The Outlaws Motorcycle Club biker who threw a pipe bomb into a Fort Walton Beach Jimmy John’s last year has pleaded guilty to arson in federal court.
Gregory Simonds, Jr., 42 of Pensacola, made the plea after more than a year behind bars awaiting trial. He’ll have a mandatory minimum of seven years in Federal Prison – and could be there for four decades. Simonds was involved in “an altercation” against a rival motorcycle gang, The Pagans, near the Fort Walton Beach Harley Davidson motorcycle dealership when he set off an explosive that blew out the glass and did other damage to the fast food sandwich shop before driving away in a car. He was arrested the same day by the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office.
The arrest affidavit filed in the case reported that Simonds first pointed a gun at the rival bikers and then threw a device at the bikers. It also noted that the explosive device used in the attack caused roughly $5,000 in damage to the sandwich shop.
Simonds will learn his sentence on June 20, 2026, at the US District Court in Pensacola.
U.S. Attorney John Heekin said: “Targeting, prosecuting, and eliminating transnational criminal organizations, like the Outlaws Motorcycle Club, is one of the principal objectives of Operation Take Back America, which was launched by President Donald J. Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi to devote the full might of the Department of Justice toward keeping our communities safe from violent thugs like this defendant. With yet another successful prosecution under OpTBA, we are one step closer to that goal, and we will continue to aggressively [pursue] these cases to deliver the safe streets our citizens deserve.”
Pro Communi Bono
St. Francis De Sales, Ora Pro Nobis!
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