 13 on the back of their colors (indicating that they are
affiliated with the club's Mother Chapter), the number "4" (which
signifies the motto "live and die"), the number "5" (which
signifies the Nazi SS motto), the number "7" (an "in
memory of" patch) and the number "9" (the chapter with which the
member is affiliated). Nazi or White supremacist patches are also common on the front of the
cuts,[6] as are tattoos reading "ARGO" (Ar Go
Fuck Yourself) and "NUNYA" (Nun'Ya Fuckin' Business).
Membership
Recently, the Pagans' membership has begun to decline as their
rival Hells Angels’ membership has grown.[1] Pagans have approximately 350 to 400 members and
44 chapters and are active along the East Coast of the United States. Chapters are common in Florida, New Jersey,
Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia.
The Pagans have a Mother Club or ruling council which ultimately rules the
gang. The Pagans headquarters is currently in Delaware County, Pennsylvania.
Members must be at least 21 years old and owners of Harley-Davidson motorcycles with engines 900 cc or larger.
The national sergeant-at-arms' responsibility is to hand-pick 13 chapter
members to serve as the "enforcers" or "regulators". This
body uses violence and intimidation to prevent any and all opposition to the
Mother Club.
Members join for a variety of reasons. First, bikers often
consider themselves loners and join gangs for mutual protection. The bonds with
other motorcyclists are strengthened by the subscription to non-conventional
norms and the rejection of mainstream society. Secondly, they use MCs as
mechanisms of power. Oftentimes, MC membership brings them legitimate and
illegitimate job opportunities and financial prospects. Additionally, members
feel a sense of control while intimidating less powerful, defenseless citizens.
Generally, the values of this MC subculture lie in the value of brotherhood,
the interest in motorcycling,
and respect for mechanical skills.
Many members have families, are gainfully employed, and have much
to lose despite their risk-taking.[7]
Criminal activities
The Pagans have been linked to the production and smuggling of
drugs such as methamphetamine, marijuana, cocaine, heroin, and PCP. The Pagans also have
had strong ties toorganized crime, especially in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Pagans often use
puppet clubs, smaller affiliated motorcycle clubs, or small street drug trafficking organizations that support larger Outlaw
Motorcycle Gangs (OMGs) for distributing drugs. Pagans have also engaged in
assault, arson, extortion, motorcycle/car theft, and weapons trafficking. Most
of the violence carried out by the Pagans is directed to rival OMGs such as
Hells Angels.[7]
New Jersey
On July 17, 1994, at least eight members of the Pagans showed up
at a the annual charity picnic fund-raiser organized by Tri-County MC in
Hackettstown, NJ. The Pagans were there to intimidate local motorcycle clubs
into aligning with the Pagans so they would have a larger power base to prevent
the Hell's Angels from getting established in New Jersey. A fight started and
escalated from fist to knives and guns. When it was all done, Pagans Glenn
Ritchie & Diego Vega had been shot dead. Pagan Ron Locke & Tri-County
member William Johnson had gun shot wounds and Tri-County member Hank Riger had
had his throat cut by Ron Locke.[8]
New York/Pennsylvania
On February 23, 2002, 73 Pagans were arrested in Long Island, New York after appearing at an indoor motorcycle and tattoo expo called the
Hellraiser Ball.[9] The Pagans had shown up to the event to confront
Hells Angels who were at the Ball. Dozens of Pagans rushed the doors of the
event and were met with violence by the Hells Angels. Fighting ensued, ten
people were wounded, and a Hells Angel allegedly shot and killed a Pagan
member. Two weeks later, a Pagans owned tattoo parlor located in South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania was firebombed.[10]
In 2005, Pagans allegedly opened fire on and killed the
Vice-President of the Hells Angels' Philadelphia chapter as he was driving his
truck on the Schuylkill Expressway.[11] Later that year, the Hells Angels closed their Philadelphia
chapter.[citation needed]
In September 2010, nineteen members of the Pagans were arrested in Rocky Point, New York for allegedly conspiring to murder members of the Hells Angels.
Charges also include assault, distribution of cocaine and oxycodone,
conspiracy to commit extortion and weapons charges.[12] Two federal bureau agents,[clarification needed] infiltrated the gang, providing key evidence.
One agent eventually served as sergeant-at-arms, the second-highest position in
the hierarchy. Gang members were heard plotting to murder members of the Hells
Angels using homemade hand grenades.[13]
Dennis Katona, alleged to be the club's "National President",
was arrested by Pennsylvania State Police near Pittsburgh in Herminie in June 2011.[14]
Maryland
A Pagans MC leader, Jay Carl Wagner, 66, was arrested in Washington County, Maryland, by 60 plus officers from state, local and federal officials with
a bomb disposal robot on May 9, 2007, and later charged with possession of a regulated
firearm after conviction of a violent crime. Police and agents recovered seven
handguns, two alleged explosive devices and 13 long rifles.[15] On March 5, 2008, Wagner pled guilty to being a
felon in possession of a firearm.[16] On August 8, 2008, U.S. District Chief Judge
Benson E. Legg sentenced Wagner to 30 months in prison followed by three years
of supervised release.[17]
On 6 October, 2009, the home of national president David
"Bart" Barbeito in Myersville, Maryland was raided by police. He was arrested on firearms charges. In
June, 2010 he pled guilty to racketeering and other charges. [18] He was sentenced to thirty months confinement. [19]
Multi-State
In 2009, 55 Pagans members and associates were arrested from West
Virginia, Kentucky, Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Delaware and
Florida.[20] Charges range from attempted murder and
kidnapping to drug dealing and conspiracy.[21] So far, seven defendants in the case have pled
guilty.[22][23][24]
References
1.
^ a b c d e f g Mallory, Stephen
L. (2007), Understanding
Organized Crime, Jones & Bartlett Publishers, pp. 157–160, ISBN 0-7637-4108-6
2.
^ Barker, Tom
(September, 2005), "One Percent Biker Clubs -- A Description", Trends
in Organized Crime (Springer New York) 9 (1), doi:10.1007/s12117-005-1005-0,ISSN 1084-4791
10.
^ Leduff, Charlie
(May 5, 2002). "A Biker Shot
Dead Is Laid to Rest, And a Bloody Turf War Rages On". The New York
Times.
13.
^ Marzulli, John
(September 15, 2010). "Pagans biker
gang plotted to kill rival Hells Angels with grenade attacks, say Feds". Daily News (New
York).
14.
^ Torsten Ove (30
June 2011). "Pagans leader
jailed after Hempfield raid". Pittsburg Post-Gazette. Retrieved
30 June 2011.
17.
^ Pagan Motorcycle Club
President Sentenced to over Two Years in Federal Prison for Being a Felon in
Possession of 19 Guns
19.
^ Pagans president sentenced to 30 months on gun
charges - News - The Charleston Gazette - West Virginia News and Sports
20.
^ The Washington
Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/16/AR2009111601144.html.[dead link]
21.
^http://www.philly.com/philly/news/pennsylvania/20091022_North_Jersey_Pagan_held_in_racketeering_case.html
22.
^ The Associated Press (November 17, 2009), "Va. man set to
plead guilty in Pagans Motorcycle Club case", The Washington Post, retrieved 2009-11-18[dead link]
23.
^ Clevenger
(Andrew), "Contractor
admits using Pagans for debt-collection muscle",The Charleston Gazette, retrieved 2009-11-18
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