The notorious Payday Gang recently caused a stir with a spectacular escape. A defendant disappeared from the eyes of the justice system without a trace. We at GameStar spared no effort and actually got an exclusive interview with a suspected gang member.
What’s the deal with the Payday Gang? New York City is currently plagued by an unprecedented crime wave. Brutal robberies are practically the order of the day and no one feels safe anymore.
In all this chaos, one gang of robbers stands out in particular: the Payday Gang. This gang has made a name for itself through particularly spectacular robberies and has a characteristic look: the members all wear scary clown masks when they carry out their actions.
How did the contact come about? While researching the current crime wave, we accidentally hit the bull’s eye. Via a dubious darknet site that specializes in crimes and their planning, we actually entered a chat room where a person named “Houston” was hanging out. And this “Houston” claimed to be very familiar with the gang.
The entire interview was conducted via text chat and without video or audio. You can find the complete chat log in the following paragraphs.
Interview with a gangster – This is how the Payday gang ticks!
GameStar: Hi Houston, nice that we can meet here to chat. In response to my inquiry, you said that you had close contact with the Payday gang. I still have questions…
Houston: What kind of questions?
GameStar: Well, you’re laying it on pretty thick when you say you know someone in the gang. I’m currently looking for anything useful about this gang. But I know practically nothing about the Payday gang. Except that they wear clown masks and are associated with some very high-profile robberies. They even admit to it publicly. But other than that, not much is known, hence my curiosity about what you might have to say. How are you connected to the gang and do you work for them?
Houston: So right now I’m “working” my way through their liquor bar. Oh, and the root beer is all gone!
GameStar: Aha, so you know them? Obviously personally, if they let you have their booze. Are you perhaps even a member of the gang?
Houston: As if I would tell you that!
GameStar: Well, this would be a unique opportunity to tell the world what you really want. Well, apart from a huge pile of money, of course. It’s quite clear that you have other goals, even if the authorities are still in the dark. So don’t you want to take this chance and tell the world your story? For example, that you want to be a modern version of Robin Hood in New York City?
Houston: Hmm, OK, I can only speak for myself, but hey, I don’t have anything better to do right now than keep raiding the bar. Go ahead!
How the Payday Gang fooled the justice system
GameStar: Oh, very good! You won’t regret it. But OK, let’s start with the incident in the courthouse. A prisoner basically vanished into thin air before the eyes of the justice system. Was that you?
Houston: Haha, yeah, that definitely sounds like a payday thing.
GameStar: OK, let’s assume it was you: how did you do it?
Houston: Very good question! Well, I would have done it like this: I would have had one of my friends sabotage the metal detector at the entrance and just casually walked in!
GameStar: Aha, and how is that supposed to work? You can’t just turn these things off.
Houston: Well, you can “take them out” with a well-aimed shot from a silenced gun.
GameStar: Now that sounds very unrealistic. How is that supposed to work?
Houston: Hey, crazy actions are the specialty of the Payday Gang!
And once you’re inside, you just grab the access card from someone who’s already there. For example, a press pass from a reporter from a certain outlet that’s just talking crap anyway.
From then on, you act like you belong there. But of course you look around, remember where the guards are, where the cameras and stuff like that are set up. And where the target is.
Then you strike quickly and precisely! Grab the target, destroy the evidence and make sure you get the hang of it. Before they know it, you’ll be gone and they’ll be left standing there looking stupid.
GameStar: The way you say it, it sounds really simple.
Houston: Hahaha, that sucks! I spilled booze on the damn keyboard, just a minute!
GameStar: ….
Are you still there?
Houston: Ah, shit, you’re still here!
GameStar: OK, let’s continue if you still can. What were you doing in the courthouse? Was the missing defendant a friend of yours? Or an enemy? Did he know something that you wanted to keep secret?
Houston: Yeah, you could say he knew what he was talking about.
GameStar: What did you and the gang do to him? Is Franklin Steele still alive?
Houston: Whoa, slow down! I never said I was in the gang. I just said… hey, what did I say again? No, I never said that, nope. I’m drunk. But not that drunk, okay?!
Well, I’ll just tell you one thing. There’s this asshole who wanted Mr. Steele to rot in prison forever. And we wanted the opposite of what Mr. Asshole wanted. That’s all I’m saying, period!
GameStar: Can you give me a clue as to who this “asshole” is?
Houston: I can. And that means bad news for him. Next question.
Miniguns and wild chaos – The next plans of the Payday Gang
GameStar: Hmm, OK. But I can see that you are very well informed about the Payday gang. Can you tell us something about future actions? At the moment the press is talking about the worst crime wave ever and people are afraid. When will it all stop?
Houston: It’s over when it’s over! We were retired, you know? And we didn’t start all this shit, but we’re finishing it!
GameStar: “We”? Aha, so you are one of the gang after all! So come on, tell us: What do you want and when will it finally be over?
Houston: Nice try, buddy. Just be careful, you civilians can rest easy. Stay on the ground, stay calm, and don’t get up when you hear gunfire. Run around like a headless chicken in a hail of bullets and you might get a bullet, OK?
Oh, and one last tip: If you see a guy with a minigun, don’t run in front of his guns!
GameStar: A damn minigun?! What does that mean? Houston, what are you doing? Hello? Are you still there? Hello???
[Anmerkung der Redaktion] A few minutes after the chat ended, we were shown the following disturbing video.