It is not the policy of this club to engage in any criminal activity, and thats all I will say about that, he said. The Pagans and the Hells Angels are known to be rival gangs. The Pagans Motorcycle Club, one of the major outlaw motorcycle groups in the U.S., is a growing threat to citizens in New Jersey and every cop in the state should be trained to deal with them, according to a new report issued Wednesday. Unlike the Hells Angels, the Pagans dont have clubhouses, and instead have weekly meetings in different locations. The ex-national prez of Pagans MC Keith Conan Richter has pleaded guilty to a federal gun charge. And with these charges we have now brought criminal charges against a total of 11 defendants, involving various assaults, weapons possession and drug trafficking charges that relate to their membership and in many cases leadership of the Pagans," Honig said. In a separate case, a federal grand jury returned an indictment on Monday, charging Nicholas Bucciarelli, 56, of Brooklawn, 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. 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. A locked padlock From left, attorney Carlos Martir, suspected Pagan Motorcycle Club member James Helveston Jr., suspected Pagan Motorcycle Club National Vice President Hugo Nieves and suspected Pagan Motorcycle Club National Mother/National Club member Luis Arocho.Michael Mancuso | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, Hugo Zorro Nieves, the alleged vice president of the Pagans, broke his silence to say, It is not the policy of this club to engage in any criminal activity, and thats all I will say about that.. Michael Mancuso | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, Alex Napoliello | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com. Richter was previously convicted in 1998 when he was the national president of the Pagans, Frazer said, of conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering and two counts of attempted assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering. This Pagan resurgence especially the increased violence and other illegal acts that have accompanied it not only threatens the public peace and public safety of the citizens of New Jersey, it also presents significant challenges for those responsible for protecting it, the SCI report says. 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 . 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. This website may contain copyrighted material, the use of which may not have been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. 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 FBI identifies the Pagans as one of the four major outlaw motorcycle gangs in the U.S. That group includes the Hells Angels, the Outlaws and the Bandidos. The commission investigated the group because of an "alarming shift" in the way the Pagans are doing business, which gang investigators have not seenbefore,Torres said. Unlike other motorcycle clubs, the Pagans dont have a clubhouse, but hold weekly meetings called church.. Attorney information for Bucciarelli was not immediately known. A Pagan approached him and threatened him, a police report said. The victim was beaten with an axe handle, punched and kicked by the Pagans assailants, causing significant injuries.. He was cruising on his motorcycle on Route 1 in Elizabeth when he passed two other drivers on the right of the multi-lane roadway in June 2019. 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. In October 2019, the commission held an exhaustive hearing in Trenton detailing how the Pagans are increasing membership in all corners of the state. The most climactic moment came at the hearings end when three reputed leaders of the motorcycle club were called to testify. Bucciarelli has pleaded not guilty to charges that include assault with a deadly weapon in aid of racketeering and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence. The club earns its proceeds from drug trafficking, the commission said. According to documents filed and statements made in court: On Oct. 21, 2020, Aquino visited a bar in Verona, New Jersey, with other members of the Pagans. Hearing Impaired: 856-968-4983 Marino and DAlessandroordered the man to give up his cell phone, then used a handheld device to ensure he had not concealed any electronic devices, the complaint says. The former national president of the Pagans motorcycle club, who led a massive expansion of the outlaw organization in New Jersey, was sentenced to 33 months in federal prison Thursday. U.S. District Court Judge Noel L. Hillman has scheduled sentencing for Dorazo on April 4. The agency also said every officer in New Jersey should undergo training in case they encounter these gangs. Follow him on Twitter @alexnapoNJ. Stay with APP.com or consider a subscription today. The club earns its proceeds from drug trafficking, the commission said. This story has been updated to reflect that Dorazos attorney declined to comment. 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. Members useWhatsApp, a communication app, and encrypted devicesthat keeps law enforcement from tappingphone calls. Law enforcement officials also previously arrested several other people in connection with the investigation, prosecutors said. There has been an almost 50% increase in chapters in New Jersey over the past three years, 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. The most climactic moment came at the hearings end when three reputed leaders of the motorcycle club were called to testify. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Official websites use .gov The ammunition charge arises from a shooting that occurred in Elizabeth on Oct. 31, 2020, during which Aquino shot at an occupied vehicle. The group's move into North Jersey is why the violence has increased, investigators said. The group, which started with just 13 members, evolved into a formal club in the 1960s and spread to neighboring states. At the time of Aquinos arrest, he was the vice president of the Elizabeth membership chapter of the Pagans. This is a serious matter that requires immediate attention from the larger policing community, the report said. The former national president of the Pagan's motorcycle club, an outlaw group that has rapidly expanded in New Jersey in recent years under his leadership, pleaded guilty Wednesday to a. Hugo Zorro Nieves, the alleged vice president of the Pagans, broke his silence to say, It is not the policy of this club to engage in any criminal activity, and thats all I will say about that.. Among the hiearchy of women associated with the Pagans, the lowest are called "pets. For more on crime in New Jersey, scroll to the video above. In 2018, Pagan Robert DeRonde, known as Hellboy, brutally beat an associate of the Hells Angels with a baseball bat at a gas station near the Newark clubhouse. 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. Citing their Fifth Amendment right to remain silent, the alleged leaders declined to answer any of the councils questions. Now there are 900 Pagans spread across 12 states and in Puerto Rico, officials said. In recent years, the group has spread into more northern areas of the state, with a large presence in Elizabeth. Pagans continue to distribute methamphetamine but are getting away from manufacturing it, relying more on "super labs" in Mexico. Through the investigation, law enforcement seized 10 firearms and more than 800 grams of methamphetamine. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Keep updated with local public safety alerts at the Patch Newark Facebook page. All rights reserved (About Us). The 20-page SCI report was issued following a lengthy investigation of the Pagans, identified by the F.B.I. The club also extorts business owners and relies on members to pay monthly dues of $100, the commission said. A federal judge signed a court order this week allowing Michael Dorazo, of the Glendora section of Gloucester Township, to be transferred from the Salem County Correctional Facility to Camden federal court on Sept. 23 in order to plead guilty to a federal charge he faces. It should also share information among agencies to identify larger trends, the report said. Police searched the vehicle and found a loaded Ruger P345 .45-caliber handgun underneath the cupholder of the center console, authorities said. Lock Bucciarelli, who is the sergeant at arms of the Camden County Chapter, could be sentenced to life in prison if convicted of the brandishing a firearm charge. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. 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. During Fridays hearing, Frazer presented a recorded conversation from 2019, in which Ritcher allegedly chided a Pagans leader in the Bronx for not using violence against a rival gang who showed up at one of their clubs brandishing firearms. He later gave another $4,000 to Dorazo after being told the Pagans were unhappy with the purported gun sale, the complaint says. Eventually, the informant was allegedly struck with an axe handle and held at gunpoint by other influential leaders of the Pagans in South Jersey over the mishandling of the firearms, authorities said. Count Four carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a maximum fine of $1 million. Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com. 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. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. There are 900 Pagans spread across 12 states and in Puerto Rico, officials said. New video shows bar attack allegedly at the hand of Pagans Motorcycle Club members Guzman is the President of Presidents of the New Jersey chapter, according to prosecutors. 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. 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