First the world's largest motorcycle posse, the Hell's Angels, allegedly bragged that they were coming down to take Philadelphia away from the Pagans, the Delaware Valley's largest outlaw biker gang.Then some of the local Pagans took a look at the odds and switched sides. A group of panicky Pagans signed on with the Hell's Angels and recently started sporting the scary Hell's Angel patch on their denim jackets -- when bikers from one club join another club it's called "patching over" in the biker world. Now comes word from law enforcement sources who investigate outlaw motorcycle gangs that one-time mob associate and former Pagan club President Steven "Gorilla" Mondevergine may join the Hell's Angels when he gets out of jail.
"We hear he's already switched sides," one cop said earlier this week. "When Gorilla comes out he's gonna be a Hell's Angel."
The Gorilla is a former Philly cop and all-around tough guy who was once shot nine times and survived. Gorilla is currently behind bars, serving time for trying to shoot the reputed leader of a South Philadelphia drug crew called the 10th and O gang in November 2000. The police claimed that Mondevergine, a friend of jailed mob boss Joey Merlino, ran an extortion racket for the Mafia, but Mondevergine denied he had any involvement with the mob, despite several public sightings of Merlino and Mondevergine hanging out at area bars and clubs. Mondevergine's lawyer, George H. Newman, did not return calls to City Paper.According to Underworld sources, another other local biker gang, the Warlocks, are pissed off at the Pagans. That's because the Pagans, looking for reinforcements, supposedly gave permission to the Wheels of Soul to wear the Pagan patch on their jackets.Ironically, the Warlocks once planned to invite the Wheels of Soul to wear Warlock "colors." The Wheels of Soul are an African-American club headquartered under the El on Market Street in West Philadelphia. But the Pagans, being a much larger gang with more power, vetoed the Warlock plan. Police sources say there are more than a few diehard white supremacists among the Pagans, and those guys were less than thrilled with the prospect of sharing power with African-American bikers.