Synonyms:
ringleader
Meaning: a person who leads (especially in illicit activities)
Usage examples
The ringleader was one Fourneaux, a man of good birth, but whom Le Moyne calls an avaricious hypocrite.
Among these was the ringleader Fourneaux, and also the pilot Trenchant, who, eager to return to Fort Caroline, whence he had been forcibly taken, succeeded during the night in bringing the vessel to the coast of Florida.