The victim was beaten with an axe handle, punched and kicked by the Pagans assailants, causing significant injuries.. The Pagans formed in Prince Georges County, Maryland, in 1959. On Dec. 10, 2020, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Turners residence and recovered about 450 grams of methamphetamine, authorities said. The Pagans Motorcycle Club, as its officially called, formed in Prince Georges County, Maryland, in 1959. Dozaro was eventually found by police in the neighborhood. The Pagans have also started recruiting members from traditional street gangs, like the Bloods, Crips and the Latin Kings, officials said. On Nov. 17, 2020, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Ortizs residence and recovered approximately 300 grams of methamphetamine and a loaded firearm. Our journalism needs your support. Most updated Motorcycle community news from all the World, Motorcycle Clubs news, 1%er news. [ Stay up-to-date on this story by downloading the Asbury Park Press app. The two groups are locked in a violent struggle for control of New Jersey, investigators said. 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. Violence has risen since a change in national leadership in 2018 when Keith "Conan" Richter took over as president, according to testimony. A purported member of a the Pagan's Motorcycle Club was charged with attempted murder after breaking into a home and firing a gun Saturday night in South Jersey.Michael F. Dorazo, 41, was armed with a pair of handguns and a high-power, hig Gloucester + Follow Contact Us Gloucester Daily Voice servesDeptford, The group, which started with just 13 members, evolved into a formal club in the 1960s, spreading to neighboring states. 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. 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. The most climactic moment came at the hearings end when three reputed leaders of the motorcycle club were called to testify. 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. 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. Count Three carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Wolves in Sheep's Clothing: New Jersey's SPCAs 17 Years Later. Keep updated with local public safety alerts at the Patch Newark Facebook page. Female clerks and staff in police departments and other law enforcement offices and in the courts who are linked to the Pagans have compromised investigations and passed along confidential information to the group. 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. In New Jersey, its going to be hard to find a county where there isnt a Pagan presence.. Those charges are being prosecuted in state court and remain pending. as one of the four major outlaw motorcycle gangs operating in the U.S. That group includes the Hells Angels, the Outlaws and the Bandidos. 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. One of the more disturbing elements of the investigation, the commission said, is that sensitive law enforcement information regarding the Pagans has been leaked to members of the club. Prosecutors said Turner is a long-time member of the Pagans. 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. Biker News does not belong to or support any Club. The Pagan's Motorcycle Club still rides, wreaks havoc at Jersey Shore. The resurgence and expansion of the group has made it easier to wear Pagan colors, he said. Keith Richter, known as Conan, was charged with one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. U.S. District Court Judge Kevin McNulty sentenced Keith Conan Richter, 62, in federal court via videoconference after Richter pleaded guilty in July to being a felon in possession of a firearm after authorities discovered a loaded gun in a vehicle he was in during a traffic stop in Mercer County earlier this year. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Monday, June 28, 2021 Eleven Members of The Pagan's Motorcycle Club Charged with Narcotics Distribution, Firearms Offenses, and Violent Crimes in Aid of Racketeering NEWARK, N.J. - Two high-ranking members of the Pagan's Motorcycle Club were arrested today for assault in aid of racketeering, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced. The group, which started with just 13 members, evolved into a formal club in the 1960s and spread to neighboring states. High-ranking members of the outlaw Pagans Motorcycle Club, including those in New Jersey chapters, were indicted on various crimes, federal prosecutors announced Monday. A Pagan approached him and threatened him, a police report said. The Bay Shore, New York, resident was a passenger in a GMC that left the party around 11 p.m. The SCI also said every officer in New Jersey should undergo training in case they encounter these clubs in routine crime investigations. The SCI also said every officer in New Jersey should undergo training in case they encounter these gangs in routine crime investigations. "They're very well organized," Torres told the commission. The ammunition charge arises from a shooting that occurred in Elizabeth on Oct. 31, 2020, during which Aquino shot at an occupied vehicle. The cookie settings on this website are set to "allow cookies" to give you the best browsing experience possible. The federal prosecutors office alleges Marino and DAlessandro were the president and sergeant at arms, respectively, for the Pagans chapter in Gloucester County chapter. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. 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. According to Honig, "that includes the national president, a member of the Pagans Mother Club, which is a national organization that oversees its operations, the president of presidents in New Jersey, the presidents of the Jersey City and Gloucester County chapters of the Pagans, the vice-president of the Elizabeth chapter and the sergeant at arms, or the enforcer, for various other chapters. That group includes the Hells Angels, the Outlaws and the Bandidos. They have added 30 chapters in the past year, Torres said. Do you know who we are? the Pagans yelled at the man, according to a police report. Alex Napoliello may be reached at anapoliello@njadvancemedia.com. Law enforcement officials also previously arrested several other people in connection with the investigation, prosecutors said. The club earns its proceeds from drug trafficking, the commission said. 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. DeRonde, 56, was sentenced to four years in prison in 2019 after he pleaded guilty to aggravated assault. Dorazo, who was armed with two handguns and a high-capacity assault weapon, fled the scene, leading police on a multi-hour search, authorities said. Larry Ortiz, 31, of Elizabeth, and Junius Aquino, 38, of Vauxhall, 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, authorities said. The judge is to sentence Marino on May 26 and DAlessandro on June 1. 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. The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. There has been a 50% increase in chapters in New Jersey over the past three years, officials said. Andrew Kramer charged with murder of Melissa Malcolm in Mount Laurel, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. 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. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. ]. By continuing to use the site, you agree to the use of cookies. Attorney information for the two was not immediately known. FAX: 609-989-2275. "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. On Nov. 5, 2020, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Aquinos residence and recovered, among other items, multiple .40 caliber rounds of ammunition and approximately 50 grams of cocaine. The 20-page SCI report was issued following a lengthy investigation of the Pagans, identified by the F.B.I. Our journalism needs your support. It sells marijuana and cocaine, but a bulk of its business is from methamphetamine, acquired from a Mexican drug cartel. The Pagans beat him with a small bat and a wrench, officials said. 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. 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. 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.. The group now has 900 members in 12 states, he said. The Pagans are run like a business and are organized as such. NEWARK, N.J. (CBS) -- Two top members of the Pagans Motorcycle Club are facing federal assault charges in the U.S. Department of Justice's crackdown on the outlaw gang, authorities say. ]. The club also extorts business owners and relies on members to pay monthly dues of $100. U.S. Attorney's Office, District of New Jersey, Two Members of Pagans Motorcycle Club Indicted for Shooting at Hells Angels Associate on New Jersey Turnpike, Bergen County Man Charged for Possession of Machine Gun, Rifle, Handgun, and Fraudulent United States Marshals Service Credentials in Newark Airport, Philadelphia Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Role in Murder for Hire, Three Hudson County Men Charged with Narcotics and Firearms Related Offenses Inside Jersey City Apartment Building, Two Members of Pagans Motorcycle Club Indicted For Shooting At Hells Angels Associate On New Jersey Turnpike. Ferdinand Augello, left, and Paul Pagano, right, wait, via video, for their first court appearance to begin at the Atlantic . 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. Its expanding at a rate weve never seen before, Edwin Torres, an SCI investigative agent, said at an open hearing in 2019. 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, Callahan said. The national president of the Pagans Motorcycle Club was arrested Friday by federal authorities after law enforcement recovered a firearm during a traffic stop in New Jersey last weekend, the U.S. Attorneys Office announced. Alleged members of the Pagans Motorcycle Club appear with their attorney in an SCI public hearing. The vehicle was stopped by police in East Windsor in Mercer County around 1:30 a.m. Feb. 21. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. There are 900 Pagans spread across 12 states and in Puerto Rico, officials said. Under the control of Richter, the Pagans have been absorbing smaller, local motorcycle groups to increase membership, officials said. 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. ", Also: Camden man fatally shot in Fairview home, More: Andrew Kramer charged with murder of Melissa Malcolm in Mount Laurel. FAX:973-645-2702 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. The recent charges against Arocho, Guzman and Bucciarelli were filed as part of a multi-agency investigation into the Pagans Motorcycle Club, which has been accused of narcotics trafficking, weapons trafficking and violent crimes, authorities said. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. 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