Seemingly random assaults like these on the citizens of the Garden State have officials at the New Jersey State Commission of Investigation urging law enforcement to take action. Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael 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 Prosecutors Office, under the direction of Acting Prosecutor Ruotolo; and the New Jersey State Police, under the direction of Col. Patrick Callahan, with the investigation leading to the charges. The club also extorts business owners and relies on members to pay monthly dues of $100, the commission said. He made a series of turns, but couldnt shake them. U.S. District Court Judge Noel L. Hillman has scheduled sentencing for Dorazo on April 4. Pagans associate pleads guilty to trafficking cocaine and illegally possessing firearms and ammunit More details released on Carlyle bar incident connected to biker club feud. Federal authorities have also described Dorazo, 41, as a known distributor of methamphetamine in and around Camden and Gloucester Counties, though he does not face any current drug charges. A lock ( That violence has included an uptick inattacks against civilians, attempted murders against other members, a murder-for-hire scheme that was carried out in South Jersey and other crimes. The resurgence and expansion of the group has made it easier to wear Pagan colors, he said. The Pagan's Motorcycle Club is trying to assert control over New Jersey and it's using more violence to do it, according to testimony given Wednesday during a State Commission of Investigationhearing. In October 2019, the commission held an exhaustive hearing in Trenton detailing how the Pagans are increasing membership in all corners of the state. An alleged member of the Pagan's motorcycle club who was charged with attempted murder earlier this year is set to plead guilty to a federal charge related to having an associate of the outlaw. Follow him on Twitter @alexnapoNJ. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. The rise in Pagan membership in New Jersey, first reported by NJ Advance Media in May 2018, is indicative of a broader national effort by reputed Pagan President Keith Conan Richter to beef up numbers along the East Coast, officials said. The cache included an AR-15 style ghost gun, a shotgun, and almost 1,800 rounds of ammunition, according to the federal prosecutor's office, which describes the Pagans as an "outlaw motorcycle gang. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Prosecutors said Turner is a long-time member of the Pagans. Our journalism needs your support. Members of the Pagans became enraged with the informant, who authorities said was an associate of the motorcycle club, when the person told the club he sold the Pagans firearms. It was around this time it adopted the outlaw motorcycle mentality, collectively known as the one-percenters. The theory is most motorcycle riders are law-abiding citizens, except for the 1% who arent. Richter, who was sentenced to 16 years in prison in 1998 for attempted murder and racketeering and released in 2012, took control of the Pagans in 2018, according to officials. Approximately one week later Aquino and Ortiz shot at an associate of the Hells Angels on the New Jersey Turnpike in retaliation for the Verona assault. Among the hiearchy of women associated with the Pagans, the lowest are called "pets. The neighborhood was put in lockdown during the search, with residents instructed to stay inside for about four hours. I dont care if it is two cops, a priest, a nun, five little kids or Jesus f------ Christ himself, if you pull something on me, I am going to shoot you, Ritcher allegedly said in the recorded conversation, according to Frazer. Dorazo, who authorities say is a member of the Camden County chapter of the Pagans, was charged in August 2020 with being a felon in possession of a firearm after a confidential informant told law enforcement that Dorazo provided six firearms and a large amount of ammunition to store in the informants garage. "The Pagans are an outlaw motorcycle gang and in the charges that we announced today, as well as in the charges that we brought over the past 11 months, we identify the Pagans as a racketeering enterprise that engages in various forms of illegal activity, including narcotics trafficking, weapons possession and trafficking, and violent crime," Honig said during a Monday press conference announcing the latest indictments. Biker News does not belong to or support any Club. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Pagans National President Keith "Conan" Richter was attendingthat party last month before his arrest for gun possession in New Jersey by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms . Please subscribe today to NJ.com. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Michael Mancuso | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, Alex Napoliello | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, increasing membership in all corners of the state. Richter personally possessed that gun, did not hide it from the numerous people that were there, Frazer said. Do you know who we are? the Pagans yelled at the man, according to a police report. The two groups are locked in a violent struggle for control of New Jersey, investigators said. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. We believe this corresponds with a fair use of any such copyrighted material (referenced and provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law). All rights reserved (About Us). Then in May, a federal judge lifted the home incarceration and allowed Dorazo to look for employment, according to court documents. The actual tally was likely higher because many incidents go unreported, the report said. Under the control of Richter, the Pagans have been absorbing smaller, local motorcycle groups to increase membership, officials said. The group has expandedfrom 10 chapters to 17in New Jersey in the past few years, and is moving into the northern part of the statefrom their traditional South Jersey stronghold,said Edwin Torres, an investigator for the commission and president of the East Coast Gang Investigators Association. Alleged members of the Pagans Motorcycle Club appear with their attorney in an SCI public hearing. CAMDEN - Two Williamstown men have admitted guilt in connection with an attack on a man who helped an investigation into the Pagans Motorcycle Club. Prosecutors allege that Arocho, Guzman, and other associates of the Pagans brutally assaulted an associate of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club at a gas station in Newark in April 2018. CAMDEN Two Williamstown men have admitted guilt in connection with an attack on a man who helped an investigation into the Pagans Motorcycle Club. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. The commission recommended the state Attorney Generals Office create a working group comprised of law enforcement officials at every level devoted to identifying and prosecuting criminal activity conducted by outlaw motorcycle clubs. It included interviews with Pagan members their voices altered to protect their identities and video of a brutal attack in 2018 near a Hells Angels clubhouse in Newark. Its expanding at a rate weve never seen before, Edwin Torres, an SCI investigative agent, said in reference to Pagan membership in New Jersey. The club also extorts business owners and relies on members to pay monthly dues of $100. The investigator, understanding that he was on speaker and that members of the (Pagans) might be listening to their conversation, remained in his undercover persona throughout the conversation, says the complaint. Nieves and the members refused to answer any questions from the SCI commissioners, citing their Fifth Amendment rights. NEWARK, N.J. Two high-ranking members of the Pagans Motorcycle Club were indicted today for assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering, narcotics distribution, and firearms offenses, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced. Count Six carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison, a maximum sentence of life in prison, and a fine of up to $250,000. There are at least 900 Pagans spread across 12 states and in Puerto Rico, officials have said. It is unclear why Richter was not arrested during the traffic stop. Pagan's Motorcycle Club paraphernalia on display at a state Commission of Investigation Public Hearing on Oct. 23, 2019.Michael Mancuso | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com. According to the U.S. Attorneys Office, Luis Arocho, 43, of Keansburg, and Maurice Guzman, 51, of Newark, were charged with aggravated assault in aid of racketeering. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. That group includes the Hells Angels, the Outlaws and the Bandidos. The club earns its proceeds from drug trafficking, the commission said. Over the last year federal authorities have been aggressive in investigating the Pagans, as they rapidly expanded in New Jersey under Richters leadership. Those self-proclaimed members proudly display a 1% patch on their jackets. Sign up for Patch email newsletters. The Pagans Motorcycle Club, as its officially called, formed in Prince Georges County, Maryland, in 1959. The judge is to sentence Marino on May 26 and DAlessandro on June 1. Members conduct active "counter surveillance" of law enforcement, using drones and plainclothes Pagan members to search for undercover law enforcement officers at events. A former Pagan chapter president in South Jersey is currently serving a life prison sentence for orchestrating the 2012 murder-for-hire plot of April Kauffman, a well-known radio personality in the Atlantic City area. A report released Wednesday by the group, an independent state watchdog formed in the late 1960s to investigate public corruption and organized crime, says the Pagans have increased their membership ranks in the past three years and pose a growing threat to the public. Hearing Impaired: 973-645-6227 There are more Latino members of the group in North Jersey than elsewhere. Michael Mancuso | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, Alex Napoliello | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com. It sells marijuana and cocaine, but a bulk of its business is from methamphetamine, acquired from a Mexican drug cartel. Through the investigation, law enforcement seized 10 firearms and more than 800 grams of methamphetamine. A report released Wednesday by the group, an independent state watchdog formed in the late 1960s to investigate public corruption and organized crime, says the Pagans have increased their membership ranks in the past three years and pose a growing threat to the public. The two groups are locked in a violent struggle for control of New Jersey, investigators said. At the time of Aquinos arrest, he was the vice president of the Pagans Elizabeth membership chapter, prosecutors said. The outlaw motorcycle club has a clubhouse in Newark. Seemingly random assaults like these on the citizens of the Garden State have officials at the New Jersey State Commission of Investigation urging law enforcement to take action. He later gave another $4,000 to Dorazo after being told the Pagans were unhappy with the purported gun sale, the complaint says. There are also individual chapter presidents, and those members are referred to as the Mother Club, responsible for managing Pagans' business and recruitment efforts on a local level. In New Jersey, Pagans membership, which has always been strong in South Jersey, has increased at an alarming rate in recent years, with 300 members in 17 chapters throughout the state.. Over the last year, federal authorities have charged at least 10 Pagan members in New Jersey with a number of crimes, including for their alleged roles in shootings and drug distribution.. Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site. Pagans continue to distribute methamphetamine but are getting away from manufacturing it, relying more on "super labs" in Mexico. Not only are there violent attacks on rival biker clubs like the Hells Angels and the Warlocks, the report states, but a newfound level of aggression has led to drive-by shootings, savage beat downs of adversaries and unprovoked physical assaults on members of the public across New Jersey.. Alex Napoliello may be reached at anapoliello@njadvancemedia.com. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. This website may contain copyrighted material, the use of which may not have been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs - State of New Jersey Commission of Investigation 1989 Report THE PAGANS Operating in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, New York, Maryland, West Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio, Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina, the Pagans' overall membership has been estimated at between 300 and 400. Ortiz was indicted for possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. It was. The Pagans which started in Prince George's County, Maryland, in 1959 has swelled to more than 1,300 members across at least 12 states, experts said. It included interviews with Pagan members their voices altered to protect their identities and video of a brutal attack in 2018 near a Hells Angels clubhouse in Newark. When Richter took control of the club in 2018, his main mission was to expand its membership across the country, authorities said, which eventually put a target on the motorcycle club. Both Arocho and Guzman face 20 years in prison if convicted. Jul 2019. It included interviews with Pagan members their voices altered to protect their identities and video of a brutal attack in 2018 near a Hells Angels clubhouse in Newark. Our journalism needs your support. Richter was not present at the hearing. Women are considered property and rank lower than dogs in the order of importance to the group. The Pagans formed in Prince Georges County, Maryland, in 1959. They're one of four major outlaw clubs. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). The victim allowed investigators to seize the weapons without the Pagans knowledge. Later, the same Pagan and two of his companions ambushed the patron, hitting him twice in the head with an axe handle a weapon of choice for the Pagans. The group is also able to thwart law enforcement by utilizing encrypted cellphone apps and counter-surveillance efforts, including flying a drone at a large gathering of Pagans at Wildwoods Roar to the Shore event. The actual tally was likely higher because many incidents go unreported, the report said. The Pagans beat him with a small bat and a wrench, officials said. as one of four major outlaw motorcycle gangs. But Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer said during Ritchers first appearance in court Friday that the government has incontrovertible evidence that Richter possessed the firearm at the party. The assault victim, whose name was not disclosed, had alerted investigators in July 2020 that hed been asked to store guns and ammunition by another suspect in the case, Michael Cage Dorazo of Gloucester City, a criminal complaint alleges. 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. The man told police he had never seen his attacker prior to that evening in January 2019. Hugo Zorro Nieves, who authorities said they believe is the vice president of the Pagans, is based in New Jersey. Lock 1:01 CAMDEN - Two Williamstown men have admitted guilt in connection with an attack on a man who helped an investigation into the Pagans Motorcycle Club. In New Jersey, Pagans membership which has always been strong in South Jersey has grown at an alarming rate in recent years, with approximately 200 members in 17 chapters. The victim told the Pagans hed sold the guns for $5,000 and turned over that amount of money, which was provided by federal investigators, to Dorazo, the complaint alleges. The northern part of the state is where the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club has shown dominance. Ritchers attorney argued that his client is at high-risk to COVID-19 if he is detained and offered a $1 million bail package for Richter to be released on. Recruitment has become much less selective, with people joining for $500 to $1,000 instead of going through a lengthy trial period as a "prospect.". 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