Eighteen members and associates of the Pagan’s Motorcycle Club have been indicted by a federal grand jury for a series of armed assaults against members of rival motorcycle clubs. The indictment, which was returned under seal by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Missouri, on Aug. 7, 2024, was unsealed following the arrests of 15 of the defendants. Two of the defendants were already in custody at the time of the operation.
The law enforcement operation involved more than a dozen agencies and led to the seizure of over 40 firearms, thousands of rounds of ammunition, body armor, and a marijuana grow operation. The indictment details how the Pagan’s Motorcycle Club, identified as a violent criminal organization, engaged in racketeering activities, including illegal drug trafficking. The club maintains chapters in several states, with multiple active chapters in Missouri and Kansas.
According to the indictment, the Pagan’s Motorcycle Club is territorial and uses violence and intimidation to protect its territory from rival motorcycle clubs. The club’s primary rivals in Missouri include the Hells Angels, Outlaws, El Forastero, Galloping Goose, Sons of Silence, and Bandidos. The indictment alleges that the Pagan’s members threatened, intimidated, and assaulted rival club members to eliminate their presence from areas under Pagan’s control.
The indictment outlines several assaults committed as part of the Pagan’s racketeering enterprise. The defendants face charges as follows:
- Christopher W. McGowen, 40, of Platte City, Mo.; and Jeremiah Z. Hahn, 41, of Cameron, Mo.:
- Assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering (May 30, 2022)
- McGowen, Arthur L. Reynolds III, 48, of Independence, Mo.; Charles E. Smith, Jr., 38, of Blue Springs, Mo.; Robert W. Miller, 46, of Joplin, Mo.; James W. Prettyman, 42, of Blue Springs, Mo.; Monty L. Mitchell, 58, of Windsor, Mo.; Mark A. Cottman, 49, of Kansas City, Mo.; John J. Hahn, 46, of Cameron, Mo.; Graham S. Gattis, 40, of Panama City, Fla.; Eric M. Forsyth, Jr., 34, of Oak Grove, Mo.; Bryan S. Fletcher, 48, of Lee’s Summit, Mo.; Jeffrey S. Hannah, 42, of Grain Valley, Mo.; Brandon S. Hodge, 25, of Joplin, Mo.:
- Assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering (Sept. 17, 2022)
- McGowen, Jeremiah Z. Hahn, Smith, John Travis Fisher, 51, of Sapulpa, Okla.; Miller, Prettyman, Mitchell, and Alan M. Thornton, 40, of Holden, Mo.:
- Attempting to commit assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering (Sept. 3, 2022)
- McGowen, Reynolds, Smith, Miller, Prettyman, Mitchell, Cottman, John J. Hahn, Gattis, Forsyth, Fletcher, Hannah, and Hodge:
- Discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence (Sept. 17, 2022)
- Cottman, Jarrid A. Hammer, 45, of Independence, Mo.; and Mark A. Crump, 54, of Lee’s Summit, Mo.:
- Assault resulting in serious bodily injury in aid of racketeering (July 20, 2023)
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bradley K. Kavanaugh and Robert Smith. It was investigated by the FBI, the Independence, Mo., Police Department, the Blue Springs, Mo., Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department.
