Pagans bust a boon for tattoo joint

OFF THE WIRE
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A lone motorcycle was parked outside House of Tattooing in Rocky Point Thursday morning, before the parlor opened.

Business is on the uptick at the Rocky Point tattoo parlor in which federal prosecutors say members of the Pagan motorcycle gang hatched a plan to kill rival Hell's Angels bikers.

"Things have definitely picked up [since the tattoo parlor landed in the news]," said a friend of one of the men arrested, who did not want his name published.

The House of Tattooing on Broadway was thrust into the national spotlight after authorities rounded up 19 Pagans in a multi-state sweep last Wednesday morning. The parlor allegedly housed the gang's Long Island chapter, whose leader, a Middle Island resident named Jason "Roadblock" Blair, was viciously beaten by Hell's Angels members last August, prosecutors said.

The planned killings, using homemade hand grenades, were plotted as payback for the assault, which occurred outside the tattoo parlor, according to federal court documents.

The local chapter's former leader, John "J.R." Ebeling, also of Middle Island, had climbed higher into the gang's hierarchy and was a national leader at the time of his arrest, according to the court documents.

The two, along with the three other Long Island Pagan members, one from Holbrook were arraigned last Wednesday in federal courthouses and face charges of murder conspiracy, assault, drug distribution, extortion, firearms offenses, witness tampering and racketeering.

All pleaded not guilty; both Mr. Blair and Mr. Ebeling are being held without bail, as are most of the others.

They will soon be in court again in Central Islip. A scheduled Sept. 30 appearance was pushed back.

Mr. Blair is also a Middle Island Fire Department member, though sources within the department said the 36-year-old hasn't been active in several years.

The Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives staged a 21-month investigation that included 300 agents, two of whom went undercover and recorded Pagan members plotting to murder Hell's Angels members with homemade hand grenades.

County Legislator Dan Losquadro, who was privvy to the investigation, said the Pagans had kept a lower profile in the past six months, though he had been receiving complaints about the tattoo parlor from residents and business owners on a regular basis.

"They were drinking outside, cigarette butts were all over the place," he said. "It was definitely a nuisance."

He said surveillance methods had been set up in the area of the parlor, though he could not speak to specifics.

Mr. Losquadro praised the undercover agents who busted the gang.

"The individuals who go under cover knowing these people are murderers and violent felons, where they know that if they get uncovered their lives will likely end -- those individuals deserve special credit and special thanks," he said.

Attorneys for the bikers could not be reached for comment.

Joseph Green, an ATF spokesman, said all planned arrests were made, but more arrests may result from debriefing convicted individuals down the road.

Keith Sabaletti, a friend of Mr. Ebeling for five months, said he never saw the accused Pagans act violently, and that he hopes they don't see jail time.

"They're good people and I don't see why they should go down like this," Mr. Sabaletti said. "I hope [Mr. Ebeling] comes home. I pray."

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