Pagans Motorcycle Club Leader Sentenced For Gun Found During East Windsor Stop

MERCER COUNTY, NJ — The national president of Pagan’s Motorcycle Club was sentenced to 33 months in prison on Thursday for illegally possessing a firearm, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig.

Keith Richter, also known as “Conan,” 62, of Bay Shore, New York, previously pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm, that authorities discovered during a traffic stop in East Windsor in February. Richter was sentences via videoconference.

The Pagans are known by law enforcement as an outlaw motorcycle gang, that engages in illegal activity including narcotics trafficking, weapons trafficking, and violent crimes, Hoing said.

According to court documents, on Feb. 20 the Pagans hosted a party in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and when Richter was returning back home to New York, law enforcement pulled the vehicle over in Mercer County and recovered a loaded Ruger P345 .45 caliber handgun from a front-seat compartment in the vehicle.

Richter was previously convicted of felony offenses, including conspiracy to commit murder and aggravated assault in aid of racketeering, for which he served a 16-year term of imprisonment, authorities said.

In addition to the 33 months prison term, Richter was sentenced to three years of supervised release.

The Pagans have been identified by law enforcement as one of four major outlaw motorcycle gangs operating in the country. The Pagan’s Motorcycle Club has increased its membership in New Jersey in the past three years, according to a report by the State Commission of Investigation.

“The Commission’s findings demonstrate that the rapid and ongoing expansion of the Pagans Motorcycle Club in New Jersey, particularly the uptick in violence that has accompanied its growth, represents a substantial threat to the public safety of citizens of this state and presents major challenges for those responsible for protecting it,” the SCI said in its report.

In June this year, 11 members of the Pagan’s were charged with various weapons, drug trafficking and violent crimes.

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