Pagan pleads guilty

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- An Ohio man has pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge in a racketeering case targeting the Pagans Motorcycle Club

Steve Harlan Stover of Proctorville, Ohio, admitted in federal court Thursday that he helped other Pagans members shut down an affiliated club for being disloyal.

The 50-year-old construction worker pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to commit and assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering.

Stover is one of 55 Pagans members and associates from West Virginia, Kentucky, Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Delaware and Florida charged in the case.

He faces up to 20 years in prison. Sentencing is set for March 8.

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Pagan due in court

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) -- A Pennsylvania man charged in a federal indictment targeting the Pagans Motorcycle Club is due to enter a plea to a charge of interstate travel in aid of racketeering.


Forty-eight-year-old Philadelphia resident Vincent Pezzano's arraignment is scheduled for 10 a.m. Thursday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mary Stanley in Charleston.


Pezzano is one of several members or associates of the Pagans accused of traveling to West Virginia to give the proceeds of what prosecutors say was an illegal raffle to club leaders in April 2008.


The charge is one of 44 leveled at Pagans members and associates from West Virginia, Kentucky, Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Delaware and Florida by federal prosecutors last month.

Pezzano has been held in the South Central Regional Jail since Oct. 29.

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2 pagans plead not guilty

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Two more defendants named in a racketeering case aimed at the Pagans Motorcycle Club have pleaded not guilty to federal charges.

Court records show 49-year-old Philadelphia resident Joseph Fareri and 47-year-old Alexandria, Va., resident John Maggio entered the pleas Monday in Charleston.

Both are charged in the 44-count federal indictment accusing Pagans members and associates from West Virginia, Kentucky, Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Delaware and Florida of murder conspiracy, kidnapping and other charges.

Maggio's status is likely temporary. He's currently scheduled to plead guilty next week. Maggio is charged with conspiring with indicted club vice president Floyd Moore in an extortion plot.

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First 2 in pagan biker club plead guilty

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Two men named in a federal racketeering indictment aimed at the Pagans Motorcycle Club have entered the first guilty pleas in the case.

Thirty-year-old Charleston resident Eric W. Lyttle pleaded guilty Tuesday to threatening a crime of violence in aid of racketeering in Charleston. Fifty-four-year-old Philadelphia resident William Hankins Sr. pleaded guilty to interstate travel in aid of racketeering.

Two other men named in the 44-count indictment were scheduled to plead guilty later in the day.

The indictment accuses Pagans members and associates from West Virginia, Kentucky, Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Delaware and Florida of a host of crimes including murder conspiracy and kidnapping.

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Pagans Also Face State Charges

Michael Grayson

Floyd Moore

David Barbeito

Four members of the Pagan Motorcycle Club, including the national president, pleaded not guilty to conspiracy and kidnapping charges in Kanawha County Circuit Court Thursday.

David Barbeito of Maryland, national vice president Floyd Moore of St. Albans and two more club members from out of state will be tried together. Kanawha County Circuit Judge Jim Stucky set the date for February 22nd.

All four appeared in court together, their hands and feet cuffed, dressed in orange jumpsuits.

Fifty-five members of the Pagans from several states were rounded up earlier this month and charged with federal crimes ranging from racketeering to conspiracy to commit murder.

Of the four in court Thursday, only Michael Grayson, is eligible for parole. His attorney says he plans to file those papers with the circuit court.

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