Man sentenced to more than 1 year in prison in Thug Riders violent crime conspiracy

Fourteen members of the Thug Riders Motorcycle Club were indicted in federal court in an organized crime scheme that reportedly involved multiple violent acts in Ohio and Kentucky. Photo courtesy the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office.

Fourteen members of the Thug Riders Motorcycle Club were indicted in federal court in an organized crime scheme that reportedly involved multiple violent acts in Ohio and Kentucky. Photo courtesy the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office.

A Thug Riders Motorcycle Club member will spend time in prison after he was sentenced in connection to violent crimes reportedly committed by the gang.

Judge Michael J. Newman sentenced Cody Dale Hughes to 18 months in prison and one year of supervised release, according to U.S. District Court Southern District of Ohio records.

Hughes previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit assault with a dangerous weapon.

Fourteen Thug Riders were indicted after the club was accused of various violent crimes, including murder, arson, felonious assault and gun fights in southwest Ohio and Kentucky.

At least seven members have been sentenced — Joey Marshall, Michael Reese, Matthew Hawkins, Michael Henry, Daniel Hutten, Joseph Rader and Hughes.

Juan Robles, Justin Baker, Jared Peters and Brent Egleston pleaded guilty, but have not been sentenced, according to federal court records.

Brandon Fisher and John Smith had change of plea hearings scheduled, but the outcome of the hearings weren’t available as of Feb. 13.

Norman Beach is the remaining member still facing charges.

Investigators linked the Thug Riders to violent crimes in Dayton, Huber Heights, Harrison Twp., Springfield and Kentucky committed between May 2021 and May 2024.

According to the indictment, the motorcycle club was responsible for the following:

• The explosion of a former member’s pick-up truck in Huber Heights on May 25, 2021.

• The fatal shooting of 43-year-old Joseph Nicholson in Harrison Twp. on Sept. 26, 2021. Hawkins, Fisher and Smith, along with other unnamed Thug Riders, shot at a Chevrolet Tahoe 40 times while Nicholson was sitting inside, according to the indictment.

• A gunfight on April 9, 2023, at a rival motorcycle group’s clubhouse in Lexington, Kentucky. The Thug Riders reportedly fired 192 rounds during the attack, but no one was injured.

• A fight at a Dayton bar on June 17, 2023. According to the indictment, the gang broke a man’s leg and gave him a black eye.

• A gunfight at another motorcycle club’s clubhouse in Springfield on March 20, 2024. Marshall and Fisher allegedly tried to force their way into the clubhouse, resulting in gunfire. Fisher was shot twice in the head, according to court records.

• The assault of two members of a rival motorcycle club in London, Ohio, on March 16, 2024.

The Thug Riders Motorcycle Club is an international motorcycle club that’s maintained a Dayton chapter since approximately 2019, according to court documents.

They initially had a clubhouse on Lodge Avenue in Harrison Twp. before moving to Stanley Avenue in Dayton.

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