Don Spatz: Ex-cop's 'smear' riles biker club

OFF THE WIRE
A fired city cop who sued the city in federal court is smearing the Leathernecks Nation Motorcycle Club, members of the club's Reading chapter say.

Here's the smear: The Pagans outlaw motorcycle club was beating up on the Leathernecks, according to the court filing by Mark Groff, fired in 2009 for fraternizing with the Pagans.

Here's why it's a smear: The Leathernecks are composed of honorably discharged veterans of the Marine Corps, and there's no way a group of Marines would let themselves get beaten up by any group, much less outlaw bikers.

Groff wants his job back, as well as more than $150,000.

In his suit, he says he was a member of the local Leathernecks chapter, and that its officials asked him to talk to the Pagans because they were assaulting Leathernecks.

He said he did, that as a result the assaults stopped and that police officials knew what he was doing but never told him it was against policy.

"It did not happen," said Timothy M. Walters, 48, of Mohnton, chapter president.

He said there were no assaults of Leathernecks by Pagans, and that neither he nor anyone else asked Groff to talk to the Pagans.

In fact, Walters said, both he and police officials warned Groff that associating with the Pagans would violate a police-department ban on fraternizing with known outlaws.

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How much of Walters' anger is due to the disgrace in a claim that somebody was assaulting Marines?

"A lot," he said. "It's not being done. Give me the name of any club member who was beat up. It didn't happen.

"It's slander (to say) that we go around and get beat up."

He said Groff left the club just before he was to be ejected.

"The nation's Marines are being disgraced," said club member Joseph Angelisanti Jr., 59, of Temple.

Groff could not be reached for comment.

Walters and Angelisanti say newspaper stories on Groff's claims ignore the good that the dozens of local club members do, such as providing funeral escorts for Marines and other service members and joining in the annual toy ride begun by the Blue Mountain Jeep Alliance.

They help the Boy Scouts with flag retirements, help the Veterans of Foreign Wars and American Legion in their functions, and join in many processions honoring fallen police officers.

"We support the police," Walters said. "We're not on the other side; we're not a gang. We don't deserve this."

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