Feds: Biker gang plotted to extort, kill rivals
HARLESTON, W.Va. – National Pagans Motorcycle Club (PMC) leaders and more than 50 members and associates of the outlaw biker gang are accused of plotting to extort and kill rivals to consolidate the club’s power in the eastern U.S., according to an indictment unsealed Tuesday.
The defendants include national Pagans President David Keith “Bart” Barbeito of Myersville, Md., and national Vice President Floyd B. “Jesse” Moore of St. Albans. Also named are members and associates in West Virginia, Kentucky, Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Delaware and Florida.
The 44-count indictment portrays Barbeito and Moore as leaders of a sprawling organization engaged in kidnapping, robbery, extortion, conspiracy to commit murder and other crimes in an effort to be the pre-eminent biker gang in the region, said Charles Miller, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia.
Many of the charges detail violent efforts to intimidate and extort smaller biker gangs and clubs, and illegal gambling centered on raffles for nonexistent motorcycles. Other crimes listed in the 83-page document include drug dealing and weapons violations.
“The PMC and its existing support clubs unlawfully threatened and intimidated people who wanted to start a motorcycle club in the PMC territory,” the indictment says.
Two of the most serious charges involve murder conspiracies. Moore and others are accused of conspiring in September 2005 with a prison guard to kill an inmate suspected of cooperating with law enforcement.
Moore also is accused of conspiring with the president of a local chapter of the Avengers Motorcycle Club to commit murder. Neither target was actually killed, Miller said.
The indictment further accuses Moore of ordering two Pagans known as Darrell “Mr. Nice Guy” Bumgarner and David “Kicker” Cremeans to beat a member of the Road Disciples Motorcycle Club at a Huntington bar in March 2003. Prosecutors say the men were to collect money from the rival club’s president and order him to obey the Pagans or be shut down.
Court records did not indicate whether Bumgarner or Cremeans, who are in custody, have lawyers. A federal magistrate spent much of Tuesday determining whether the defendants qualified for legal assistance and ordering most held until hearings next week.
More Stories
USF admin’s response to suicides unclear. What we know so far.
USF’s administration will not say who or how it will prevent future suicides on campus a month after a student leapt from an upper floor balcony of the Interdisciplinary Science Building – the third suicide since fall 2022. The Oracle has asked repeatedly about which USF administrators are overseeing suicide prevention initiatives and how the […]
USF SG leaders look back on campaign accomplishments while on non-speaking terms
Student body president Cesar Esmeraldi and vice president Elizabeth Volmy reached nearly every campaign goal during their term. The one thing that didn’t persevere was their unity. The pair ended their tenure reflecting on it from separate rooms. “We’ve had a great year,” Esmeraldi said. “I’m very happy with everything we’ve built. But because of […]
USF’s ‘Take Back the Night’ allows sexual survivors to share pain, resilience: ‘Recovery isn’t easy.’
A sexual assault survivor, who was the first speaker at Wednesday evening’s “Take Back the Night,” said the hardest day of their life was not when they were assaulted – it was the day after. “When I had to call my mom and tell her how her [child lost their] virginity and tell my therapist […]
USF campus ministers offer perspective on stadium development: ‘Exciting benefit of exposure.’
Take a tranquil stroll down Sycamore Drive. It’s a quieter part of campus, hidden away from the usual hustle and bustle of USF. It’s home to an area colloquially known as “Religious Row,” a collection of on-campus religious organizations. In just a few years – with the construction of an on-campus football stadium – the […]
McKinley Drive closed down for death investigation, Tampa police say
The intersection between Fowler Avenue and McKinley Drive was closed due to a death investigation late Wednesday afternoon, according to the Tampa Police Department (TPD). A man shot himself after making a bomb threat in the parking lot of the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), located at 11201 McKinley Drive, according to TPD. Police said […]
USF 2024-25 A&S budget to increase student organization funding in Tampa and St. Pete
The Student Government (SG) Senate approved the 2024-25 Student Activities & Services (A&S) budget for all three campuses this Tuesday, seeing an overall increase in allocated money to student organizations. The vote was 26-0, approving the budget. Related: 2023-24 A&S budget down $5 million from last fiscal year Students pay fees in their tuition – […]