Running Head: The Pagans Motorcycle Club 1

The Pagans Outlaw Motorcycle Club

Malissa Mardorf

Organized Crime

Dr. Foley

Due: November 19, 2014

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Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs, or “clubs”, as members would like to be referred to as, have

been an ongoing and growing part of organized crime. From their first start post World War II,

until this very day, motorcycle gangs have been a developing problem in the world. They are

becoming increasingly well structured, dangerous, and not to mention they gain income from

illegal methods. They contribute to our ongoing war on drugs, and also add a tremendous

amount of violence to society due to their outlaw attitudes.

Outlaw clubs may also be referred to as “one percenters”. This was all based on a

statement from the American Motorcyclist Association which stated that 99% of motorcyclists

are law abiding citizens, while the other 1% are outlaws. This statistic given by a member of the

AMA is controversial. Some members stated that this statement was not said and taken out of

context, and others do not agree with it because those statistics are not accurate. Regardless of

the fact, many outlaw gangs use this 1% as a way of identification.

The Pagans motorcycle club was founded in 1959 in the state of Maryland by a man

named Lou Dobkin. The original gang started off as a 13 manned group, who were generally

nonviolent. In the early 1960’s, the demand for a structured group grew and changes began to

take place. A constitution was written, a structured government was created, and a system of

rank was established. John “Satan” Marron, who was previously the Sons of Satan president,

became the first national president. With this title now in the hands of Marron, a noticeable

increase of violence occurred setting the tone for future outlaw and illegal activity.

Motorcycle gangs wear patches as one of the numerous methods of distinguishing

themselves and showing pride in the club they belong to. The Pagans’ patch shows a Surtr,

which is a fire giant based on German mythological tales. The Surtr is seen sitting atop the sun

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while clutching a sword in one hand. Additionally, the word “Pagans” is written in red, white

and blue as their top rocker patch (above MC patch). More patches are common for members to

have, but are not required. These patches all serve a purpose in order to portray information or to

claim a stance. Some common patches that are typically worn by a member of the Pagan’s are an

assortment of numbers. A 13 can be worn to signify their mother chapter. A 4 can be worn to

represent their motto, “live and die”. The number 5 can be worn to represent Nazi beliefs. A

number 7 can be worn as a memorial patch for the deceased. Lastly, a number 9 can be worn to

show the chapter a member belongs to. Some other common patches are, “live pagans; die

pagans”, “pagans forever; forever pagans”, and the number 16 or the letter P. Their wardrobe is

made up of blue denim vests referred to as cuts which display all their patches. This particular

gang does not include a bottom rocker patch, which is placed below the mc patch. This helps

depict what chapter the individual belongs to. This is done in an attempt to keep unwanted

information away from law enforcement and to keep their specific chapter a secret. Patches are

properties of the club itself, not the individual member so they should be worn and protected

with pride. When a member has violated the rules of the club, he may be stripped of all his

patches and banished, punished, or even killed.

On top of the various patches members wear, tattoos are also very common. Rights must

be earned in order to have the honor of sporting a club tattoo. Common tattoos are the words,

pagan Motorcycle club, live pagans; die pagans, pagans forever; forever pagans, and 1%. Being

tattooed Pagans M.C. with God on the upper back is a very special privilege that must be earned.

Just as the patches, tattoos are also removed after violating the club. This can either be done by

inking over the skin with black, or any other ways possible.

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Many at risk offenders look to join gangs as a sense of belonging. This is also true for

motorcycle gangs. Many members join for a sense of protection and grow close into a family

type figure. New members attempting to join the club are called prospects. These men go

through a vigorous process to prove their devotion and self-worth to the club. Some initial

qualifications must be met in order to try and join. You must be at least a 21 year old male who

owns a Harley Davidson or a Triumph motorcycle. The engine of the motorcycle also must be

more than 900cc. If prospects meet these primary credentials, they will be given a cut, and a

prospect badge until they can prove themselves worthy. After committing challenging and

illegal tasks, prospects can trade in their prospect patches for gang colors and are then considered

an official member of the club. Usually very hard challenges are given to the prospects such as

smuggling drugs, or even murder to try and test their dedications to the club. They only want the

strongest and most loyal members that will not break under pressure. This assures a strongly

bonded club with a smaller chance of betrayal.

The Pagans’ have about 900 active members along with prospects, and other various

hang around members. The club is made up of about 44 chapters, which are localized groups of

members of the club. The most common chapters are in Florida, New Jersey, Pennsylvania,

Delaware, and Maryland. Every chapter has an organizational structure set up with a president, a

vice president, treasurer, secretary, road captain, and a sergeant-at-arms. Most outlaw

motorcycle gangs have a mother chapter, which is the original chapter that was created. The

Pagans’ mother chapter is very nomadic and usually changes when a new president is elected,

although it is usually located in Maryland, Pennsylvania, or Long Island, NY. This mother

chapter contains anywhere between 17-20 members. The president of the mother chapter is also

the president of the entire club. Chapters are kept on the small side, usually maxing out at

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around 25 members. This is done to ensure a close bond and to allow for easier decision making.

If the membership starts reaching its maximum capacity, another chapter is created to facilitate

for these individuals. Unlike most motorcycle clubs, the Pagan’s do not have international

chapters.

The National Sergeant at arms, belonging to the mother chapter, is responsible for

handpicking 13 members to serve as the enforcement team. These members wear all black and

the number 13 on their backs. This group is specifically in charge of maintaining order and

enforcing punishment. The 13 members load into two black vans in order to “TCB”, or take care

of business. Motorcycle clubs often have trademark hits in order to show that they are

dangerous, serious, and want the other groups to know that they mean business. The Pagan’s

trademark hit is two shots in the back of the head with a .38 caliber double automatic colt, and

then stomping the victim on the ground after the shooting.

Members meet weekly in more private settings as opposed to a club house. The location

is usually done in a member’s home or elsewhere. The weekly meeting is known as “church”

and all members are required to attend. Failure to show up can result in heavy fines or even

expulsion from the club. The meetings follow Robert’s Rules of Order and include a roll call,

motions, and voting on matters. Although each chapter has its own president and vice president,

they do not lead the chapters per say. Members act more or less as equals during meetings in

order to successfully conduct business. The president and vice president are in charge more of

setting drug prices, and receive a high salary, usually around $200,000 a year, not including any

sales or deals made within the club.

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The Hells Angels and The Pagans have been known to be rivals of each other. Most of

the violence conducted by The Pagans is in direct correlation to their enemy. The Hells Angels

tried to interrupt Pagan territory by hosting their hell raiser ball in Long Island on claimed Pagan

land, and also tried to establish a chapter in Philadelphia. The Pagans did not like this invasion

on their turf and retaliated.

On February 23, 2002 a deadly brawl took place between the Pagans and the Hells

Angels. The Angels were hosting an event in Long Island, called the Hells Angels’ Hell Raiser

Ball containing bands, motorcycle exhibits and tattoo contests. The event was made up of about

1,000 motorcyclists and a half dozen police observing from across the street. After around 4

p.m. 10 vanloads of Pagans descended on the ball. They stormed in armed with baseball bats

and various other weapons, and started to create a ruckus. Shots were fired out from a member

of the Hells Angels and the fighting started. One fatality occurred on the Pagans’ side from the

gun shot and 10 others were found to be injured. 75 bikers ended up being charged, 73 of which

were members of the Pagans. Approximately 500 weapons were seized including guns, knives,

bats, and axe handles, as well as a large amount of cocaine. This fight is believed to of started

due to the Hells Angels trying to take over Pagan land in Long Island.

A short while after the hell raiser ball incident, Hells Angels attempted to open up a

chapter in Philadelphia. This also being Pagan turf, was not acceptable to the club. After a few

minor altercations, in January of 2005, the Philadelphian Hells Angels chapter president was

gunned down and killed. It is strongly believed that this was the workings of the Pagan’s in

order to protect their area. Shortly after this fatal attack, Hells Angels pulled their chapter from

Philadelphia and the Pagans successfully reclaimed their territory.

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The Pagans are notoriously known for their violence and connections to the mob, causing

them to be closely linked to organized crime. At first relations between The Pagans and the

Philadelphia crime families were not good. Both groups were heavily involved in drug

trafficking and a disagreement arose. One member of the Pagans attempted to kill Harry

“Hunchback” Riccobene over such deal. Luckily, the shot missed and wounded a body guard.

Relationships between the two groups surprisingly grew close and soon they became partners in

the manufacturing and distribution of methamphetamine and PCP. The Pagans also act as body

guards and hit men for them. A supposed pact reported by the Philadelphia press, depicts crime

family head “Skinny” Joey Merlino and former Pagans chapter president and Philadelphia Police

Officer Steven “Gorilla” Mondevergine working together in order to keep Hells Angels out of

the New Jersey and Philadelphia region.

One of the most recent, important cases associating with the Pagan club occurred in

November of 2014. The formal national president of the club, Dennis “Rooster” Katona was

arrested on drug charges. He was sentenced to 40-80 months in prison. Also, Raymond “Pete”

Overly, a chapter president is planning on pleading guilty this month to racketeering and a high

number of drug related offenses.

Along with being known for violent tendencies, The Pagans are also largely into the drug

and prostitution business. Other criminal activities include arms dealing, extortion, arson,

assault, murder, and trafficking stolen goods. The Pagans cook and distribute most of the

methamphetamine and PCP found in the northeastern part of the United States. They have

created their own laboratories and chemists to help with the high drug demand. They earn

upwards of about $15 million a year in the drug business, working alongside the Philadelphia

crime family. The Pagans are not limited to methamphetamines and PCP, for they also deal

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cocaine, marijuana, and killerweed which is a mixture of parsley and PCP. Their big buyers are

located in Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland, and Ohio. Puppet clubs,

which are smaller motorcycle clubs, and small drug organizations are also used by the Pagans to

help them with drug distributions.

Out of all the Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs in the world, the Pagans are dangerous enough

to make it into the “big four”, which also includes the Hells Angels, the Outlaws, and the

Bandidos. The Pagans are a highly dangerous set of individuals with countless murder, drug,

and prostitution charges against them. They have close ties to mob families, causing them to be

an important aspect of organized crime.

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References

Abadinsky, Howard. Organized Crime. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon, Print.

"Big Four Motorcycle Clubs." Motorcycle Clubs HQ. Web. 19 Nov. 2014.

Gootman, Elissa. "Biker Attack Is Called Clash Over L.I. Turf." The New York Times. The New York

Times, 24 Feb. 2002. Web. 19 Nov. 2014.

"Information on The Pagans Motorcycle Club. Web. 19 Nov. 2014.

"Inner Workings of Pagans Motorcycle Gang Slowly Being Revealed." TribLIVE.com. Web. 19 Nov.

2014.

"Mob-pagan Pact Joey's Bid For Philly Crime Boss Fueled By Link With Biker Gang." Philly.com.

N.p., 11 Mar. 1999. Web. 19 Nov. 2014.

"OUTLAW BIKER GANGS: Pagans MC." OUTLAW BIKER GANGS: Pagans MC. Web. 19 Nov.

2014.

"Pagans Arrests `Just The Tip Of The Iceberg,' Fbi Agent Says Violence And Crime Are Endemic In

The Gang, Officials Say. Rules Are Simple: Don't Touch A Member's Girlfriend Or Steal His

Bike."Philly.com. N.p., 25 June 1998. Web. 19 Nov. 2014.

"Reputed Pagans Leaders in Court This Week on Drug Charges." TribLIVE.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 19

Nov. 2014.