For 23 years, Scott Payne served as an undercover FBI agent, embedding himself inside some of America’s most dangerous criminal organizations — including outlaw motorcycle gangs, the Ku Klux Klan, and neo-Nazi groups. In a rare interview, he explains exactly how undercover work actually functions, what agents face in the field, and how close he came to being exposed.

This is everything he is authorized to tell the public.

The Reality of Undercover Work: “No One Is Coming to Save You”

Undercover agents technically have support teams — but in real life, Payne says you are largely on your own:

“If I’m in the middle of 100 acres and the crap hits the fan, what can they really do other than avenge my death?”

Agents do have quick-response units, but in high-risk infiltrations, help is often too far away. Payne explains that if an agent enters a case expecting SWAT teams and Hostage Rescue Teams to jump in instantly, they shouldn’t be undercover at all.

The mindset is simple:
You must be able to survive alone.

The Outlaws Motorcycle Club Operation

In 2005, Payne was assigned to infiltrate the Outlaws Motorcycle Club in Massachusetts — a notoriously violent biker gang.

Going In Cold

Unlike some operations that involve months of staged introductions, Payne decided to enter the environment with no setup, no middleman, and no prearranged plan.

Intelligence showed:

The gang’s Massachusetts chapter was active.

One key target enjoyed being surrounded by big, imposing men.

Weekly mandatory meetings, called “church,” were where criminal activity was often discussed.

Members usually turned off phones and left them outside to avoid surveillance.

This gave Payne confidence that he could fit in simply by being himself.

First Contact: The Strip Club Approach

Agents learned the gang frequented a specific strip club. Payne strategically visited the bar on slow nights to blend in before making contact.

When surveillance notified him that 12–13 Outlaws were arriving, he was already inside.

Unexpected Problem: Wrong Intelligence

He had been told the gang could not wear their colors (their vests and insignia) in that bar.
But when they arrived, they were all wearing full colors — making them instantly identifiable, and making him instantly exposed.

Approaching them directly in a Boston accent with “You boys like to ride?” would have gotten him beaten, or worse.

So he did the only safe thing:
he acted like a regular tattooed guy drinking beer and watching dancers.

The Bathroom Test

Soon, a massive club enforcer named Scott Town followed Payne into the bathroom — a moment Payne thought might be the end.

Town started questioning him aggressively:

Where he lived

Where he’d traveled

Who he knew

Payne mentioned places in Texas and South Carolina — real places he had actually lived. Fortunately, Town had been to those same cities and recognized the details.

“If I had been bluffing, I probably would have blown it right then.”

That moment was the turning point. Payne passed the test — and eventually befriended Town.

No Weapon. No Wire. No Backup.

During early infiltration, Payne refuses to wear a wire:

“If we started fighting, it would just be me fighting.”

He also wasn’t carrying a gun.
He relied entirely on his ability to talk, improvise, and survive.
A cover team existed somewhere nearby, but:

They could only listen (if he had a wire — he didn’t).

Response time might be too slow.

For two years, Payne operated essentially alone with only one FBI case agent managing the operation.

Two Years Embedded

For the entire two-year Outlaws operation:

Payne lived among violent criminals.

He maintained a believable identity without slipping.

He constantly faced being searched, questioned, or ambushed.

A single mistake could have meant a violent death.

Despite the danger, his infiltration gathered the intelligence needed to build federal cases against high-ranking members of the gang.