Va. contractor gets 38 months for soliciting Pagan muscle

Off the Wire
MCs in the News
By Andrew Clevenger
Staff writer

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- An electrical contractor from Northern Virginia who asked the national vice president of the Pagans Motorcycle Club to help him collect five-figure business debts was sentenced Tuesday to more than three years in federal prison.

John N. Maggio, 47, of Alexandria, Va., pleaded guilty to one count of extortion in November. Although he has never been a member of the Pagans, Maggio had known Floyd B. "Jesse" Moore, 64, of St. Albans, the biker club's national vice president, for two decades.

Moore referred Maggio to his personal sergeant-at-arms, who often acted as Moore's enforcer, according to Maggio's plea agreement. However, that man was acting as a confidential informant for the government, and Maggio was caught on tape in November 2008 discussing the use of threats and violence.

Maggio is the first defendant in the Pagans case to be sentenced in federal court. On Tuesday, he called reaching out to the Pagans for muscle as "the worst decision and the biggest mistake of my life."

"I've worked long and hard for the last 20 years to build a respectable business, turning many clients into friends," he said, reading from a typed statement.

At the time, Maggio's business was struggling, and two clients stiffed him for work that had already passed inspection, said his attorney, Michael Fisher.

Maggio provided Moore's enforcer with names, addresses and physical descriptions of the intended victims, one of whom owed Maggio $16,700 and another who owed him $13,000, according to court records.

During the conversation, which was recorded, Maggio said he didn't care how badly his debtors were injured.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Steve Loew acknowledged that Maggio has cooperated with the government since he was indicted alongside 54 other members and associates of the Pagans in October 2009. But he disputed Maggio's characterization of the incident as a lapse in judgment, calling it instead a serious crime.

"It wasn't a mistake, it wasn't an accident. It was several intentional acts," Loew said. "The potential for violence in a case like this is so extreme."

U.S. District Judge Thomas E. Johnston said that one of the intended victims, neither of whom was actually harmed, could have been seriously hurt or killed if Moore's enforcer hadn't been working as an informant.

He sentenced Maggio to 38 months in prison, and fined him $7,500. The judge ordered U.S. Marshals to take Maggio into custody immediately following the hearing.

As he handed his father his personal effects, Maggio hugged him and told him he was sorry.

Nineteen defendants have entered guilty pleas in federal court to charges that include helping stockpile explosives as part of an ongoing feud with the Hell's Angels Motorcycle Club, intimidating other motorcycle clubs and selling drugs.

The trial for the remaining defendants is scheduled to start in early May.

Reach Andrew Clevenger at acleven...@wvgazette.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 304-348-1723.

original article