CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Four low-level defendants in a federal racketeering case targeting the Pagans Motorcycle Club cut plea deals Tuesday requiring them to testify against colleagues tied to the outlaw motorcycle gang.Three of the four new cooperating witnesses pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Charleston to felony charges tying them to the two lead defendants in the case, Pagans president David Keith "Bart" Barbeito of Myersville and national vice president Floyd B. "Diamond Jesse" Moore of St. Albans, W.Va.
Court records state their plea agreements require cooperation including court testimony for limited immunity from further prosecution.
Barbeito, 49, the only Maryland resident caught up in the FBI sweep of Pagans members, is in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. His trial is set for Dec. 15, according to court documents.
The four cooperating witnesses are the first to plead guilty to charges in the 44-count indictment that accuses leaders, members and associates of the Pagans of crimes including murder conspiracy, racketeering, kidnapping and extortion.
Pagans member William Hankins Sr. pleaded guilty to a charge of interstate travel in aid of racketeering. Hankins, a 54-year-old resident of Philadelphia known as "Wild Bill," admitted bringing proceeds from an illegal motorcycle raffle across state lines in April 2008.
The raffle charges are central to federal prosecutors' case against Barbeito, who is accused of receiving some of the proceeds along with Moore. In his deal, Hankins stipulated that he delivered raffle proceeds to Moore at the direction of Moore and Barbeito.
Similarly, defendants James Lyttle and Eric Lyttle pleaded guilty to crimes that prosecutors said involved Moore.
Eric Lyttle pleaded guilty to a single count of threatening to commit a crime of violence in aid of racketeering. Lyttle, a towering, tattooed 30-year-old known as "Tree," admitted threatening to hurt four members of a local motorcycle club called Next to Kin in April 28.
At the time, the Lyttles were members of the Last Rebels Motorcycle Club, which prosecutors said was affiliated with the Pagans. Their plea agreements stipulate that Moore ordered the Last Rebels to shut down a club called the Next to Kin, which had not received permission from the Pagans before forming.
Their plea deals state that a group of Last Rebels threatened four members of the Next to Kin during a roadside confrontation in April 2008 near Racine, W.Va., about 20 miles south of Charleston.
James Lyttle, known as "Big Jim," pleaded guilty to carrying a handgun during a crime of violence for his involvement in the incident. In his plea agreement, Lyttle admitted he had the handgun and made sure the Next to Kin knew it during the confrontation. Prosecutors agreed to drop a second charge of threatening a crime of violence in aid of racketeering as part of James Lyttle's plea deal.
St. Albans resident Edward Parsons, meanwhile, pleaded guilty to a single charge of conspiracy to distribute cocaine. Parsons said in his plea deal that he repeatedly sold cocaine to two men associated with the Pagans throughout most of 2008.
Prosecutors allege six other men named in the indictment were involved in the same conspiracy. Parsons, a short, round 29-year-old known as "Fat Ed," faces up to 20 years in prison, but prosecutors agreed to drop six cocaine distribution counts as part of his deal.
All four men were allowed to remain free on bail pending sentencing in March. Hankins and Eric Lyttle face up to five years, while James Lyttle faces five years to life in prison.
In all, 55 men from West Virginia, Kentucky, Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Delaware and Florida were charged in the case, though one defendant has since died of natural causes.
On Oct. 6, a search of Barbeito's Frederick County residence turned up a cache of firearms, cash and Pagan-related items, including documents, clothing and a wall clock with the club's logo.
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