Hells Angels Who 'Wreaked Havoc' in the Hudson Valley Face Charges

Six members and associates of the Hells Angels, most of them Hudson Valley residents, face accusations of racketeering, narcotics, and money laundering offenses, including the assault of a rival gang member with a hammer in a Poughkeepsie restaurant.

They are:

• Jeff Amato, 50, of Mamaroneck
• John Calvacchio (AKA Uncle), 53, of Kent
• Joseph Kaplan, 30, Valhalla
• Gary Paganelli, 47, Cortlandt Manor
• Michael Piccioni, 33, Arieta, California
• Thomas Schmidt, 52, Staten Island

“As alleged, through the sale of cocaine, oxycodone, and marijuana and their violent conflict with rival gangs, members of the New Roc Hells Angels wreaked havoc on the streets of Westchester, Putnam, and Dutchess counties," said Joon H. Kim, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announcing the indictments March 16. "Together with our law enforcement partners, we are determined to combat gang and drug violence throughout the Southern District of New York.”

Prosecutors allege the New Roc Hells Angels were a violent criminal enterprise operating around Westchester, Putnam, and Dutchess counties from at least 2008 up to and including August 2014, involved in narcotics trafficking, extortion, money laundering, contraband cigarettes, prostitution, and altered motor vehicle parts.

And, they protected their turf violently, said FBI Assistant Director William F. Sweeney Jr.

“In this case they allegedly used those tactics by attacking a rival gang member with a hammer in the middle of a restaurant and placing innocent people in danger," Sweeney said.

That incident occurred in December 2012, an assault against a rival motorcycle gang, the Diablo. Members and associates of the New Roc Hells Angels are alleged to have beaten a member of the Diablos on the head with a hammer at a restaurant in Poughkeepsie while innocent bystanders were dining. Prosecutors said the attack's purpose was two-fold: to retaliate against the Diablos, who had encroached on the territory controlled by the New Roc Hells Angels, and otherwise to promote their standing and reputation among rival gangs.

In the indictment:

• Count One of the Indictment charges Schmidt, the former Vice-President of the New Roc Hells Angels, with participating in a racketeering conspiracy.
• Count Two charges Schmidt and Kaplan with assault in aid of racketeering activity in connection with the December 2012 assault of a member of a rival gang.
• Count Three charges Schmidt, Piccione, Calvacchio, Amato and Paganelli with participating in a narcotics conspiracy, in connection with the distribution of cocaine, oxycodone, and marijuana.
• Count Four charges Schmidt and Piccione with conspiracy to commit money laundering.
• Count Five charges Paganelli with possessing with intent to distribute and distributing cocaine.
• Count Six charges Amato with possessing with intent to distribute and distributing methamphetamine.

The penalties for those charges range from 20 years to life in prison. The charges contained in the Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

The case is being handled by the Office’s White Plains Division. Assistant United States Attorney John P. Collins Jr. is in charge of the prosecution.