In June 2024, a federal grand jury in Dayton, Ohio, indicted 14 members of the Thug Riders Motorcycle Club (TRMC), an “outlaw motorcycle gang” also known as Thug Riders MC.

The indictment, announced on June 14, 2024, by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio, charged the defendants with various offenses stemming from an alleged racketeering conspiracy (RICO). This included acts of violence such as murder, arson, assault, extortion, and related conspiracies. The case involved the club’s Dayton chapter (established in late 2019) and its Midwest Region operations, primarily in Ohio and Kentucky.

Key Alleged Incidents

The indictment detailed several overt acts in support of the criminal enterprise, including:

• Blowing up a former member’s vehicle in Huber Heights, Ohio (May 2021)
• Killing a man (Joseph Nicholson) during a shootout in Harrison Township, Ohio (September 2021)
• Shooting more than 190 rounds into a rival motorcycle gang’s clubhouse in Lexington, Kentucky (April 2023)
• Engaging in a shootout at a rival gang’s clubhouse in Springfield, Ohio (March 2024)
• Physically assaulting rival gang members in London, Ohio (May 2024)

The club was accused of operating as a structured criminal organization with dues-paying “patched” members, regular “church” meetings, and a chain of command, including a Midwest Regional “boss.”

Defendants

The 14 indicted members included:

• Juan Anthony Robles (Midwest Regional “boss,” Arizona)
• Joey Allan Marshall (aka “King Joe,” “Diesel,” Xenia, Ohio)
• Jared Tyler Peters (aka “Savage,” Dayton, Ohio)
• Brandon Whylee Fisher (Piqua, Ohio)
• John Allan Smith (Ohio)
• Norman Dale Beach (Ohio)
• Michael Seth Henry (Xenia, Ohio)
• And others such as Brent A. Egleston (Xenia, Ohio), Daniel Brian Hutten, Michael Lee Reese, Joseph Michael Rader, Justin James Baker, Cody Dale Hughes, and Matthew J. Hawkins (one from Pennsylvania).

Arrests occurred on June 13, 2024, involving approximately 330 law enforcement officers across multiple states (Ohio, Kentucky, Arizona, Pennsylvania).

Case Status (as of late 2025)

Several members have since pleaded guilty to various charges (e.g., conspiracy to engage in racketeering, violent crimes in aid of racketeering, attempted assault), with sentences handed down including:

• 30 months in prison for one early defendant
• 18 months for another
• 3 years for Matthew Hawkins

Some guilty pleas occurred in 2025, with trials or further proceedings rescheduled (e.g., a planned October 2025 trial date was adjusted). The case remains part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force investigation.

The Thug Riders MC, founded in 2003, has an international presence (U.S., Canada, Australia, and others) and is classified as a violent outlaw motorcycle gang by authorities. For the official press release, see the U.S. Department of Justice announcement from June 2024.

Details on Joseph Nicholson’s murder

Joseph Nicholson, a 43-year-old man, was killed on September 26, 2021, in a shooting linked to the Thug Riders Motorcycle Club (TRMC) in Harrison Township, Ohio (near Dayton).

Incident Details

According to the federal indictment and court records from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio:

• The shooting occurred around 2 a.m. in the parking lot of a liquor store near the Thug Riders’ clubhouse (located on Lodge Avenue in Harrison Township).
• Four people were in a Chevrolet Tahoe that had reportedly been denied entry to an event at the Thug Riders’ clubhouse, leading to a confrontation.
• Members of the Thug Riders allegedly tracked the Tahoe to the liquor store parking lot.
• Club members fired more than 40 rounds at the vehicle.
• The front seat passenger, Joseph Nicholson, was struck in the back of the head and killed.

Some reports describe the location variably as near Neva Drive in Dayton or in a Harrison Township liquor store parking lot, but all tie it to the same September 26, 2021, incident connected to the club’s clubhouse activities.

Involved Parties

The indictment alleges that Thug Riders members Brandon Whylee Fisher (Piqua, Ohio), John Allan Smith (Dayton, Ohio), Matthew J. Hawkins (Pennsylvania), and other unnamed club members participated in the shooting. This act was cited as an overt act in support of the alleged racketeering conspiracy (RICO), classifying it as murder in aid of the criminal enterprise.

Case Status (as of December 2025)

• Multiple Thug Riders members have pleaded guilty to related racketeering and violent crime charges, with some receiving prison sentences (e.g., Matthew Hawkins to 3 years, others to 15–30 months).
• Fisher, Smith, and others remain tied to the murder allegation in the ongoing case, though specific individual convictions or sentences solely for the Nicholson homicide have not been publicly detailed in available reports (the federal charges focus on the broader conspiracy, including violent crimes in aid of racketeering).
• The case is part of a larger Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force investigation, with several defendants having pleaded guilty to conspiracy counts encompassing this and other violent acts.

This killing was one of several alleged violent incidents (including vehicle bombings, rival gang shootouts, and assaults) detailed in the June 2024 indictment of 14 Thug Riders members. Authorities describe the club as an “outlaw motorcycle gang” operating with structure, dues, and a chain of command. For official details, refer to the U.S. Department of Justice press release from June 2024 or ongoing coverage from local outlets like the Dayton Daily News.

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