Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Mary S. Scriven has sentenced Christopher Brian Cosimano, a/k/a “Durty,” (31, Gibsonton) and Michael Dominick Mencher, a/k/a “Pumpkin,” (53, Tarpon Springs) to life in federal prison plus ten years, and life in prison plus five years, respectively, for conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering, murder in aid of racketeering, and related firearms offenses. A federal jury found Cosimano and Mencher guilty on August 12, 2019.

Cosimano and Mencher were indicted, along with three co-defendants who later pleaded guilty, on May 22, 2018.

According to testimony and court documents, Cosimano and Mencher were members of the 69’ers Motorcycle Club, a criminal organization engaged in acts of violence and narcotics distribution.

In 2017, the 69’ers Motorcycle Club was entangled in an increasingly violent feud with the Outlaws Motorcycle Club. The feud escalated, culminating with the murder of Paul Anderson, President of the Cross Bayou Chapter of the Outlaws Motorcycle Club, on December 21, 2017. On that date, Cosimano, Mencher, and their three co-defendants stalked Anderson for several miles down the Suncoast Parkway. Cosimano and Mencher rode their motorcycles with their faces covered and license plates obscured.

After following Anderson for miles, Cosimano and Mencher pulled alongside his truck and shot him repeatedly at the busy intersection of Suncoast Parkway and State Road 54, during rush hour. After the murder, the defendants took steps to cover up the crime, including removing identifying markings from and disassembling their motorcycles.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Pasco Sheriff’s Office, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, the Tampa Police Department, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, the St. Petersburg Police Department, and the State Attorney’s Office for the Sixth Judicial Circuit. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Carlton C. Gammons and Natalie Hirt Adams.

This is another case prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” Program (PSN), which is a nationwide, crime reduction strategy aimed at decreasing violent crime in communities. It involves a comprehensive approach to public safety — one that includes investigating and prosecuting crimes, along with prevention and reentry efforts. In the Middle District of Florida, U.S. Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez coordinates PSN efforts in cooperation with various federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.

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