Crime & Safety
Keansburg Man Charged With Assault In Connection To Biker Gang
A Keansburg man was a high-ranking member of the Pagan's Motorcycle Club; he was arrested Monday and charged with assault on another biker.
KEANSBURG, NJ — A Keansburg man was a high-ranking member of the Pagan’s Motorcycle Club, and he was arrested Monday and charged with assault on another biker at a Newark gas station, federal prosecutors announced.
Luis Arocho, a.k.a. “LuRoc,” 43, of Keansburg, and Maurice Guzman, a.k.a. “Dawg,” 51, of Newark, were both charged with one count of aggravated assault in aid of racketeering.
Both Arocho and Guzman are high-ranking leaders in the Pagans’ organization, said the FBI.
Find out what's happening in Middletownfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The FBI said the incident started at a gas station in Newark on April 24, 2018, when Arocho, Guzman and other Pagan members assaulted an associate of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club.
The Pagans and the Hells Angels have a long-standing rivalry.
Find out what's happening in Middletownfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The victim was beaten with an axe handle, punched and kicked by the Pagans assailants, resulting in significant injuries, said the FBI.
Federal prosecutors and the FBI said they have been investigating the Pagan's Motorcycle Club for some time now.
“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 Rachael 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 combating violent crime in New Jersey and prosecuting the members of the criminal organizations who are responsible for it.”
The feds say the Pagan’s Motorcycle Club are 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 particular 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.
Also on Monday, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Nicholas Bucciarelli, a.k.a. “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.
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.
The FBI also said that on Oct. 28, 2020, Pagan members fired a gun at members 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.
Be the first to know. Sign up to get Patch emails: https://patch.com/subscribe
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.