The U.S. Attorney’s Office District of New Jersey released the below information:
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.
Luis Arocho, aka “LuRoc,” 43, of
Keansburg, New Jersey, and Maurice Guzman, aka “Dawg,” 51, of Newark, are
charged by complaint with one count of aggravated assault in aid of
racketeering. They are scheduled to appear by videoconference today before U.S.
Magistrate Judge Leda Dunn Wettre.
“Today’s arrests are the latest
in a long-running investigation into the illegal activities of the Pagan’s
Motorcycle Club,” Acting U.S. Attorney Honig said. “We have now charged 11
members of this outlaw gang with various weapons, drug-trafficking and violent
crimes. Together with our federal, state, and local partners, we remain fully
committed to combatting violent crime in New Jersey and prosecuting the members
of the criminal organizations who are responsible for it.”
“This investigation has dealt a
significant blow to the Pagans motorcycle gang,” Special Agent in Charge of the
DEA’s New Jersey Division Susan A. Gibson said. “The use of violence, weapons,
and intimidation was standard for this criminal organization, and law
enforcement made it clear that their behavior would not be tolerated. It is a
bad day for the Pagans when the combined forces of DEA, ATF, New Jersey State
Police and Union County detectives come after you. These arrests made New
Jersey safer and this investigation demonstrated the determination of DEA and our
amazing partners to pursue the most violent criminal gangs who choose to
violate the law.”
“I can say without question that
our collective efforts have disrupted and dismantled the daily illegal
activities of the Pagans outlaw motorcycle gang, by strategically removing
their most violent and most egregious firearm and drug trafficking members and
associates,” ATF Newark Field Division Acting Special Agent in Charge Toby C.
Taylor said. “This collaborative investigation will undoubtedly make communities
safer throughout our state and beyond.”
“The success and scale of this
investigation is a testament to the impact a collaboration between law
enforcement agencies can have on the safety and security of our communities,”
Acting Union County Prosecutor Lyndsay V. Ruotolo said. “Thanks to the hard
work and dedication of investigators and prosecutors in this long-term effort,
which occurred during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, dangerous actors,
along with mass quantities of narcotics and firearms, have been removed from
our streets.”
“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,” Col. Patrick
J. Callahan, Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police, said. “I commend
the hard work and dedication of all the agencies involved. Their efforts have
led to the arrests of violent offenders and the seizure of weapons and drugs,
which has undoubtedly made our communities safer.”
According to documents filed in
these cases and statements made in court:
On April 24, 2018, Arocho,
Guzman, and other associates of the Pagans assaulted an associate of the Hells
Angels Motorcycle Club at a gas station in Newark. The Pagans and the Hells
Angels have a long-standing rivalry. The victim was beaten with an axe handle,
punched, and kicked by the Pagans assailants, resulting in significant
injuries. Both Arocho and Guzman are high-ranking leaders in the Pagans’
organization.
Acting U.S. Attorney Honig also
announced that a federal grand jury returned an indictment today charging
Nicholas Bucciarelli, aka “Booch,” 56, of Brooklawn, New Jersey, 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,
arising from his commission of a gang-related gunpoint assault in which an
associate of the Pagans was assaulted for breaking the organization’s rules.
Nicholas Marino, aka “Lefty,” 75, of Williamstown, New Jersey, Anthony
D’Alessandro, aka “Fugit,” 55, of Williamstown, New Jersey, and Michael Dorazo,
aka “Cage,” 42, of Gloucester City, New Jersey, were previously charged by
federal criminal complaint for their roles in the assault. At the time of their
arrests, Bucciarelli was the sergeant at arms for the Pagans’ Camden County
membership chapter, Marino and D’Alessandro served as the president and
sergeant at arms, respectively, for the Pagans’ Gloucester County membership
chapter, and Dorazo was a member of the Pagans. Bucciarelli was also indicted
for distributing five grams or more of methamphetamine.
These charges were filed as part
of a multi-agency investigation into the Pagan’s Motorcycle Club – an outlaw
motorcycle gang known to engage in illegal activity, including narcotics
trafficking, weapons trafficking, and violent crimes. The Pagans have
established membership chapters in numerous states and U.S. territories,
including multiple active chapters in New Jersey. 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. Through the investigation, law enforcement seized 10
firearms and more than 800 grams of methamphetamine.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office
previously announced the arrest of Keith Richter, aka “Conan” – the
national president of the Pagans – in connection with his illegal possession of
a firearm on Feb. 20, 2021. Those charges remain pending.
Law enforcement officials also
previously arrested the following individuals in connection with the
investigation. (Each of the defendants is charged by federal criminal
complaint; the specific charges and corresponding penalties are listed in the
chart below.)
Larry Ortiz, aka “Savage,” 31, of
Elizabeth, New Jersey, and Junius Aquino, aka “Jayo,” 38, of Vauxhall, New
Jersey, 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. On Oct. 28, 2020, Ortiz and Aquino shot at an
associate of a rival gang while driving on the New Jersey Turnpike. The
shooting was committed as part of an ongoing dispute between the Pagans and the
Hells Angels Motorcycle Club.
Aquino was also charged in a
separate criminal complaint with possession of ammunition by a convicted felon
in connection with a shooting that occurred three days later. On Oct. 31, 2020,
Aquino shot at an occupied vehicle in Elizabeth. Law enforcement officers
recovered seven .40 caliber shell casings from the shooting scene. On Nov. 5,
2020, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Aquino’s residence and
recovered, among other items, multiple .40 caliber rounds of ammunition and
approximately 50 grams of cocaine. After law enforcement officers recovered the
cocaine from Aquino’s residence, Aquino was charged with possession with intent
to distribute cocaine. At the time of Aquino’s arrest, he was the vice
president of the Pagans’ Elizabeth membership chapter.
Ortiz was also charged with
possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and
possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. On Nov. 17,
2020, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Ortiz’s residence
and recovered approximately 300 grams of methamphetamine and a loaded firearm.
At the time of his arrest, Ortiz was the president of the Pagans’ Jersey City
membership chapter.
Daniel Hooban, aka “Jersey,” 33,
of Bayonne, New Jersey, was charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted
felon; possession with intent to distribute a quantity of cocaine; and
possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. On June 29,
2020, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Hooban’s residence
and recovered approximately 30 grams of cocaine and a loaded firearm. At the
time of Hooban’s arrest, he was the sergeant at arms for the Pagans’ Jersey
City membership chapter.
Glen Turner, aka “Glenny,” 73, of
Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania, was charged with possession with intent to
distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. Turner is a long-time member of
the Pagans. On Dec. 10, 2020, law enforcement officers executed a search
warrant at Turner’s residence and recovered approximately 450 grams of
methamphetamine.
Acting U.S. Attorney 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 Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of
Acting Prosecutor Ruotolo; and the New Jersey State Police, under the direction
of Col. Callahan, with the investigation leading to these charges.
Acting U.S. Attorney Honig also
thanked the U.S. Marshals Service, under the direction of U.S. Marshal Juan
Mattos Jr.; the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, under the direction
of District Attorney Timothy D. Sini; the Elizabeth Police Department, under
the direction of Chief Giacomo Sacca; special agents of the FBI Cherry Hill
Resident Agency, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Michael J.
Driscoll in Philadelphia; and the West Deptford Police Department, under the direction
of Chief John Chambers, for their assistance with this investigation.
These cases are part of an
Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF
identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money
launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the
United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency
approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law
enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
The government is represented by
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert Frazer, R. Joseph Gribko, and Samantha C.
Fasanello, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Newark.
The charges and allegations contained in the complaints and indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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