More than a dozen members of the Kingsmen Motorcycle Club, including members of two Cattaraugus County chapters, have been indicted by a federal grand jury and were arrested Tuesday after an investigation of the murder of two club members.
U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul Jr. said a grand jury returned a 46-count superseding indictment in a major racketeering operation involving 10 members of the club in Western New York, as well as six others nationwide.
“With today’s indictment, an era of violence perpetrated upon so many communities across this country by a single criminal enterprise has now come to an end,” Hochul said. “As this case demonstrates, law enforcement from across this region will not rest until all who would harm the peace and safety of our residents are brought to justice, regardless of where those threats originate.”
Among the local members named in the 73-page indictment are Thomas Scanlon, 46, a KMC member, Olean chapter president, nomad — an independent member of the club expected to serve the interests of the
club, “including fighting other clubs and committing various crimes on behalf of the KMC,” the indictment states — and New York regional president, was indicted on 10 charges: Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act (RICO) conspiracy, possession of a firearm in
furtherance of a crime of violence, two counts of obstruction of justice, two counts of making false statements before a grand jury, two counts of using and maintaining a premises for drug dealing, and two counts of possession of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking crimes.
• Robert Osborne Jr., 37, Olean chapter president, was indicted on nine charges; RICO conspiracy, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, accessory after the fact, two counts of obstruction of justice, two counts of using and maintaining a premises for drug dealing and two counts of possession of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking crimes.
• Jack Wood, 45, Arcade chapter sergeant-at-arms, was indicted on eight charges; RICO conspiracy, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, user of a controlled substance in possession of firearms, two counts of using and maintaining a premises for drug
dealing and two counts of possession of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking crimes.
• Andre Jenkins, 37, a nomad member and formerly a member of the Olean club, was indicted on eight charges; RICO conspiracy, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, two counts of murder in aid of racketeering, two counts of possession and discharge of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, using and maintaining a premises for drug dealing and possession of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking crimes.
• Emmett Green, 44, Arcade/Delevan chapter president, Southern Tier regional president and New York regional president, was indicted on six charges; RICO conspiracy, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, two counts of using and maintaining a premises for
drug dealing and two counts of possession of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking crimes.
The charges carry a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison, a maximum penalty of life in prison and a $500,000 fine, prosecutors said.
The club was formed in 1959 in Lockport, the indictment stated, with some members in 2013 seeking to make the club a 1 percent club — a reference to an American Motorcycle Association statement in 1947 that 99 percent of motorcyclists were law-abiding citizens, while 1 percent clubs were “outlaws” and may engage in crimes such as drug or gun trafficking.
Authorities raided the clubhouse around 6 a.m.. After breaking down the front door, police tossed in flashbang stun grenades before entering the building. An FBI helicopter hovered overhead, and FBI snipers took up position around the East Pine Street building. Investigators collected several dozen boxes of evidence and loaded it into a moving truck.
Police removed several security cameras affixed to the exterior of the clubhouse.
The clubhouse in North Tonawanda is the same location where Jenkins, a former member of the Olean club, shot and killed Daniel Szymanski of Getzville and Paul Maue of Buffalo — two rival bikers — execution-style last September. He reportedly fled to the Olean club with the assistance of a Portville woman where he burned his blood-stained clothes. Jenkins was convicted by a Niagara County jury last week on charges of first- and second-degree murder.
The search at the Olean clubhouse came two weeks after club members requested the city’s Planning Board grant them a special permit to continue operating out of the East Pine Street building. The group had regularly met at the clubhouse since 2012.
