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). 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. 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. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. 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. A member of the Pagans motorcycle club is seen at the funeral of a fellow biker.EXT. In New Jersey, its going to be hard to find a county where there isnt a Pagan presence.. The club earns its proceeds from drug trafficking, the commission said. 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. 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. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. This website may contain copyrighted material, the use of which may not have been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. 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. 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). Law enforcement officials also previously arrested several other people in connection with the investigation, prosecutors said. The man told police he had never seen his attacker prior to that evening in January 2019. Then they cut him off, blocking his escape. The Pagan's Motorcycle Club has recruited disgraced or retired law enforcement officers and even a former municipal court judge in New Jersey. Pagans MC: Glen Turner - The Shooting Of A NJ State Trooper (1982-83) MOBFAX 71.5K subscribers Subscribe 471 34K views 4 months ago Pagans MC: Glen Turner - The Shooting Of New Jersey. While the Pagans have traditionally drawn members from white supremacist groups, the diversifying of the club has been a sharp turn that has angered older members. 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. 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. 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 20-page SCI report was issued following a lengthy investigation of the Pagans, identified by the F.B.I. Official websites use .gov Please subscribe today to NJ.com. By continuing to use the site, you agree to the use of cookies. The neighborhood was put in lockdown during the search, with residents instructed to stay inside for about four hours. The Pagans and the Hells Angels are known to be rival gangs. Pagans Motorcycle Club merchandise on display at a State Commission of Investigation public hearing on Oct. 23, 2019.Michael Mancuso | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com. A locked padlock The cookie settings on this website are set to "allow cookies" to give you the best browsing experience possible. Those self-proclaimed members proudly display a 1% patch on their jackets. 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). There has been an almost 50% increase in chapters in New Jersey over the past three years, officials said. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. At the time of his arrest, Ortiz was the president of the Pagans Jersey City membership chapter, prosecutors 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. After hearing gunshots ring out in the neighborhood, Deptford police officers rushed to the area and began a search for Michael F. Dorazo, 41, of Glendora. 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 agency also said every officer in New Jersey should undergo training in case they encounter these gangs. Aquino was also charged with possession of ammunition by a convicted felon (Count Three) and possession with intent to distribute cocaine (Count Four), and Ortiz was also charged with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine (Count Five) and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime (Count Six). 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. Its unclear how the arrest of Richter will impact the group. Glen Turner, 73, of Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania, was charged with possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. It was. Dorazo was initially being held on the federal gun charge, according to court documents, but a judge released him in December 2020 on a $100,000 unsecured appearance bond, home incarceration with location monitoring and other restrictions. Our journalism needs your support. The charges against Bucciarelli are only allegations. 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. He didnt think anything of it when he exited the highway, but soon realized he was being tailed by a motorcycle and a car. "Despitethesometimesroughappearanceoftheseguys,theyarenotatall unsophisticatedwhenitcomestounderminingandfrustratinglawenforcement," said Lee Seglem, executive directorofthe commission, in his opening statement. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. 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. Our journalism needs your support. 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. 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.. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. Hearing Impaired: 856-968-4983 Richter and the passenger were not detained at the time, but Richter was later arrested by an agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, which identified him in the criminal complaint as the national president of the Pagans. Richter was not present at the hearing. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. 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. He made a series of turns, but couldnt shake them. Dark-skinned Latinos are welcome but not black men, Torres said. Arocho and Guzman are both high-ranking leaders in the Pagans organization, authorities alleged. 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. The Pagans are now taking in members from street gangs like the Bloods, the Latin Kings, the Crips and the Netas. The hearing featured testimony from SCI investigators, New Jersey State Police officers and county prosecutors. Members of the Pagan's Motorcycle Club have been implicated in a drug ring with an Atlantic County doctor authorities say hired them to kill his wife. Wolves in Sheep's Clothing: New Jersey's SPCAs 17 Years Later. This is a serious matter that requires immediate attention from the larger policing community, the report said. The U.S. Attorneys Office previously announced the arrest of Keith Richter the national president of the Pagans in connection with his illegal possession of a firearm in February. 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. Many of the accused hold national, regional, and local leadership positions in the Pagans Motorcycle Club, prosecutors say. An axhandle is a weapon of choice among many Pagans. Prosecutors said Turner is a long-time member of the Pagans. 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 20-page SCI report was issued following a lengthy investigation of the Pagans, identified by the F.B.I. An alleged member of the Pagans 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 motorcycle club store firearms and ammunition for the organization, according to online court records. Prosecutors said Bucciarelli commissioned a gang-related gunpoint assault, in which an associate of the Pagans was assaulted for breaking the organizations rules. 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