Ex-national president of Pagan’s motorcycle club pleads guilty to gun charge in N.J.

The former national president of the Pagan’s motorcycle club, an outlaw group that has rapidly expanded in New Jersey in recent years under his leadership, pleaded guilty Wednesday to a federal gun charge.

Keith “Conan” Richter, of Bay Shore, New York, pleaded guilty via Zoom in Newark federal court to being a felon in possession of a firearm after authorities discovered a loaded gun in a vehicle he was in during a traffic stop in Mercer County earlier this year.

Richter, who previously served 16 years in prison on conspiracy to commit murder and assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering, is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 3. As part of the plea agreement, prosecutors have requested a sentence of two years and nine months imprisonment and three years of supervised release.

The maximum sentence for the charge is 10 years in prison.

Federal authorities nabbed the 62-year-old on the gun charge after they were informed the Pagan’s national president was in possession of a loaded Ruger P345 .45-caliber handgun during a party for the club in Lancaster, Pennsylvania on Feb. 20, according to the criminal complaint.

The vehicle was stopped by police in East Windsor in Mercer County around 1:30 a.m. on Feb. 21, as Richter made his way back to New York. Police found the firearm underneath the cupholder of the center console, authorities said.

In Richter’s first court appearance after his arrest, assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer said the government has “incontrovertible evidence” that Richter possessed the firearm at the party.

Richter has remained in a New Jersey jail since he was arrested.

Pagans

Keith "Conan" Richter, the former president of the Pagan's motorcycle club, pictured in 2018 at an event in New Jersey.

The federal charge and the subsequent guilty plea has led to Richter, who became president in 2018, stepping down as the Pagan’s top leader. Richter’s tenure as the president of the club led to a rapid expansion of the Pagans in New Jersey, as well as across the country.

The expansion led to the State Commission of Investigation investigating the club. It found that Richter’s leadership had led to the club multiplying its members, but also engaging in violence and other criminal acts as they expanded.

“This Pagan resurgence – especially the increased violence and other illegal acts that have accompanied it – not only threatens the public peace and public safety of the citizens of New Jersey, it also presents significant challenges for those responsible for protecting it,” the SCI report says.

Multiple law enforcement officials told NJ Advance Media that Robert “Big Bob” Francis, of Virginia, has taken over as the national president of the Pagans.

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Joe Atmonavage may be reached at jatmonavage@njadvancemedia.com.

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