Outlaw motorcycle gang leader sentenced for illegal gun possession
NEW JERSEY - A Long Island man who is the leader of an outlaw motorcycle gang was sentenced to 33 months in prison on Thursday for illegally possessing a firearm, authorities announced.
The U.S. attorney's office in Newark described Keith Richter, 62, of Suffolk County, as the national president of the Pagans Motorcycle Club. Authorities say that the Pagans are involved in several kinds of illegal activity, including trafficking narcotics, weapons, and violent crimes.
According to a criminal complaint, Richter traveled from his home on Long Island to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in February to attend a party. Acting on information that Richter was in possession of a firearm, law enforcement pulled over the car in Mercer County, New Jersey, as he was returning and discovered a loaded Ruger handgun in the car.
Richter pleaded guilty in July to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. He had been previously convicted of felony offenses, including conspiracy to commit murder and aggravated assault in aid of racketeering, for which he served 16 years in prison.
In addition to the prison term, a judge sentenced Richter to three years of supervised release.
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