Sweeping RICO case puts multiple Bandido gang members behind bars including Katy chapter president

KATY, Texas (KTRK) -- Multiple national, state, and regional law enforcement agencies said a criminal take-down on Wednesday morning could curb a bloody and deadly turf war between motorcycle gangs.

On Wednesday, 14 members of the notorious 'Bandido's Motorcycle Gang' were arrested and accused of crimes ranging from arson and drug trafficking to murder.

ABC13 covered the murder mentioned in the indictment in November 2021.

The shooting happened at an east-side restaurant and left one man shot to death and two others with non-life-threatening gunshot wounds.

That murder is now the first count brought up against Bandido's Katy chapter president, John Pfeffer, and several other members, authorities say. Twenty-one more crimes are alleged.

"The most sticking aspect of the criminal conduct in this case is how open and brazen it was. The alleged assaults and shootings happened in public spaces," US Attorney for the Southern District of Texas Nicholas Ganjei said.

Wednesday's bust was the result of a six-year effort to track crimes across the area, resulting in the sweeping RICO case. RICO stands for Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, and prosecutors use it to target organized crime by following patterns of criminal activity.

"The Bandidos engaged in a series of violent attacks against other bikers in the Houston area ranging from bar room assault to outright murder, all with the purpose of driving out any rival biker gangs out of the Houston area," Ganjei said.

Investigators said they expect more arrests in the coming days but wouldn't provide details. Raketeering, murder, and firearm charges could put multiple people away for life if proven true.

"Any time a member of a criminal organization commits crime in the southern district of Texas, we're going to investigate it thoroughly, and if there are charges that can be brought, we'll bring charges," Ganjei said.

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