According to a new report from the New Jersey Commission of Investigation (SCI) issued Wednesday, the Pagans is a growing threat to citizens in New Jersey.
The Pagan’s Motorcycle Club, one of the major outlaw motorcycle groups, has conducted “numerous assaults” against members of the public, the report said. “This 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 State Commission of Investigation is an independent state watchdog formed to investigate public corruption and organized crime.
The F.B.I. considers the Pagans as one of four major outlaw motorcycle gangs. That group includes the Hells Angels, the Outlaws and the Bandidos.
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The commission recommended that the Attorney General’s Office create a working group integrated by law enforcement officials at all levels. Their mission would be to identify and prosecute the criminal activities of illegal motorcycle gangs.
The agency also said that all New Jersey officials should receive training in order to face these gangs effectively.
The Pagans are growing
The presence of the Pagans covers twelve states in the country. In New Jersey, Pagans membership has grown at an alarming rate in recent years, with 200 members in 17 chapters. There has been a 50% increase in chapters in New Jersey over the past three years, officials said.
“It’s expanding at a rate we’ve never seen before,” Edwin Torres, an SCI investigative agent, said in reference to Pagan membership in New Jersey. Additionally he said “In New Jersey, it’s going to be hard to find a county where there isn’t a Pagan presence.”
Pagan President Keith “Conan” Richter was sentenced to 16 years in prison in 1998 for attempted murder and racketeering. Then in 2012 he took control of the Pagans in 2018, according to officials.
Richter’s intention seems to be to increase the presence of his band and increase the extent of his control. Meanwhile, he has been incorporating other local motorcycle clubs. The Pagans also have begun recruiting members of street gangs, such as the Bloods, Crips and Latin Kings, officials said.
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