The Pagan's Motorcycle Club is trying to assert control over New Jersey and it's using more violence to do it, according to testimony given Wednesday during a State Commission of Investigation hearing.

The group has expanded from 10 chapters to 17 in New Jersey in the past few years, and is moving into the northern part of the state from their traditional South Jersey stronghold, said Edwin Torres, an investigator for the commission and president of the East Coast Gang Investigators Association.

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The commission investigated the group because of an "alarming shift" in the way the Pagans are doing business, which gang investigators have not seen before, Torres said.

The resurgence and expansion of the group has made it easier to wear Pagan colors, he said.

Estimates varied during testimony. Torres said the Pagans are believed to have 150 to 350 members in New Jersey.

"They're very well organized," Torres told the commission. "Contrary to popular belief, what you may see in the media of guys just hanging out partying and drinking and a bunch of fellows having a good time, this is a well-run organization and a criminal enterprise by no other terms."

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And when it comes to evading detection, they're getting better.

"Despite the sometimes rough appearance of these guys, they are not at all unsophisticated when it comes to undermining and frustrating law enforcement," said Lee Seglem, executive director of the commission, in his opening statement.

Violence has risen since a change in national leadership in 2018 when Keith "Conan" Richter took over as president, according to testimony.

That violence has included an uptick in attacks against civilians, attempted murders against other members, a murder-for-hire scheme that was carried out in South Jersey and other crimes.

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Three reputed Pagan leaders subpoenaed to testify asserted their Fifth Amendment rights and did not answer questions.

One was Hugo Nieves, also known as "Zorro," a New Jersey resident believed to be national vice president of the Pagans, according to testimony.

Nieves made one statement, saying "All I will say is it is not the policy of this club for anybody to engage in any criminal activity."

The group's move into North Jersey is why the violence has increased, investigators said. The northern part of the state is where the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club has shown dominance. The outlaw motorcycle club has a clubhouse in Newark.

The two groups are locked in a violent struggle for control of New Jersey, investigators said.

And Pagans are expanding, moving out West, into Puerto Rico and states like Florida. They have added 30 chapters in the past year, Torres said.

"They want to take over the entire East Coast," Torres said.

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The group now has 900 members in 12 states, he said.

Some of the details that came out of the hearing were:

Pagans continue to distribute methamphetamine but are getting away from manufacturing it, relying more on "super labs" in Mexico.

An ax handle is a weapon of choice among many Pagans.

Members use WhatsApp, a communication app, and encrypted devices that keeps law enforcement from tapping phone calls.

The Pagans engage in protection rackets, "muscle for hire," and debt collection for traditional organized crime groups, posting what look like job listings at meetings for debt collection jobs with the offer of a percentage of the money recovered.

Members conduct active "counter surveillance" of law enforcement, using drones and plainclothes Pagan members to search for undercover law enforcement officers at events.

Hundreds of Pagans showed up at Roar to the Shore motorcycle event in Wildwood in September, what's known in the outlaw motorcycle club world as a "Pagan event."

The Pagans are now taking in members from street gangs like the Bloods, the Latin Kings, the Crips and the Netas.

Recruitment has become much less selective, with people joining for $500 to $1,000 instead of going through a lengthy trial period as a "prospect."

While the Pagans have traditionally drawn members from white supremacist groups, the diversifying of the club has been a sharp turn that has angered older members. Dark-skinned Latinos are welcome but not black men, Torres said.

There are more Latino members of the group in North Jersey than elsewhere.

The Pagan's Motorcycle Club has recruited disgraced or retired law enforcement officers and even a former municipal court judge in New Jersey.

Female clerks and staff in police departments and other law enforcement offices and in the courts who are linked to the Pagans have compromised investigations and passed along confidential information to the group.

The club distributes drugs in cells within chapters to keep tight control of the of the information.

Women are considered property and rank lower than dogs in the order of importance to the group.

Among the hiearchy of women associated with the Pagans, the lowest are called "pets.

"Pets’ are women who are shared sexually among the group," said Nicole McCann, investigative analyst for the commission. "They're typically given as many drugs or drinks as they want.”

One Pagan motto: "Breaking laws and breaking jaws since 1959"

Ken Serrano has covered breaking news and crime in New Jersey for the past 20 years. Reach him at 732-643-4029 or kserrano@gannettnj.com