April 12, 2022
New York Times bestselling author Dave Wedge will be at the Barnes & Noble at Derby Street, Saturday, April 16, from 2-4 pm, signing copies of his new true crime thriller, “Riding with Evil: Taking Down the Notorious Pagan Motorcycle Gang,” which was recently released via Harper Collins/William Morrow.
“Riding with Evil,” Wedge’s sixth book, is written with former Boston ATF agent Ken Croke, who is the only police officer to ever infiltrate the infamous Pagan motorcycle gang.
Written with Ken Croke, a retired ATF agent who is the only cop to ever infiltrate the Pagans, it's the story of how Ken became a fully patched member of the drug-dealing, white supremacist biker gang and rose to sergeant-at-arms. He witnessed beatings, drug deals, brutal assaults, and plots to bomb their rival Hells Angels, all while trying to avoid having his cover blown, survive the violent biker underworld and keep his sanity.
Much of the case took place in Rocky Point in Long Island, N.Y., where Ken was embedded undercover for two years as a Pagan, while his wife and three daughters were back home in suburban Massachusetts. In Long Island, Ken witnessed brutal assaults, bought weapons and kilos of meth and cocaine from Pagans, and had a front seat to the blood feud between the Pagans and the Hells Angels.
The operation resulted in the takedown of more than 20 Pagans in a 2011 sweeping federal racketeering case that included convictions for murder conspiracy, extortion, drug trafficking, assault, and weapons violations. The case has led to dozens more arrests while intelligence information from the operation continues to pay dividends to ATF and other law enforcement agencies to this day. After the case, two contracts were put out on Ken's life by the Pagans, one for $25,000 and another for $50,000.
The book marks the first time the story has been told publicly. Dave and Ken can talk in depth about the case, the scope of the Pagans' presence and crimes in New York and New Jersey, and provide compelling photos.
A few more details about this historic case:
- Ken was arrested for having an illegal gun while undercover and spent several days in a New York jail, remaining in role as a Pagan to avoid having his cover blown.
- Ken helped move what was said to be the body of a Pagans’ murder victim, traveling to the Catskills and digging a shallow grave under the cover of night with two other Pagans.
- Ken was named to an elite “hit squad” by the Mother Club.
- Ken participated in clandestine "church" meetings, which is where the Pagans plot criminal activity.
- Ken witnessed bar owners in New Jersey paying off the gang for protection, as well as Pagan chapters paying tribute to the Mother Club with envelopes of cash.
- Ken attended several Pagan "mandatory" events where thousands of bikers gathered for weekends of wild debauchery and violence.
Praise for "Riding with Evil"
“Nail-biting … this engrossing account about the realities of undercover work is must reading for true crime aficionados” – Publishers Weekly (*starred*)
https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-06-309240-2
“A riveting hybrid of true-crime journalism and intensive memoir …. A breathless, enthralling thrill ride” – Kirkus
https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/ken-croke/riding-with-evil/
"Ken Croke is a true bad-ass … Beautifully written with the help of bestselling author Dave Wedge, Croke takes you deep inside the biker gang in a breathtaking account. RIDING WITH EVIL is a terrifying roller coaster ride you will never forget." - Don Van Natta Jr., Pulitzer Prize winning investigative reporter for ESPN and New York Times bestselling author
About Dave Wedge
Dave Wedge is a New York Times bestselling author, podcaster and writer based in Boston. He has co-written five books with acclaimed author Casey Sherman, including “Boston Strong: A City's Triumph Over Tragedy,” a non-fiction drama about the 2013 Boston Marathon Bombings adapted for the 2017 movie “Patriots Day”; “12: The Inside Story of Tom Brady's Fight for Redemption"; “Hunting Whitey: The Inside Story of the Capture and Killing of America’s Most Wanted Crime Boss”; and “The Last Days of John Lennon,” written with James Patterson.
Dave has also written for VICE, Esquire, Newsweek and Boston magazine and was an award-winning investigative journalist for the Boston Herald for 14 years. He has appeared on CNN, MSNBC, E!, France 24, Fox News Channel, Good Morning America and many other local and national networks. He is co-host of the acclaimed true crime podcast “Saints, Sinners & Serial Killers” on the MuddhouseMedia network. Find him on Twitter @DaveWedge or Instagram @davidmwedge.