CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- An electrical contractor from Northern Virginia admitted in federal court on Monday that he reached out to a member of the Pagans Motorcycle Club for help in collecting some outstanding debts.

John N. Maggio, 47, of Alexandria, Va., pleaded guilty to one count of extortion. Maggio is the seventh defendant of the 55 named in a 44-count indictment that accuses members and associates of the gang to use violence and intimidation to control territory from New Jersey to Florida.

When Maggio had trouble collecting five-figure debts from at least two clients, he contacted Floyd B. Moore, 64, of St. Albans, the national vice president of the motorcycle gang, according to a stipulation of facts entered as part of Maggio's guilty plea.

Maggio had known Moore, a St. Albans resident, for more than two decades, and knew he was a high-ranking official in the Pagans' highly structured organization, the stipulation states.

Moore, known as "Diamond Jesse," put Maggio in touch with his personal sergeant-at-arms, fellow Pagan Ronnie Howerton, who often acted as an enforcer for the vice president, according to the stipulation.

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