The Pagans are categorized as an outlaw motorcycle gang by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. They are known to fight over territory with the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club (HAMC) and other motorcycle clubs, such as Fates Assembly MC, who have since merged with the HAMC.
It is active in thirteen U.S. states: Delaware, Florida, Kentucky, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Michigan, Virginia, and West Virginia.
EARLY HISTORY
The Pagans were established in Prince George's County, Maryland by then president Lou Dobkin, in 1959. The group started out by wearing denim jackets and riding Triumph Motorcycles. Originally they were a comradeship of 13 motorcyclists. In the 1960s they adopted a formal constitution and formed a governing structure choosing a national president.
They were a fairly non-violent group until 1965, when the Pagans evolved into an outlaw biker gang with ties to other organized crime groups. Under the leadership of John "Satan" Marron their violence grew in the early 1970s. Their mother club is not in a fixed location but has been generally located in the Northeast. Pagan leaders number 13 to 18 members who are chapter presidents with the largest chapter located in Philadelphia.
The Pagans have grown through merging with other smaller outlaw motorcycle gangs. Considered by law enforcement to be almost as complex and diversified as the Hells Angels, the discipline and structure of the Pagans is the most rigid of the Big Four motorcycle clubs.
PATCH
The Pagans MC patch depicts the Norse fire-giant Surtr sitting on the sun, wielding a sword, plus the word Pagan's [sic], in red, white and blue. The image of Surtr was taken from an illustration by Jack Kirby in issue 97 of the comic book Journey into Mystery.
Though historically not wearing a bottom rocker, a patch denoting the location of where a one-percenter bike club is based out of, the Pagan Motorcycle club has since started wearing an "East Coast" insignia on their vests.
Members wear blue denim vests called cuts or cutoffs with club patches, known as colors, on the front and back. Symbols of the Pagans also include a black number 13 on the back of their colors (indicating that they are affiliated with the club's mother chapter), the number 4 (which signifies the motto "live and die"), the number 5, the number 7 (an "in memory of" patch), the number 9 (the chapter with which the member is affiliated), and the number 16 (P is the 16th letter of the alphabet). Nazi or white supremacist patches are also common on the front of the cuts, as are tattoos reading "ARGO" (Ar Go Fuck Yourself) and "NUNYA" (Nun'Ya Fuckin' Business).
MEMBERSHIP
Recently, the Pagans' membership has begun to decline as their rival Hells Angels’ membership has grown. Pagans have approximately 600+ members and 79 chapters and are active along the East Coast of the United States. Chapters are common in Florida, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia. The Pagans have a mother club or ruling council which ultimately rules the gang. The Pagans headquarters is currently in Delaware County, Pennsylvania.
Members must be at least 21 years old and owners of Harley-Davidson motorcycles with engines 1000cc or larger. The national sergeant-at-arms' responsibility is to hand pick 13 chapter members to serve as the "enforcers" or "regulators".
CRIMINAL ACTIVITIES
The Pagans have been linked to the production and smuggling of drugs such as methamphetamine, marijuana, cocaine, heroin, and PCP. The Pagans also have had strong ties to organized crime, especially in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Pagans often use puppet clubs, smaller affiliated motorcycle clubs, or small street drug trafficking organizations that support larger outlaw motorcycle gangs for distributing drugs. Pagans have also engaged in assault, arson, extortion, motorcycle/car theft, and weapons trafficking. Most of the violence carried out by the Pagans is directed to rival gangs such as Hells Angels.
USA - MC & GJENKRIMINALITET/WP.
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