9 held in connection with Pagans gambling ring

By Philly standards, it wasn't much of a gambling operation - only about $20,000 in lottery tickets were sold to win a Harley-Davidson motorcycle last year.

In South Philly, Goat collected $150 in gambling proceeds; Tack, $120; Damian, $150; Pit Stop, $150; Vin Dog, $150; and Prospect Sal, $150, according to an April 28, 2008, FBI property receipt.

But that was enough to charge them and Tuna, Casual and Hard Rock, of the Pagans Outlaw Motorcycle Club in Philadelphia, and nine other members in New Jersey, with interstate travel in the aid of racketeering in a 44-count federal racketeering indictment in West Virginia yesterday.

In other words, they're accused of transporting illegal gambling funds across state lines.

The Pagans' top two national leaders - President David Keith "Bart" Barbieto, of Myersville, Md., and ex-Vice President Flood "Jesse" Moore, of St. Albans, W.Va. - were accused of operating the East Coast-based biker club as a "national criminal organization," engaged in kidnapping, robbery, extortion and conspiracy to commit murder, according to the indictment.

Both were held without bail in Charleston, W.Va.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven Loew said that of the 55 members and associates named in the indictment, 53 were arrested and two remain at large.

The 83-page indictment charged Moore and others with retaliating against a witness; conspiring with a prison guard to kill an inmate suspected of cooperating with authorities; and conspiring with the president of the Avengers Motorcycle Club to commit murder. No one was killed, say authorities.

In law-enforcement circles here, the West Virginia indictment was considered a prelude to an indictment expected next summer charging area Pagans with murder, bombings, extortions and other violence, mostly associated with the rival Hells Angels.

Arrested here yesterday were the former Philadelphia chapter president Timothy "Casual" Flood, William "Prospect Sal" DeSalvatore, Dominick "Tack" DiPietro, Stephen "Tuna" Dunn Jr., Joseph "Goat" Fareri, Damian Foti, Vincent "Pit Stop" Pezzano, Joseph "Hard Rock" Schmidt III and Vincent "Vin Dog" Talotta.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy Rice said that "in the greatest deterrent to future problems," he allowed some Pagans to post the titles of their motorcycles as collateral for bail, while others posted the titles for their cars, or deeds for their houses. Three posted $500, or 10 percent bail. Rice ordered them to appear in court in West Virginia on Tuesday.

The Pagans and their support clubs intimidated law-abiding citizens and forced them to get "permission" from the PMC before they could open lawful motorcycle clubs, the indictment said.

And if the lawful clubs flouted PMC rules, the Pagans would "threaten, intimidate, assault and rob" them of their "colors" - jackets or vests with their insignias, according to the indictment.

In interviews with the Daily News before the indictment, Moore said that the Pagans run a sometimes-annual lottery - with a motorcycle as the prize - to fund the nonprofit club's treasury, which pays expenses, such as hotel rooms, parties and legal fees.

Last year, accusations were made that the lottery was illegal and that the motorcycle was never bought.

"It was a legal raffle," Moore said. There were 5,000 tickets printed. On each $10 ticket were two four-digit numbers. The winning number was the Pennsylvania Lottery's "Big Four" selection on April 30, 2008.

The number was drawn. No winner came forward, he said. "I can prove the motorcycle was bought for the lottery and later sold."

Two days before the drawing, the feds seized about $20,000 in lottery proceeds and unsold tickets during a raid at Moore's house, according to the FBI receipt.

"If they don't want us dealing drugs, what do they want us to do? They don't want us to extort people," he said. "How are we going to raise money?"

Moore acknowledged that the club had not gotten permission in West Virginia to operate the lottery, which he described as a misdemeanor.