CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. — Members of the Pagans motorcycle gang gathered for a special meeting in New Jersey this Sunday, authorities say.
Jason Blair, 36, the alleged head of the gang’s Long Island chapter, wanted to outline a new plan — and a warning — for his followers, according to an indictment unsealed today.
He and some other gang members had allegedly discussed using grenades to kill members of the Hell’s Angels, a rival motorcycle gang, and had already listed targets, authorities allege.
With the plan ready to unfold, Blair, also known as "Roadblock," issued a chilling order at the meeting: be prepared to die, or go to prison.
Details of the gathering were included in two indictments unsealed today that charge 17 alleged members and associates of the Pagans gang, including some from New Jersey, with violent crimes ranging from assault and extortion to conspiracy to commit murder.
Officials also led a series of raids today across the tri-state area, including four Pagans gang hangouts in New Jersey, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District in New York. Agents recovered 34 firearms and an apparent improvised explosive device, or I.E.D.
Read one of the grand jury indictments
Unsealed in Central Islip and White Plains, N.Y., the indictments include 43 counts and paint a disturbing pattern of violence and drug trafficking, all catalogued by undercover agents during a 21-month investigation.
Seven alleged gang members, including ranking members of the Trenton chapter, are accused of using an array of weapons — axe handles, boots, billiard balls and a pipe wrench — against four victims between October 2009 and January 2010.
Other gang members are also accused of peddling drugs and possessing illegal firearms.
"As this case suggests, violent and criminal motorcycle gangs are not quaint vestiges of the past," said Preet Bharara, the U.S. attorney for the southern district in New York. "Some of the defendants allegedly plied their criminal trade not in the inner city but in quiet communities like the Catskills."
The suspects range from 28 to 70. At least five of the 17 are accused of having Jersey ties: Robert Leonardis, 41, Robert Deronde, 46, Walter Tarrats, 40, of Sussex, Harold Legg, 55, of Edison, and Sergio Cuevas, 70, of Rahway.
The indictments were the result of a multi-jurisdictional effort that included the U.S. Attorneys Offices for the Southern and Eastern Districts in New York, as well as the New Jersey State Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation office in New Jersey.
If convicted, the suspects face prison terms ranging from 10 years to life.
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