A significant portion of Riding with Evil focuses on the personal cost of undercover work. As "Slam," Croke began to lose touch with his own identity and his family. The "darkness" of the assignment—surrounding himself with misogyny, racism, and violence—began to seep into his psyche. This narrative thread adds a layer of human vulnerability to the high-octane action, illustrating that the greatest danger wasn't just getting killed, but losing his soul to the persona he created. The Takedown and Legacy
The climax of the book details the massive, multi-state "takedown" that resulted from Croke’s evidence. His work led to the indictment of dozens of high-ranking members, effectively decapitating the Pagans' leadership in several states. Conclusion Riding_with_Evil_-_Ken_Crokeepub
Riding with Evil , co-authored by Ken Croke and Dave Wedge, is a gripping first-hand account of one of the most successful and dangerous undercover operations in federal law enforcement history. The memoir chronicles Croke’s two-year journey as an undercover agent for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), during which he became the first federal agent to successfully infiltrate the inner circle of the Pagans Motorcycle Club—one of the "Big Four" outlaw motorcycle gangs (OMGs) in America. The Man and the Mission A significant portion of Riding with Evil focuses
Ken Croke, a veteran ATF agent, assumed the persona of "Slam," a tough, solitary biker with a murky past. Unlike many undercover operations that target lower-level associates, Croke’s objective was total immersion. His goal was to dismantle the Pagans’ leadership structure in the Northeast, a region where the club was known for extreme violence, drug trafficking, and a "fight-on-sight" policy toward their rivals, the Hells Angels. The Psychology of Infiltration This narrative thread adds a layer of human
Riding with Evil: The High-Stakes Infiltration of the Pagans MC