John Jefferson
Among the suspected top leaders caught in a crackdown on the Thug Riders Motorcycle gang were Juan “Juan the Man” Robles, top left inset; Joey A. Marshall, on the right of Robles; Jared “Savage” Peters, lower left inset; Brandon “Road Runner” Fisher, right bottom inset; and John “Chaos” Smith, top right inset. (Crime scene screenshot and mug shots from the U.S. Attorney’s news conference via WKEF/YouTube)
Fourteen members of the Thug Riders Motorcycle Club have been indicted in a federal racketeering conspiracy alleging violence, including the killing of a man in a shootout, the bombing of a former member’s vehicle, and other violent acts.
A federal indictment charges the men with the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) — the same tool the feds use to take down organized crime. The racketeering conspiracy allegations include murder, arson, assault, and extortion, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a news release.
Among the suspected top leaders caught in the crackdown were Juan “Juan the Man” Robles, 45, the alleged Midwest regional boss; Joey A. Marshall, aka “King Joe” or “Diesel,” 44, a suspected Midwest regional sergeant-at-arms; Jared “Savage” Peters, 37, accused of serving as the president of the Dayton chapter; Brandon “Road Runner” Fisher, 26, suspected of being the chapter’s sergeant of arms; and John “Chaos” Smith, 37, the alleged “enforcer” of the Dayton chapter.
In a news conference, Kenneth L. Parker, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, said Robles was instrumental in creating the Dayton chapter of the club, founded there in 2019, and called him the primary instigator and perpetrator of violence in this case.
“So by addressing these individuals and their leadership positions in the motorcycle club, we have dealt a serious blow to this violent organization operating in the Dayton area, surrounding communities throughout the state of Ohio and other states,” Parker said.
Some 300 law enforcement officers fanned out nationwide to execute federal warrants as part of the case. Investigators seized several hundred items of evidence, including about 100 firearms, 15,000 rounds of ammunition, and a “treasure trove” of digital data authorities said would not only help the current case but would allow them to expand the investigation to other co-conspirators.
Authorities said the club engaged in yearslong violence. In one case in May 2021, club members blew up a former member’s vehicle when that former member did not pay $1,000 or give up a motorcycle to the club, Parker said. In September of that year, they allegedly killed a man in a shootout. During the incident, over 40 rounds were fired into a vehicle the victim was in with three others.
Members of the club fired more than 190 rounds into a rival motorcycle gang’s clubhouse in Lexington, Kentucky, that had been occupied at the time, officials said. Parker said it was fortunate no one died.
In June 2023, Thug Riders broke the leg of a patron at an Ohio bar and gave the person a black eye after they were denied service because they were donning their club patches, authorities said.
In March of this year, they got into a shootout with a motorcycle gang at that gang’s clubhouse in Springfield, Ohio, in which a Thug Rider was shot twice in the face, Parker said. In May, they assaulted members of another motorcycle gang at a bar in London, Ohio.
The gang was founded in 2003. It has chapters throughout the United States, Canada, Australia, Morocco, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Germany, and the United Kingdom.
The club’s Midwest region comprises chapters in Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia, Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri. Midwest regional chapter club meetings are called “church,” and only dues-paying “full patch” members or past Thug Riders attend. Chapters and regions fall under the authority of the national president in Newark, New Jersey.
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