BUFFALO – A federal racketeering trial entering its third month has cast an unfavorable opinion amongst the general public on Kingsmen Motorcycle Clubs across the country.
In 2015, Andre Jenkins, 36, of Deland, Florida, was convicted of first-degree murder, two counts of second-degree murder and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon in the law enforcement described as execution-style killings of two members, Paul Maue and Daniel ‘DJ’ Szymanski outside the Kingsmen’s North Tonawanda club house.
There are 12 chapters in New York, including one in both Jamestown and Dunkirk, according to a website that tracks one-percent biker gangs.
The U.S. Department of Justice defines “outlaw motorcycle gangs” (OMG) as “organizations whose members use their motorcycle clubs as conduits for criminal enterprises.”
An interview, conducted by Ryan Hedrick, three years ago with Linnie Wood, President of the Kingsmen’s local chapter, painted a different picture of the club.
“We are not one-percenters,” said Wood. “We are not in the city to cause problems.”
A law enforcement source who spoke to WNYNewsNow on the condition of anonymity because of the ongoing trial in Buffalo told us that the group ran into trouble when one faction desired to run a criminal enterprise and the other half wanted to maintain a community-based organization.
“The 2014 killings exposed the flawed thinking of some of the members,” the source said.
“In this county, we haven’t had much trouble with the Jamestown and Dunkirk chapters,” the source said.
Wood did admit he had some form of dialogue with a known one-percent motorcycle club, the Pagans, who the Federal Bureau of Investigation labels an organized crime syndicate.
He refused to acknowledge the existence of the Pagans clubhouse. “I can’t disclose that, I don’t know,” said Wood.
“There’s times that I see members of the Pagans organization, they’re here and we’re here,” Wood said. “I have conversations with them. I don’t feel there’s any animosity, we’re not here for problems,” said Wood. “We don’t have problems with them.”
In Buffalo, the government’s case against David Pirk continues as they fight to prove that he ordered the execution-style killings of Paul Maue and Daniel ‘DJ’ Szymanski outside of the Kingsmen’s North Tonawanda club house.
Attempts to locate Wood to comment on this story were unsuccessful.
