Author: terry.katz

It was never about paying the tab’: Witness recounts Pike’s Pub beating

by: Marcus Truscio WANE 15 Fort Wayne Indiana June 2, 2025
https://www.wane.com/top-stories/it-was-never-about-paying-the-tab-witness-recounts-pikes-pub-beating/

ALLEN CO., Ind. (WANE)— A man who was at Pike’s Pub Friday night, when another man was beaten spoke, to WANE 15 about what he saw and heard after a video of the brawl went viral and made national headlines.

The man spoke with WANE 15 under the condition that his identity would remain anonymous. He said he feared retaliation against him and his family from the Outlaws Motorcycle Club.

The witness said he wasn’t there long before chaos broke out. One narrative that has spread on social media was that the man who eventually fell victim to punches, kicks, chairs being thrown at him and racial slurs, was skipping out on paying his tab after being cut off. The witness said that was not the case.

The bartender told him he could have another drink,” the witness said. “The owner’s boyfriend told him he was cut off. And the owner’s boyfriend was way more drunk than he was.”

The witness said it seemed to him that the owner’s boyfriend was trying to “abuse his authority,” and kick the man out. The man was a regular, according to this witness.

“He planned on paying,” the witness said. “He wasn’t trying to leave without paying. It was never about paying the tab, because he always pays his tab.”

According to the witness, the victim has his card out ready to pay at one point. That’s when he says men wearing vests labeled ‘Outlaw’ began to show up.

“Three or more other of them walk in before [the victim] even got to reply,” The witness said. “They were telling him that he needed to leave. He went to leave. And that’s when the [owner’s boyfriend] grabbed his arm and said you’re going to pay your tab [expletive]. And that’s when the Outlaws tightened up and squeezed around him.”

The witness said one of the men dressed in Outlaw gear hit the victim in the face and that was when several other man began to attack the victim, who was Black. In the video, at least one person can be heard yelling out a racial slur.

The witness said police weren’t called until after the victim had been hit, punched and kicked repeatedly. Once police arrived, officers located the victim and spoke with him, according to the Allen County Sheriff’s Department. They said the victim did not want to provide information on individuals responsible for his injuries. He was taken to a hospital in fair condition.

WANE 15 asked the Sheriff’s Department if federal authorities might be brought into the ongoing criminal investigation and whether this could be a federal hate crime due to the language used in that was heard in the viral video.

The Sheriff’s Department said the case has been assigned to a detective.

“It is very early in the investigation and he is still getting the case together,” a Public Information Officer with the department said.

The witness said he would like to see those seen beating the man held accountable for their actions.

Former bikie reveals what it was really like to be in the Rebels

A former Australian bikie member has revealed some of his most terrifying moments while in a notorious motorcycle club.

Bek Day News.Com.au June 2, 2025
https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/real-life/true-stories/former-bikie-reveals-what-it-was-really-like-to-be-in-the-rebels/news-story/007f8336745b31732c355345371823b5

Shannon Althouse, by his own admission, looks like a pretty scary guy.

With tattoos covering much of his neck and face, he told Gary Jubelin’s I Catch Killers podcast that his fascination with ink began when he started using drugs.

“I started getting ‘em when I got addicted to methamphetamine,” he explained.

“I never had any face tattoos, head tattoos or anything till I started using heavy drugs. And then once I started using heavy drugs, I was just like, I want this face tattoo. I want that head tattoo, you know.”

“This is a true story, I’m not even lying about this,” he continued, when asked if he ever woke up with a new tattoo he didn’t remember getting.

“I woke up in prison once, and as soon as I actually sobered up in prison, I did look in the mirror and I was thinking – wow. What happened? What have I done?,” he continued.

“I was shocked. I shocked myself.”

Growing up in Darwin amid a culture of domestic violence and alcohol, Shannon says his introduction into the criminal world began slowly,
with he and his group of young friends and family heading out to cause trouble as a way to escape what was going on at home when their parents would throw parties.

“We used to just jump on our push bikes and take off, especially when all the parents and all the adults were drinking,” he recalled.
It wasn’t just the drinking and violence they were trying to escape, either.

Althouse discloses he was sexually abused by a friend of the family from a young age, with the abuse often taking place at these parties.

“When the families are all drinking and having a laugh and partying and stuff like that, you know, by the end of the night there are predators.”

Fast-forward a few years and Althouse found himself having served time in prison, and not only addicted to methamphetamine, but also holding the position of sergeant-at-arms in the Darwin chapter of the Rebels bikie club.

“It’s just pretty much like you’re the enforcer,” Althouse explained.

“You make sure that you enforce all the club policies, and protect the president. You’re the president’s right hand man, anything happens to him, you are the one that’s getting done for it.”

“It’s always seemed like a poisoned chalice, the sergeant-at-arms position,” observed Jubelin, “you’re gonna be at the forefront of anything that goes down.”

“Yeah, you’re in the front of the line,” Althouse agreed.

“If anything goes down, any dramas, any wars – anything.

“It puts you in a bit of a position, like I said, the anxiety and paranoia that comes with all that too.

“When you’re pulling up at the petrol station and a car pulls up and the windows are tinted, you know, like you’re wondering – you don’t know if you should grab a weapon or not, in case there’s somebody … your enemy or an enemy of your mate. You know what I mean?”

In fact, it was a lesson Althouse would learn all too well when he was attacked in the street and run over in 2016, leaving him fighting for his life.

Althouse, giving context to the attack that left him in a coma, explained there had been an issue involving a member of another club.
“I knew him for years and we were mates at one stage, and he ended up owing me a bit of money, so I went there to go get the money,” he said.

Althouse explained that after a few failed debt collection attempts, he “punched him around, you know, I gave him a hiding.”

After escalating conflict between the pair, Althouse says he had gone with his housemate to find the other member.

“As I’ve walked in to walk down to his work shed, ‘cause he lived in an industrial area, he wasn’t in there,” he recalled.

“I thought, oh, that’s weird. But then I saw his headlights coming. I couldn’t hear the car moving, but I could see headlights coming up, it was a big, big road, you know?

“And I looked, I walked down and looked down and I saw his Hilux just sitting there in the middle of the road facing me”

“I started walking towards him and did a twirl, showed him that I had no weapons, you know, and told him to get outta the car,” the former bikie continued.

“And then: first gear, second gear, third gear, and he just hit me and just ran me over, clean over.”

Althouse described hitting the ground and immediately going into shock.

“I couldn’t move, couldn’t hear – everything was ringing, but I could see what was going on,” he continued.

“My vision slowly started coming back again, and he was looking at me through the window, you know, and I thought, no, he’s gonna double back and come and run me over to finish me off.”

Althouse managed to push himself up off the ground but knew immediately something was wrong.

“I just felt jelly,” he said.

“Like my whole left side of my body was just smashed. I coughed up a heap of blood on the road and I thought, wow, that’s my lung, something’s happened to my lung, I’ve punctured my lung.

“My housemate came over to me and as I started talking to him, I was spitting blood into his face. I said ‘I’m dying. I gotta get to the hospital. I’m dying.’”

Althouse was right. He had broken both shoulder blades and seven ribs, three of which had punctured his lung.

He ended up losing over four litres of blood, and nearly dying on the operating table.

Shortly after, he went back to prison for 10 years, for his involvement in a retaliatory attack (Althouse purchased the weapons used but was not present at the time of the assault).

But while inside, Althouse made a decision.

He began reading up on Buddhism and mindfulness, and realised he was meant for bigger things than spending his life locked up
While incarcerated in Darwin, and then Alice Springs, he began helping some of the younger inmates.

There was a Royal Commission into [the Protection and Detention of Children in the Northern Territory], and all the young fellas, they started turning 18 and started coming into the maximum security prison,” he explained.

“Some of ‘em couldn’t read or write or anything like that. So I was grabbing their briefs and reading them for them and helping them out.
“And some of the stuff I read, it was pretty disgusting. So I thought, no, I’ve gotta help these young lads, and I started sitting there and helping ‘em with their court proceedings helping ‘em get through their compensation payouts and just guiding ‘em as best as I can through the system, through the adult system.

“I knew it was different to the juvie as well. And then I just got a real passion for it.”

These days, Althouse is not only clean and sober (he’ll have 10 years this October), but he has stayed true to the commitment he made in prison, and hasn’t returned to a life of crime.

He’s no longer a member of the Rebels motorcycle club, and has dedicated his life to mentoring First Nations kids in the Northern Territory through boxing and other community initiatives.

Find out more about Shannon’s redemption story by listening to I Catch Killers.

Tennessee biker arrested after shooting at family on I-65 in Alabama

A Tennessee biker wearing body armor was arrested after allegedly firing into a family’s car on I-65 in north Alabama.

By: Breaking Local News Report June 1, 2025
https://www.shorenewsnetwork.com/2025/06/01/tennessee-biker-arrested-after-shooting-at-family-on-i-65-in-alabama/

LIMESTONE COUNTY, AL — A Tennessee man was arrested Saturday after allegedly opening fire on a family’s vehicle while riding a motorcycle along Interstate 65, according to the Limestone County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies responded to the scene near Mile Marker 347 after a 911 caller reported that a motorcyclist had fired multiple shots at his vehicle as he traveled northbound with his family. The gunfire struck the victim’s vehicle but did not cause any reported injuries.

A detailed suspect description was issued, and Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) troopers located the individual roughly 10 miles from the scene. Limestone County deputies joined the traffic stop and identified the suspect as 30-year-old Jason Jermain Johnson of Centerville, Tennessee.

Authorities said Johnson was found with a loaded pistol, two additional loaded magazines, and a bullet-resistant vest beneath an Outcast Motorcycle Club vest. He was taken into custody without incident.

Johnson was charged with shooting into an occupied vehicle and three counts of attempted murder. Officials confirmed that no bond has been set as of Sunday and that an Aniah’s Law hearing will be scheduled.

“This reckless violence has no place on our highways,” said Sheriff Joshua McLaughlin. “We are thankful no innocent lives were lost, and we will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to ensure the public’s safety.”

The Sheriff’s Office credited ALEA troopers for their rapid response and cooperation during the apprehension.

The investigation remains ongoing as authorities review forensic evidence and witness accounts

Shocking video captures white men in biker-gang gear spewing racial slurs, beating black man in Indiana bar

By Zoe Hussain New York Post Published June 1, 2025
https://nypost.com/2025/06/01/us-news/video-captures-white-men-in-biker-gang-gear-spewing-racial-slurs-beating-black-man-in-indiana-bar/

Viral video captured a group of white men in matching biker-gang vests spewing racial slurs as they violently attacked a black man at an Indiana bar, according to authorities and reports.

The attackers, whose vests said, “Outlaw” — the title of an infamous biker gang — launched the brutal beatdown Friday night at Pike’s Pub in Waynedale, according to the footage and outlets.

Screams erupted from patrons as the brawlers knocked over drinks on tables, the clip shows.

Police responded to the bar around 11 p.m. in response to a call about a potentially intoxicated person who needed to be removed from the bar, the Allen County Sheriff’s Department said in a press release

When cops arrived, the victim did not want to provide information on the men who attacked him, authorities said
The victim was then taken to an area hospital in fair condition, police said.

The owner of Pike’s Pub, Kelley Rost, who was not at the bar when the altercation occurred, said the man had refused to pay his bill, which provoked the attack, WANE 15 reported.

“There are two sides to every story,” Rost told the outlet.

The attackers appeared to be affiliated with the Outlaws Motorcycle Club, a notorious biker group in Fort Wayne.

A 2013 Federal Case convicted two members of the Fort Wayne chapter for engaging in “extortion and the distribution of prescription drugs,” amongst other crimes, as part of club operations, according to an FBI press release.

The bar has since taken down its Facebook and Instagram pages and has remained closed since Saturday, the outlet said.

The incident has since sparked an outpouring of outrage from local politicians and social-media users.

“I must say, it was very disturbing to watch. I am seeking answers as I am sure many of you are, too,” Fort Wayne Mayor Sharon Tucker said in a comment under a social media post, the outlet reported.

“I am in communication with our team and will continue to gather information as it becomes available,” Tucker said

Several protesters at one point lined up in a nearby nursing-home parking lot to demonstrate against the bar, the outlet reported.

Officers returned to the bar Saturday to continue the investigation, and the case will be handed off to the Criminal Investigations Division, cops said.

Motorcycle gang member pleads guilty to helping club president steal firearm

Sarah Motter KCTV 5 May 30, 2025
https://www.kctv5.com/2025/05/30/motorcycle-gang-member-pleads-guilty-helping-club-president-steal-firearm/

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – A St. Joseph area motorcycle gang member could spend the next decade behind bars after he pleaded guilty to helping the club president steal a firearm.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Missouri announced on Friday, May 30, that Michael R. Browell, a.k.a. “Dirtbag,” 35, of Savannah, pleaded guilty to his role in the armed theft of a gun from a member of a rival motorcycle gang.

Court documents noted that Browell pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting in the possession of a stolen firearm. On April 25, 2023, a member of the Border Saints Motorcycle Gang was chased down and confronted by the Saint Joseph Chapter President of the Pagan’s Motorcycle Club, Jeremiah Z. Hahn, a.k.a. “Pass Out.”

Law enforcement officials noted that the victim had previously been requested by Hoahn and other members of the Pagan’s to set up a meeting with the Outlaws Motorcycle Gang over their possible presence in St. Joseph. The Border Saints supported the Outlaws.

Investigators indicated that the Pagan’s attempted to have the victim arrange the meeting; however, when he refused, Browell got an axe handle from his motorcycle and threatened him. As the victim gave up his support shirt, Hahn took his gun from him.

Court records revealed that Hahn and Browell left with the victim’s gun and shirt. During Hahn’s May 3, 2023, arrest by the Missouri State Highway Patrol, he was found to be in possession of the stolen firearm.

Judicial officials noted that Hahn pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm, assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering and attempting to commit assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering on May 20, 2025.

Now, federal statutes dictate that Browell could be sentenced to up to a decade in prison with parole. A sentencing hearing will be set at the completion of a presentence investigation by the U.S. Probation Office.

Hahn and Browell join a slew of other members of the Pagan’s Motorcycle Club who have either already been convicted or await their next court appearance. No further information has been released.

Prosecutors drop all charges in Iron Range Hells Angels case

Defense attorneys had asserted that witness statements and forensic evidence indicated the claims of a rape and kidnapping were false.
By Tom Olsen Duluth News Tribune May 29, 2025

https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/local/prosecutors-drop-all-charges-in-iron-range-hells-angels-case

VIRGINIA — Prosecutors have dismissed the cases against four members of the Iron Range Hells Angels motorcycle club accused of serious crimes including rape, kidnapping and assault.

Assistant St. Louis County Attorney Chris Florey said the alleged victims “are either unwilling or unable to testify at trial and the state cannot prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt” without their cooperation.

The notices of dismissal were filed late Wednesday, less than two weeks before the first defendant, Paul Anthony Debelak, 39, of Eveleth, was set to face a Virginia jury.

Also charged in the case were Jerand Paul French, 40, of Eveleth; Jake Douglas Novaczyk, 47, of Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota; and Eric Anthony Newman, 50, of Gilman, Wisconsin.

Defense attorneys had aggressively challenged the allegations, arguing that witness accounts and physical evidence did not support the claims. They contended investigators were eager to bring charges against the club and also accused agents of intimidating witnesses and eavesdropping on privileged communications between jailed defendants and their attorneys

The cases stemmed from allegations that a woman was sexually assaulted and a man was abducted and beaten at the Hells Angels’ downtown Eveleth clubhouse.

Authorities previously reported that the man escaped from the group on crutches Nov. 28, 2023, and ran to the safety of police, expressing fear that members could find him.

Investigators said they went on to learn that both victims were visiting an Eveleth residence Nov. 27 when club members arrived. It was reported that the woman was raped there by Debelak and Newman.

The man, meanwhile, was allegedly taken to the clubhouse in a van driven by Novaczyk. He said he continued to be beaten by French, the chapter’s president, as other members recorded video.

Authorities released few details about the alleged motive or relationships between parties, other than to say that French was allegedly upset about the man’s association with the woman.

Defense attorneys, however, alleged that investigators were looking to implicate the club in serious crimes to justify a Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension investigation that had been ongoing since at least June 2023.

The attorneys asserted that the alleged victims had been using drugs, a practice that is not tolerated by the Hells Angels, and that they concocted the narrative. They said other witnesses in the house told agents the rape and kidnapping did not occur, and that there was no DNA evidence to support it.

Judge Robert Friday last month upheld charges against Debelak and Newman, ruling there was no attorney-client breach when Debelak subjected his communications to law enforcement monitoring after failing to use the proper channels to contact his lawyer from jail.

The judge also said interview recordings failed to substantiate claims from three defense witnesses that they were threatened with prosecution if they did not comply with orders of BCA agents.

A similar challenge was still pending from French and Novaczyk before Judge Andrew Peterson
.
Testimony at a November hearing centered on authorities learning that Novaczyk planned to surprise the state by demanding a speedy trial — a fact Florey promptly disclosed to defense counsel after learning it from a BCA agent who was privy to the jail communication.

Also highlighted by the defense was a statement from Gilbert Police Chief Ty Techar that he believed BCA Special Agent Cory Skorczewski was “going off the deep end.” Techar later clarified he was advised Skorczewski was “stressed and overworked from this case.” Skorczewski testified that he was on medical leave but denied it had to do with the Hells Angels case.

Three of the defendants had been free on bond while awaiting trial. Newman is still in custody as he faces a probation violation stemming from an earlier offense.

Rider caught after 100 mph chase on motorcycle on Route 422 in Berks

Former Birdsboro man among group of motorcyclists, wearing Pagans attire, that rumbled through Reading on Saturday afternoon.

By STEVEN HENSHAW | shenshaw@readingeagle.com | Reading Eagle May 27, 2025

Rider caught after 100 mph chase on motorcycle on Route 422 in Berks

A former Birdsboro man with a recent criminal conviction is back in Berks County Jail after Reading police said he led an officer on a high-speed chase on Route 422 over the weekend while wearing a jacket with the Pagans’ logo.

John E. Lutz IV, 34, was jailed in lieu of $25,000 bail after arraignment Saturday night before District Judge Eric J. Taylor in Reading Central Court. Lutz, who has no permanent address, faces charges of fleeing or attempting to elude an officer, flight to avoid apprehension or punishment, driving under a suspended license and driving an unregistered vehicle.

According to court records:
Officer William Fursin III received an alert for a wanted person heading east on Route 422 from Sinking Spring. The information was that he was riding a red Harley-Davidson with a license plate that expired in 2020 and was assigned to a Kawasaki.

Fursin took a position on a West Shore Bypass grass patch just east of the Lancaster Avenue exit.

About 10 minutes later, a group of about 10 motorcyclists wearing Pagans’ jackets went past.

Fursin pulled out and began to catch up to the group. He saw the red Harley described in the alert near the head of the pack.

The officer turned on his emergency lights and siren, but the group did not stop, instead continuing to travel east into Cumru Township. There the bikes started to coast to a stop, with members signaling to each other to pull over.

Everyone but the rider of the red Harley, later identified as Lutz, came to a stop along the shoulder. Lutz sped off.

Fursin swerved past the group and pursued Lutz at speeds approaching 100 mph. Lutz continued into Exeter Township.
He pulled onto the exit ramp for East Neversink Road. As the motorcycle slowed, the rear tire began to bounce and Lutz lost control, hitting the small barrier at the end of the ramp.

Lutz fell off the bike and began to pick it up.

Fursin exited his vehicle and ran up to Lutz. Ordering Lutz to the ground, he threw the suspect onto his stomach when he didn’t immediately comply.

A criminal check on Lutz showed he was wanted on a probation violation for making terrorist threats and fighting. In February, he pleaded guilty to those charges, which were filed in 2022 by state police in Reading.

He was sentenced by Berks County Judge Thomas G. Parisi to three to 12 months in the county jail and was ordered to undergo anger management counseling among other probation conditions.

The license plate on his motorcycle — the one that drew the attention of police in the first place — belonged to another motorcycle owner who was wanted for failing to appear for court in a DUI case.

Originally Published: May 27, 2025

‘Guilt by association’: Attempts to send Hells Angels gambling probe player back to Italy, halted

A man sentenced as part of a Hells Angels’ gambling den investigation, which uncovered alleged ties to the Figliomeni crime family, has been granted a judicial review as the government attempts to send him back to Italy.

By Jeremy Grimaldi Vaughan Citizen , May 26, 2025
https://www.yorkregion.com/news/guilt-by-association-attempts-to-send-hells-angels-gambling-probe-player-back-to-italy-halted/article_3bd564d9-3219-5cae-9456-2f5461c5c5a7.html

A man sentenced as part of a Hells Angels’ gambling den investigation, which uncovered alleged ties to the Figliomeni crime family, has been granted a judicial review as the government attempts to send him back to Italy.

The decision comes more than a year after the Minister of Public Safety decided Giorgio Campagna, 62, a permanent resident in Canada, should be referred for an admissibility hearing with the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada.

“(It was) found that the severity of the applicant’s actions and their impact on public safety outweighed the concerns the applicant had raised about the adverse consequences of his removal from Canada,” read court documents, referring to the 2023 decision

Now though, federal court Justice John Norris ruled a judge needs to look into the matter after discovering some potential flaws.
“This application for judicial review will be allowed, (the former) decision will be set aside and the matter will be remitted for redetermination by a different decision-maker,” he wrote in his findings.

Campagna pleaded guilty to keeping a common gaming house in March 2021 after he was arrested in December 2019.
The arrest came as part of an OPP probe, dubbed Project Hobart, into the Hells Angels alleged online sports gambling ring and gambling den at 680 Silver Creek Blvd., in Mississauga.

The investigation has been in the news lately after Craig “Truck” McIIquham, a Hells Angel charged in the operation, was gunned down in a targeted shooting outside a Burlington Mandarin at the end of April.

As part of Campagna’s plea, three counts of bookmaking and the commission of a crime of an offence for a criminal organization charge were withdrawn.

For his crimes he received a conditional discharge, which essentially equates to probation.

Project Hobart resulted in 28 arrests and alleged the group made $131 million over five years in the illegal gambling space.

The probe used intercepted private communications and surveillance to allege the Mississauga unit was owned and operated by Raffaele Simonelli, Serafino Barone, Ralph Elammar and Dimitris Kellsis.

All charges against the four, including firearm, betting house and bookmaking allegations, were stayed.

When police searched the café in December 2019, seven video gaming machines were seized.

For months Campagna went to collect cash from the machines and discussed their maintenance, the investigation showed.

One conversation indicated that one week the proceeds amounted to $7,440, of which he retained about 20 per cent, court documents allege.
When search warrants were executed at Campagna’s home and car, investigators found $79,020 of which Campagna agreed, of this amount all but $3,235 was obtained by crime.

Court documents pointed to a 2023 report prepared by the CBSA suggesting there were reasonable grounds to believe that Campagna is inadmissible under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, which refers to “organized criminality” and “engaging in an illegal gaming enterprise.”

The inland enforcement officer alleged Campagna was a member of an illegal gaming enterprise with ties to both the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club and the Figliomeni crime group.

“The officer found that the applicant was a ‘midtier’ and trusted member of the criminal organization …(and) had direct contact with senior members of the illegal gaming operation,” court documents read. “The officer also found that (Campagna) had … jeopardized the safety and security of Canadian society.”

However Norris ruled the CBSA went “well beyond” anything mentioned in Campagna’s guilty plea or agreed statement of facts.

“I agree with the applicant that the delegate’s decision is unreasonable in two key respects: the assessment of the applicant’s criminality and the assessment of the applicant’s personal circumstances,” it reads. “The reasoning process appears to be nothing but guilt by association.”

The court heard how a delegate of the Minister of Public Safety used the weapons seized from a separate mafia probe into the Figliomeni crime group, called Project Sindicato, to conclude Campagna’s actions warranted a referral for an admissibility hearing, despite him never being charged as a part of Sindicato, Norris also found Campagna’s ability to communicate in Italy and receive treatment were not properly considered.

For his part, Campagna said he’s been in Canada since age five, but has never sought full citizenship.
The court also heard his claims that he’s remorseful and called his involvement in the crimes a “relatively minor offence.”

His family, including his mother, who is suffering from dementia, his common-law partner, siblings, children and grandchildren all live in Canada.

The court also heard from Campagna that he has a litany of illnesses, no friends in Italy and does not speak the language

The FBI says the Bandidos started a war in Houston. Here’s what that means
By John Wayne Ferguson | May 25, 2025
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/projects/2025/bandidos-war-federal-indictment/

For years, the Bandidos waged a war across Houston. Since 2020, members of the group stalked and assaulted rivals across the region, leaving bodies on the ground, wounded men in hospitals and one building gutted by flames, according to the FBI.

In February, the federal government stepped in, and announced that 14 members of the infamous biker gang had been charged in a racketeering case that tied murders, shootings and other crime into a single criminal enterprise. The case is the largest prosecution against the infamous biker gang in years.

Fourteen members of the Bandidos motorcycle club had been indicted under the federal anti-organized crime law, commonly known as RICO. The men – some of whom were already in custody – were accused of targeting members of another gang, Brothers East or B*EAST, in an effort to control territory.

Prosecutors say most of the men indicted in the case were part of a new chapter called Welcome to Hell, that was formed specifically to take out B*EAST members.

The war, as prosecutors called it, played out between 2020 and 2024, across all corners of the Houston region, leaving people dead and wounded, and buildings burned down.

Some of the crimes associated with the gang war were previously reported on. Others came to light in court records or during hearings in which prosecutors argued the indicted men were too dangerous to be released until their trials.

Here’s what we know about the Justice Department’s allegations against the Bandidos.

Smash on sight

The Bandidos’ declaration of war against B*EAST was made some time in 2020. A former Bandidos leader, Micheal Dunphy, aka Money Mike, issued a “smash on sight” order to assault or kill any members of the rival gang, according to the Justice Department.

Following the order, Bandidos were expected to assault B*EAST members in order to “declare dominance” over the other group, FBI agent Joshua Lyons, one of the main investigators into the Bandidos war, testified in December.

B*EAST was formed in 2015 and was initially tolerated by the Bandidos, Lyons said. The groups’ relationship soured however, and B*EAST declared independence from the Bandidos. Among other slights, B*EAST members began displaying bottom rockers, a patch on the back of their leather vests, with the word “Texas” on them, and wearing 1% patches on their fronts. The Bandidos considered those insignias to be their exclusive rights.

Founded in 1966 in San Leon, the Bandidos were one of the first biker gangs established in the United States. The group claims thousands of members in Texas.

The Hawg Stop
Sept. 26, 2020

One of the first major events of the war — a brawl that ended with a fatal shooting — took place at the Hawg Stop Bar and Grill, a now-closed bar located in far northeast Houston.

The shooting happened the night of the Miss Hawg Stop bikini pageant, according to a police complaints.

Authorities said there were two phases to the Hawg Stop brawl.

First, one of the indicted Bandidos, Ronnie “Meathead” McCabe, confronted B*EAST members who showed up at the bar, claiming the establishment was Bandido territory, authorities said. The groups separated for a time, but McCabe is alleged to have stayed at the bar and called for reinforcements.

Around 7 p.m., John “Big John” Pfeffer, another of the indicted Bandidos, is alleged to have again approached one of the B*EAST members and threw a punch, sparking the brawl, according to police.

Groups of Bandidos separated the B*EAST members, as the man Pfeffer is accused of attacking first — Adam Burns — was forced to the ground. Two of the other indicted men, Marky “Guero” Baker and Marcel Lett, are alleged to have helped beat Burns before a fourth Bandido, Roy “Repo” Gomez, pulled out a gun and shot him, according to police.

Gomez in 2020 was charged with murder over Burns’ death in Harris County in November 2020, but the case never went to trial. The state case was dropped in March after Gomez was named in the federal indictment.

Gomez and Pfeffer are both charged with murder in the aid of racketeering in connection to Burns’ death at The Hawg Stop. If convicted, they could possibly face the death penalty.

Javier Martinez Killing
May 19, 2021

Houston police officers were called to the 12400 block of the Northwest Freeway after a report of a shooting. Witnesses told police that a man on a motorcycle, later identified as Javier Martinez, had stopped at the intersection of U.S. 290 and Bingle, when he was surrounded by three other motorcyclists who shot him.

Police asked the public for help identifying Martinez’s killer and said there were indications that the shooters and Martinez were members of different biker gangs. Pictures of Martinez’s motorcycle from the day of the shooting showed that Martinez had a B*EAST sticker on his Harley’s windshield. No arrests were ever announced.

During court proceedings after the RICO arrest, officials said that one of the indicted men, Bradley “Dolla Bill” Rickenbacker, was involved in the shooting and was later stopped and found with an unfired gun.

Martinez’s death is not one of the cases that makes up the RICO indictment. No one has been charged in connection to the killing.
The background shows: The location of the Javier Martinez shooting

Welcome to Hell is formed
September/October 2021

The Welcome to Hell chapter of the Bandidos was established for the purpose of targeting B*EAST members. Prosecutors described it as a “violent chapter.”

Lyons testified the chapter has about 10 members. Pfeffer is the group’s president and Rickenbacker was named the secretary-treasurer. Other members include David “Brake Check” Vargas, Sean “Skinman” Christison and Darvi “10 Round” Hinojosa, who prosecutors called the group’s sergeant at arms.

Pfeffer was “awarded” the title of president of the chapter after the Hawg Stop fight, according to the FBI.

Unlike other chapters, Welcome to Hell isn’t associated with a single geographic area, though its leaders are from Katy. Investigators said the group was closed with members of the Central Houston chapter of the Bandidos.

Prosecutors said the chapter was also involved in narcotics use and trafficking.

Lyons also testified that Welcome to Hell members were known to carry “blackout bags,” containing all black clothing and surgical gloves to wear in order to avoid leaving fingerprints or gunshot residue on their hands.

Blue Bayou Cafe
Nov. 3, 2021

Michael John Zimbrich, a B*EAST member, was killed after being surrounded by a group of bikers outside of the Blue Bayou Cafe in east Houston.

Before the shooting, B*EAST had held a meeting at their clubhouse in Channelview. When that meeting concluded, several members decided to go eat at the cafe.

As the dinner was ending, three B*EAST members stayed behind to smoke cigarettes and talk. The men got on their motorcycles and drove away onto a service road, police said.

As they were riding, a black SUV pulled alongside them and a person inside opened fire.

Zimbrich was killed and the two other men were wounded, police said. One of the wounded men, who was previously a member of a Bandidos support club, recognized the gunman, Lyons testified.

In December 2021, David Vargas was arrested and charged in connection to Zimbrich’s murder in Harris County.

However, the state case against Vargas was dropped in May 2024 because a witness — one of the men wounded in the Blue Bayou shooting — went missing.

Along with Vargas, Hinojosa is said to have been in the area of the shooting when it occurred.

In the federal indictment, Vargas is charged with murder in aid of racketeering, a charge that could carry the death penalty.
The background shows: The location of the Blue Bayou Cafe

Attack on the Grey Beards
Feb 22, 2023

The Bandidos held a regional meeting that drew nearly 100 members to BimboZ Saloon, a bar in northwest Harris County.

Among the attendees were also 14 members of the Grey Beards M.C., an affiliate club, according to the FBI. Prior to that night, the Grey Beards were considered sponsored and friendly to the Bandidos.

At the meeting, however, the Bandidos confronted the Grey Beards about the smaller group’s peace toward Brothers East. According to Lyons, the Grey Beards had made a deal with B*EAST in secret to try to stay out of the hostilities between the group. The Bandidos learned about the deal from a former Grey Beard who joined up with them, Lyons said.

At BimboZ, The Bandidos descended on the Grey Beards, severely beating them and stripping them of their leather vests, Lyons said.

“As part of the war, the taking of cuts is really considered like the ultimate act of disrespect, the ultimate act of dominance,” Lyons said during a hearing in December. “Like we’re ripping your cut off of you, like we’re shutting you down.”

Pfeffer, Hinojosa, Rickenbacker, Dunphy, Brandon “Loco” Hantz and Christopher “Monster” Sanchez are all alleged to have participated in the Bimboz attack, according to the federal indictment.

A failed attack in Pasadena
June 2-3, 2023

A prospective member of the Bandidos is alleged to have called Hinojosa and told him there were two B*EAST members at Winters, a bar in Pasadena.

Hinojosa is alleged to have exchanged phone calls with the prospect to get updates on the B*EAST members and their movements. At the same time, Hinojosa contacted Bandidos, including John “Tech 9” Sblendorio.

Early in the morning on June 3, Sblendorio drove to the bar with another Bandido, Stephen Alms. Around 1 a.m., a B*EAST member, identified as N.B. in court filing, was leaving the bar, wearing his club’s cut.

Sblendorio is alleged to have driven his truck in front of N.B., while Alms opened fire.

Despite being shot seven times, the man survived.

Alms was later arrested on racketeering and illegal possession of a firearm charges, to which he pleaded guilty to last October. He’s not among the Bandidos who were arrested in February.

Hinojosa and Sbelendorio were both charged in the RICO indictment in connection to the Winters shooting.

Threats at a Harley dealership
Aug. 17, 2023

Christopher Sanchez, along with other Bandidos, is accused of threatening two members of the Wheels of Soul outlaw motorcycle club outside a Harley Davidson dealership in the Woodlands.

Motorcycle groups usually consider Harley dealerships to be neutral ground, making the altercation at the dealership particularly notable.

Fire at the County Line Ice House
Dec. 14, 2023

Brandon Hantz is accused of setting fire to a Montgomery County bar because the business allegedly hosted a gathering for B*EAST members.

The building was destroyed by the fire, and the business never reopened.

Hantz is notable among the indicted men because of his fame outside the group. He twice competed on Survivor, the reality competition, and developed a social media following in which he advertised his involvement in the Bandidos.

During a detention hearing, Hantz’s wife testified that he left the Bandidos in July 2024 after becoming disillusioned with the group. Hantz’s lawyer said the Bandidos had made death threats toward Hantz after he left the gang.
The background shows: The location of the County Line Ice House

First arrests
Aug. 8, 2024

The federal indictments of the Bandidos started last summer. Stephen Alms, the alleged shooter at Winters bar, was arrested on Aug. 8 on charges of racketeering and illegal possession of a firearm.

Hinojosa and Sblendorio, who were also implicated in the Winters Bar shooting, were arrested on Oct. 29.

In hearings held after their arrests, officials talked openly about connections between the Bandidos and other attacks on B*EAST members, including the Blue Bayou Cafe shooting. Both Hinojosa and Sblendorio were ordered to be held in custody until their eventual trial.

The RICO indictment
Feb. 20, 2025

The full federal indictment against the Welcome to Hell chapter was unsealed on Feb. 20, the same day that 11 Bandidos were arrested. Some of the men are called members of Welcome to Hell in the indictment, while others are referred to as members of other chapters or as having left the gang during the course of the investigation.

The indictment portrays the chapter as an organized crime organization that sought to assault and, at times, kill rivals that were operating in the Bandidos territory. Some of the indicted men are accused of committing violence for the purpose of improving their status.

“The Bandidos sought to establish a monopoly over motorcycle clubs and gangs in the Houston area, with only those approved by them to operate,” said Nicholas Ganjei, the acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas.

Prosecutors spent the next few weeks arguing that many of the men should be held in custody until their eventual trial. Ultimately, nine of the 14 men were ordered held. The others were released on bond.

A criminal trial has been scheduled for October.

Credits
Reporting by John Wayne Ferguson. Editing by Dana Burke. Powered by the Hearst Newspapers DevHub

Biker In Pagan’s Vest Flees Cops, Blows Red Light At 80 MPH: Lower Chichester Police

Jillian Pikora Daily Voice Chichester, PA 05/23/202

https://dailyvoice.com/pa/chichester/biker-in-pagans-vest-flees-cops-blows-red-light-at-80-mph-lower-chichester-police/

A biker wearing a “PAGAN’s” vest is wanted after allegedly fleeing from police, blowing through a red light at 80 mph, and putting lives at risk in Delaware County, Lower Chichester Township police announced on Wednesday, May 21.

Vincent Royce Troffo, 34, is accused of fleeing a traffic stop on his Harley-Davidson motorcycle after being spotted improperly wearing his helmet near the 1500 block of Chichester Avenue on Sunday, April 27 around 6:57 p.m., police say
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An officer in the township’s traffic unit reportedly saw Troffo riding south on Market Street with a full-face helmet placed on top of his head, exposing his eyes and violating the state’s protective eyewear law. The officer was able to clearly see the rider’s face, according to the release.

As the officer pulled behind the biker, he allegedly watched Troffo properly secure his helmet. But when the light turned green at Market Street and Chichester Avenue, the biker—dressed in camouflage pants, a long-sleeve shirt, and a vest with “PAGAN’s” emblazoned across the back—took off, the department said.

Despite Troffo’s attempt to flee, the officer was able to keep up, noting that the rider appeared unskilled and was operating a slower motorcycle. The officer also managed to record the license plate number before disengaging the chase due to safety concerns.

Troffo allegedly ran a red light at Huddell Avenue at high speed and began passing vehicles in the opposing lane while crossing I-95. The officer terminated the pursuit shortly after, citing the risk to public safety.

An investigation using the license plate and the officer’s identification of the rider’s face led to charges against Troffo, police said.

He is now wanted for the following charges:
• Felony Fleeing or Attempting to Elude Police Officer.
• Summary Driving While Operating Privilege is Suspended or Revoked.
• Summary Reckless Driving.
• Summary Careless Driving.
• Summary No Eye Protection.
• Summary Disregard Traffic Lane.
• Summary Duties at Traffic Control Signals.
• Summary Driving Vehicle at Safe Speed.
•
Troffo is described as a white male with red hair and blue eyes. He is 5 feet 1 inch tall and considered, police noted. Anyone with information on his whereabouts is urged to contact Lower Chichester Township Police.