Missouri biker gang members among 18 charged in federal assault, racketeering case
Eighteen members of a motorcycle club, including 16 Missouri men, were indicted in federal court last week in connection with a series of armed assaults on members of rival organizations.
The men were all identified as members of the Pagan’s Motorcycle Club, which is classified by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives as an outlaw motorcycle group. Rival organizations to the Missouri branch of the group include infamous biker group Hell’s Angels, along with the Outlaws, El Forastero, Galloping Goose, Sons of Silence and and Bandidos biker groups.
Each Pagan’s member is also known by a distinctive nickname. The indictment, unsealed Thursday, brings a combination of assault, firearm and racketeering charges against:
Christopher W. McGowen, alias “Mac,” 40, of Platte City, Mo.
Arthur L. Reynolds III, alias “Straight Edge,” 48, and Jarrid A. Hammer, alias “Hammer,” 45, both of Independence, Mo.
Jeremiah Z. Hahn, alias “Pass Out,” 41, and John J. Hahn, alias “Krazy Legs,” 46, both of Cameron, Mo.
Charles E. Smith, Jr., alias “Crash,” 38, and James W. Prettyman, alias “Rugby,” 42, both of Blue Springs, Mo.
Mark A. Cottman, alias “One Shot,” 49, of Kansas City, Mo.
Bryan S. Fletcher, alias “Fletch,” 48, and Mark A. Crump, alias “Navajo,” 54, both of Lee’s Summit, Mo.
Jeffrey S. Hannah, alias “Got-It,” 42, of Grain Valley, Mo.
Eric M. Forsyth, Jr., alias “EZ,” 34, of Oak Grove, Mo.
Robert W. Miller, alias “Flipper,” 46, and Brandon S. Hodge, alias “Youngblood,” 25, both of Joplin, Mo.
Monty L. Mitchell, alias “Smoke,” 58, of Windsor, Mo.
Alan M. Thornton, alias “Bones,” 40, of Holden, Mo.
John Travis Fisher, alias “T-Bone,” 51, of Sapulpa, Oklahoma
Graham S. Gattis, alias “Dro,” 40, of Panama City, Florida
The specific assaults that led to the arrests were mostly committed between May and September 2022, according to the indictment. All except Hammer, aka “Hammer,” and Crump, aka “Navajo,” were charged with some combination of assault or attempted assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering and discharge of a firearm related to a violent crime.
“Hammer” and “Navajo,” along with Cottman, aka “One Shot”, were charged with assault resulting in serious bodily injury, committed in the context of racketeering. The three men allegedly injured a rival gang member during an assault on July 20, 2023.
Pagan’s members reportedly often use either firearms or axe handles when committing violent assaults, according to the indictment. The organization has a strict and elaborate set of rules and symbols, under which members can earn motifs on their bikes or jackets after committing certain acts of violence.
Assaults are often committed in order to protect and expand territory, intimidate rivals, conceal members from law enforcement and advance extracurricular criminal projects, the indictment reads.
More than 40 illegal firearms were seized in conjunction with the bikers’ arrest, according to the indictment. A marijuana grow operation was also unearthed, along with a stash of body armor and thousands of rounds of illegally stockpiled ammunition.
A federal grand jury returned the indictment Aug. 7 in Kansas City, Missouri. The 18 men face between three and 50 years in prison, according to the indictment.
The Pagan’s is a national organization with multiple active chapters in Missouri. Other members have previously been charged with drug trafficking, robbery, extortion, assault and attempted murder, according to the indictment.
The organization’s former national leader, Christopher Lamar Baker, was sentenced to 75 years in prison in 2023 on methamphetamine trafficking, firearm distribution and money laundering charges.
The Independence, Kansas City Missouri, Kansas City Kansas, Blue Springs and Lee’s Summit police departments, among others, contributed to the investigation.
This story was originally published August 16, 2024 at 5:23 PM.
