Bancroft, Ontario (April 28, 2020) BTN - Two people were arrested during a raid by the Ontario Provincial Police’s biker enforcement unit in the town of Bancroft, Ontario. On April 22, the Ontario Provincial Police unit and the Belleville police’s tactical team searched a Bancroft home.
The Belleville police claimed numerous firearms, including rifles and handguns, and various types of drugs were seized during the warrant. The Belleville police released an image of items seized, which includes leather jackets with Outlaw Motorcycle Club logos on them.
Two people, 48-year-old Brian Sturgeon and 41-year-old Laura Power, both from Bancroft, were charged with the following:
Three counts of careless storage of a firearm
Two counts of breach of firearms regulations
Two counts of unauthorized possession of a weapon
Possession of a schedule I substance
Possession of a schedule II substance
Possession of schedule III substance
Possession of property obtained by crime under $5,000
Both of the accused were released on bail. Belleville police are still investigating the case.
Grand Falls-Windsor, Newfoundland (March 3, 2020) BTN — A member of the Outlaws Motorcycle Club is disputing the RCMP’s depiction of their activities.
Cops seen this belt during the raid, liked it and confiscated it
Operation Barbarian last week resulted in eight cocaine trafficking arrests after the Outlaws Clubhouse in Grand Falls-Windsor was raided last weekend.
Two of the accused were members of the Outlaws and four others were associated with a support group known as the Fallen Few. Police say the investigation continues and more arrests are pending.
At the time, RCMP warned that while the Outlaws try to depict themselves as motorcycle enthusiasts who give back to the community through charitable acts, their activities are linked to organized crime.
Mark Hancock takes exception to that. He admits they like to “party and have fun,” but says you’ll find people getting into trouble in any group.
He says to-date, the Outlaws Motorcycle Club has not been charged for being organized crime.
Grand Falls-Windsor, Newfoundland (February 26, 2020) BTN — Eight people have been charged with trafficking cocaine as a result of an RCMP investigation into outlaw motorcycle clubs called Project Barbarian.
Six of those charged are members of the Outlaws Motorcycle Club, also known as the Outlaws MC, or members of its support club the Fallen Few. Project Barbarian was a joint initiative between RCMP NL’s Federal Serious and Organized Crime Unit and the Grand-Falls Windsor RCMP.
The RCMP Emergency Response Team assisted in the arrests and containment of the Outlaws MC clubhouse* located in Grand Falls-Windsor.
“Project Barbarian reflects our priority to disrupt inter-provincial criminal networks responsible for the distribution of illegal drugs in our communities,” said Staff Sergeant Stefan Thoms. “Much of the drugs on our streets are due to organized crime, which includes 1% Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs. These gangs often try to fool the public into believing that they are just motorcycle enthusiasts who give back to the community. That is simply not true. They are known for criminal activities, as we see here with many of those arrested being members and associates of the Outlaws MC. We will continue our work to target drug trafficking networks and lay charges wherever appropriate.
Charges laid:
Timothy Andrews, age 28 of Grand Falls Windsor, member of the Fallen Few: One count Trafficking cocaine, s. 5(1) CDSA
Ryan Ballard, age 28 of Grand Falls-Windsor, probate* (probationary) member of the Outlaws MC: One count Trafficking cocaine, s. 5(1) CDSA
Alonzo Brown, 62 years old of Peterview: One count Trafficking cocaine, s. 5(1) CDSA
Anthony Chow, age 33 of Grand Falls-Windsor, member of the Outlaws MC: One count Trafficking cocaine, s. 5(1) Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (CDSA)
Michael Hayes, age 22 of Grand Falls-Windsor, member of the Fallen Few: Two counts Trafficking cocaine, s. 5(1) CDSA
Tyson Higgins, age 27 of Botwood: Two counts Trafficking cocaine, s. 5(1) CDSA
Dean Langdon, age 25 of Grand Falls Windsor, member of the Fallen Few: One count Trafficking cocaine, s. 5(1) CDSA
Jimmy Lee Newman, age 36 of Grand Falls-Windsor, member of the Fallen Few: One count Trafficking cocaine, s. 5(1) CDSA
Grand Falls-Windsor, Newfoundland (February 26, 2020) BTN — An RCMP operation called "Project Barbarian" has led to multiple arrests and charges in Grand Falls-Windsor — including arrests at a motorcycle clubhouse.
Police plan to release more details today about the operation, which they said targets "drug trafficking with a connection to organized crime."
According to an RCMP spokesperson, multiple people were arrested and charged, including some who were arrested at the Outlaws Motorcycle Club clubhouse in Grand Falls-Windsor on Saturday.
The RCMP have called the Outlaws Motorcycle Club a "one-percenter" organization, and allege it has links to crime. In 2018, police said the Outlaws were looking to expand their presence in Newfoundland.
The Outlaws clubhouse in Grand Falls-Windsor displays a flag with a diamond logo containing the words "Outlaws 1%er."
According to the RCMP's website, "The common term '1% Club' distinguishes outlaw motorcycle riders from the majority of motorcycle enthusiasts who are law-abiding citizens. It's worn as a symbol by outlaw bikers and often seen as a pin, patch or tattoo."
The Outlaws clubhouse is located in a complex across from a gas station, and next to Central Health's community health building.
Three of the men arrested Saturday are facing charges of trafficking cocaine.
Jimmy Lee Newman, 36, Anthony Chow, 33, and Michael Hayes, 23, appeared in provincial court in Grand Falls-Windsor on Monday, and are all scheduled to return to court in April.
They have yet to enter a plea on the charges.
Chow has a criminal record that includes breaking and entering. The last conviction on record was for an offence in 2007.
Mount Pleasant, Michigan, USA (February 9, 2020) BTN — The Hells Angels, the world’s most infamous motorcycle club, have opened their first chapter in Michigan, establishing the Hells Angels Michigan Nomads near Mount Pleasant in the center of the state. Based on the West Coast, the iconic Hells Angels began expanding into the Midwest in the late 1960's, but until now, had never planted a flag in Michigan due to it being prime territory for the rival Outlaws MC, the nation’s preeminent rust belt biker crew. A message announcing the new Hells Angels Michigan chapter on its website.
The Outlaws and Hells Angels have been at war since 1974 when Outlaws in Florida killed a group of Hells Angels from Boston. Headquartered out of Detroit and Chicago, the Outlaws have maintained a strangle hold on the Midwest biker scene for decades. When the Hells Angels moved into Illinois in the 1990's, violence between the clubs ramped up.
Ralph (Sonny) Barger, 81, founded the Hells Angels’ Oakland chapter in 1957, became the club’s overall boss and grew it to mythic proportions around the globe. Today, Barger lives in Phoenix and remains active in club affairs. Barger commissioned the opening of the club’s first Midwest outpost in Cleveland in 1967, sending Clarence (Butch) Crouch to Ohio to be his personal eyes and ears in the region. Crouch eventually turned state’s evidence and committed suicide in the Witness Protection Program.
In 1988, Barger was convicted in federal court for ordering the bombing of an Outlaws clubhouse in Louisville, Kentucky and did five years in prison. He played a recurring character on the hit FX television show Sons of Anarchy, about a fictional California biker gang.
Barger’s counterpart in The Outlaws, Harry (Taco) Bowman, died behind bars last year. The legendary Bowman headed the club from his home in Detroit for most of the 1980's and 1990's, finally convicted of murder and racketeering in 2001. Per testimony at his trial, Bowman put a murder contract on Barger’s head and had his lieutenants hunting the Hells Angels shot caller near his home in California. Bowman and Barger’s then second-in-command, George Christy, then engaged in a series of peace talks that fell through at the last minute.
Twin Cities, Minnesota, USA (January 22, 2020) BTN — The suspect in the September 2019 shooting death of Eric Voshell was ordered held without bail after pleading not guilty Friday in Superior Court to murder and assault charges.
Joseph Noe, 25, of Taunton, was arraigned in Bristol County Superior Court on charges of first-degree murder in the fatal shooting of 39-year-old Voshell and two counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily injury for allegedly causing non-fatal injuries to two other gunshot victims, according to court documents.
Police said Noe fired several rounds from his five-shot revolver during a fight between members of two competing motorcycle clubs about 10:15 p.m. Sept. 13 in the parking lot beside JC’s Cafe on Bedford Street.
Noe was allegedly seen on surveillance footage withdrawing his firearm and pointing it toward a crowd of people, “in essence, scaring them off,” Assistant District Attorney Michael Cahillane said at Noe’s initial arraignment in District Court.
Cahillane alleged Noe then ran toward Bedford Street and fired several shots, hitting three people including Oak Bluffs resident Voshell, who suffered a fatal gunshot wound to his head.
According to the prosecutor, Noe pistol-whipped someone, then lost control of his gun, and the firearm “was recovered on the ground, registered to [Noe].”
Noe, who police and prosecutors said is a member of the Outlaws Motorcycle Club, fled in a vehicle with several other people, according to a police report prepared by Detective Luis Vertentes.
Police obtained a warrant for Noe’s arrest the day after the shooting, Saturday, and Noe turned himself in the following Monday.
State and local police executed a pair of search warrants at the two Fall River clubhouses of the Sidewinders, an affiliate of the Hells Angels, and the Outlaws days after the shooting.
Law enforcement intelligence cited in applications for the warrants said the Outlaws Motorcycle Club has been actively recruiting in Massachusetts in recent years and opened three new chapters in the state, where the Hells Angels traditionally had a stronghold.
Noe was indicted by a Bristol County grand jury Dec. 19, moving his case to Superior Court. He is due back in court March 6.
Brockton, Massachusetts, USA (January 5, 2020) BTN — State Police seized half a dozen guns, ammunition, and drugs Friday from five people associated with a motorcycle club.
Four suspected members of the Outlaws Motorcycle Club and a suspected associate were taken into custody from the Motel 6 on Westgate Drive in Brockton, according to State Police. They were all from out of state and in the city to attend the funeral of a local member.
The investigation began when members from the State Police Gang Unit saw man suspected to be a member of the motorcycle club in Tennessee at the Motel 6. The man, identified as Matthew Miles, 41, of McMinniville, said he was carrying a pistol.
Troopers found that he didn’t have an active license to carry a firearm in Massachusetts or Tennessee, according to State Police. He was arrested and his gun was seized. A small amount of suspected crystal methamphetamine, ammunition, and brass knuckles were found in his car.
Miles was charged with unlawfully carrying a loaded firearm, unlawfully possessing ammunition, and possessing a Class A substance.
State Police learned that another Tennessee Outlaws club member, Pedro Tapia, 51, of Murfreesboro, was at the motel in a room with another gun that belonged to Miles.
Troopers and Brockton Police officers found a 45 caliber handgun on the nightstand, according to State Police. They determined that Tapia had a license to carry a gun in Tennessee but not Massachusetts. He was charged with improper storage of a firearm.
Other members of the gang unit and the Community Action Team helped with investigation. They saw a man identified as Matthew Ballingham, 43, of Waterbury, Connecticut who came to the motel and found that he was carrying a loaded gun with a high-capacity magazine, according to State Police.
Ballingham didn’t have a license to carry in Connecticut or Massachusetts, so he was arrested and charged with unlawfully carrying a firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition, and possessing a large capacity magazine.
In the evening, troopers from the Community Action Team stopped two cars near the motel that were occupied by suspected Outlaws members, State Police said. A total of three guns were found in the cars.
The owner of one of the seized handguns, Edward Mahon, 61, of Cornwall, Vermont, was arrested and faces charges for unlawfully carrying a firearm and possessing ammunition. A suspected club associate, Margaret Cahill, 29, of Westmont, Illinois, was charged for unlawfully carrying and possession the other two guns and unlawfully possessing ammunition.
During a search warrant of the motel room, State Police found a box of 45 caliber rounds and about four grams of crystal methamphetamine. They also seized the handgun previously seen in the room.
By Saturday, all five posted bail and are expected to appear in Brockton District Court next week.
Boston, Massachusetts, USA (January 4, 2020) BTN — An East Bridgewater man described by prosecutors as the regional boss of the Outlaws Motorcycle Club pleaded not guilty Friday to a federal gun charge, records show.
Bruce “Monster” Sartwell, 48, entered his plea in US District Court in Boston to a sole count of possession of an unregistered firearm, according to legal filings. He was returned after the arraignment to federal custody, where he’s remained since his October arrest in the case. A federal grand jury indicted Sartwell last month.
In an October affidavit submitted to the court in Sartwell’s case, Special Agent Michael Belli of the Department of Homeland Security wrote that the Outlaws were locked in a “violent feud” with the rival Hells Angels.
Sartwell, a convicted felon with an arrest record dating back to 1987, is barred from possessing firearms, according to legal filings.
Prosecutors said in October that “a search warrant executed at Sartwell’s residence" resulted in “the recovery of an AR-15 styled ‘ghost gun’ — a firearm without any manufacturing or serial numbers — and firearm manufacturing tools and assembly parts including milling equipment, buffer spring, buffer tube, air-powered water dremel polish and a drill press.”
In addition, prosecutors said, two “firearm silencers concealed in false bottom compartments, a guide for assembly and disassembly of an AR-15 rifle, 20 knives, a black powder handgun, a flare gun, and various ammunition compatible with the AR-15 styled rifle were also found."
In November, Sartwell’s lawyers tried unsuccessfully to free him on bail, writing in court papers that he “has a loving wife and two young children, he is a local business owner in the city of Brockton, and ... his criminal history, such as it is, ended more than ten years ago.”
His lawyers wrote that while the charge he faces is serious, “he is not a ‘serious’ risk of flight or a danger to the community simply because he happens to be the Regional President of the Brockton/E. Bridgewater Chapters of the Outlaws Motorcycle Club (‘MC’) and or goes by the nickname ‘Monster.’ ”
The defense said Sartwell and his wife also runs a tattoo parlor. And, the defense maintained, the feds haven’t tied Sartwell to any recent violence.
A status conference in Sartwell’s case is slated for March 2.
Boston, Massachusetts, USA (December 21, 2019) BTN — The regional president of the Outlaws Motorcycle Club was indicted yesterday by a federal grand jury in Boston for possession of an unregistered firearm.
Bruce Sartwell, a.k.a. “Monster,” 48, of East Bridgewater, was indicted on one count of possession of an unregistered firearm. Sartwell was charged by criminal complaint and arrested in October 2019.
As alleged in the charging documents, Sartwell is the Regional President of the Brockton/East Bridgewater Chapters of the Outlaws Motorcycle Club. On Oct. 19, 2019, agents intercepted a package originating in China and addressed to Sartwell that was declared as a “Fuel Filter” but actually contained a firearm silencer.
A review of importation records revealed that Sartwell had received approximately 65 shipments from Asia (over 55 from China), many of which were labeled as innocuous items that could have been more easily and cheaply purchased in the United States.
On Oct. 30, 2019, a search was executed at Sartwell’s residence where an AR-15 styled “ghost gun” – a firearm without any manufacturing or serial numbers – and firearm manufacturing tools, assembly parts including milling equipment, buffer spring, buffer tube, air-powered water Dremel polish and a drill press were recovered.
In addition, two firearm silencers were found concealed in false bottom compartments, a guide for assembly and disassembly of an AR-15 rifle, 20 knives, a black powder handgun, a flare gun and various ammunition compatible with the AR-15 style rifle.
In the basement of the house, a floor-length mirror concealed the entrance to a hidden storage area that was found to contain a safe with silencer parts and a firearm assembly instruction book.
The charge of possession of an unregistered firearm provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Jason Molina, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston; and Kelly Brady, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, New England Field Division made the announcement today. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service; Customs and Border Protection; Massachusetts State Police; East Bridgewater Police Department; Bristol County Sheriff’s Office; and the Massachusetts Environmental Protection Agency provided assistance with the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Linsey Weinstein of Lelling’s Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Tampa, Florida, USA (November 20, 2019) BTN – A federal judge will decide Wednesday if Christopher “Durty” Cosimano and Michael “Pumpkin” Mencher should spend the rest of their lives in prison for crimes related to their involvement in the 69′ers Motorcycle Club.
Both men were found guilty this summer in a trial that centered on the December 2017 assassination of Paul Anderson, president of the Pasco County chapter of the rival Outlaws Motorcycle Club. Anderson was shot repeatedly while his pickup truck was stopped in rush-hour traffic off the Suncoast Parkway.
Prosecutors said the killing was the culmination of a months-long campaign of violence that began with the beating of two 69′ers and the theft of their biker vests.
The story of the feud and the resulting criminal cases against five 69′ers has been widely told. Less discussed are the details of how such groups operate in the Tampa Bay area and elsewhere. Images and documents used as evidence in the trial offer a look at the inner workings of the 69′ers, a motorcycle club governed by strict rules, part of a subculture seldom glimpsed by outsiders.
In the hours after Anderson was murdered on Dec. 21, 2017, investigators from Pasco County and the federal government turned their attention to a modest house on Riverview Drive east of U.S. 41 in Hillsborough County. The home sits a few hundred feet north of the banks of the Alafia River.
Shaded by tall oaks, with a flagpole and mailbox out front, the house doesn’t appear much different from others in the working-class neighborhood near a large phosphate mine. But behind its walls investigators found biker vests, weapons, drugs and photographs of 69′er gatherings. A front garage housed a set of motorcycles.
A photograph used as evidence in the federal trial of Chrisopher Cosimano and Michael Mencher shows the bar area inside the clubhouse of the local chapter of the 69'ers Motorcycle Club. [U.S. District Court] [U.S. District Court]
A rear garage served as the 69′ers “clubhouse,” a headquarters for the local chapter they called “Killsborough.” Inside was a liquor bar with walls adorned with banners and posters featuring the menacing red-tongued wolf that is the centerpiece of the 69′ers logo. There are framed snapshots of members donning their vests, which bear the patches denoting their status as part of the “1%” — the small fraction of bikers who shirk society’s rules.
The men who pose in the photos are mostly white, though some appear to be people of color. Some make obscene hand gestures for the camera. In the trial, prosecutors showed a jury a nine-page constitution which outlines the national rules governing all local chapters of the 69′ers Motorcycle Club.
A photograph used as evidence in the federal trial of Christopher Cosimano and Michael Mencher shows the inside of the Hillsborough clubhouse of the 69'ers Motorcycle Club. [U.S. District Court] [U.S. District Court]
All chapters are overseen by a collection of officers known as “The Council,” according to the document. The Council meets twice a year. Their task is to maintain standards for all 69′er chapters.
The document details each chapter’s internal structure. It mandates four officers, including a president who must “rule with an iron fist,” vice president, sergeant at arms and treasurer. The constitution dictates that each chapter must be registered as a non-profit, and that a club accountant must file a tax return for the group each year.
“It is the responsibility of all officers to maintain their position with the highest level of respect for all members, property, family and employment,” the document reads.
The membership requirements: you must be at least 18 years old, own an American-made motorcycle, possess a valid motorcycle license, have never been a member of law enforcement, complete a one-year period as a “prospect” and meet the approval of all members. A member can retire from the club with the approval of the Council after five consecutive years of service to the club. The document forbids fighting among members.
“Any member caught stealing from the club or banging another member’s old lady will be ejected from the club,” it states. “Old ladies are off limits.”
“Members shall not discuss club business with citizens,” the document states in large letters. “What’s said in the house stays in the house.”
A total of five men were charged with federal crimes related to Anderson’s murder. Three of them, Allan Guinto, Erick Robinson, and Cody Wesling, signed plea agreements. Guinto and Wesling testified against Cosimano and Mencher.
They were accused of following Anderson on motorcycles through traffic on the Suncoast Parkway and shooting him through the windows of his pickup truck as he stopped at a traffic light at the end of an off-ramp at State Road 54.
Cosimano and Mencher were both found guilty in August on charges that included murder in aid of racketeering.
Twin Cities, Minnesota, USA (September 23, 2019) BTN — The funeral for Eric Voshell, an Oak Bluffs man killed in a shooting at a Fall River bar one week ago, was held Friday morning at St. Augustine’s Church in Vineyard Haven.
The funeral drew hundreds of mourners, including dozens of bikers wearing gear from their motorcycle clubs and breaking the quiet with their motorcycles, slowing traffic on Franklin Street and Vineyard Haven side streets.
Court records indicate that Voshell, a member of the Hell’s Angels affiliate The Sidewinders, was killed during a fight with a rival motorcycle club known as The Outlaws.
There was a heavy police presence outside the church with both Tisbury police and State Police on hand. Tisbury Police Chief Mark Saloio, who could be seen on Franklin Street, could not immediately be reached for comment on who requested the police presence. Many bikers came to the Island on Thursday for Voshell’s wake to pay tribute to him and their presence created a buzz in ferry lines.
After the funeral, about 100 motorcycles followed the procession down Spring Street and into Five Corners headed for the cemetery in Oak Bluffs.
Voshell owned Reliable HVAC Co. and was an Oak Bluffs firefighter before being seriously injured in a motorcycle crash in July of 2018.
Joseph “JoJo” Noe, 25, is charged with murder and various other charges in connection with Voshell’s death. He pleaded not guilty in Fall River District Court Monday and is being held without bail.
Meanwhile, a GoFundMe has been set up for the family of Eric Voshell following the shooting that took his life. The fundraiser, titled “Eric’s Girls,” was set up by Jeremy Borges, who could not immediately be reached for comment. In two days, the fundraiser has gathered more than $2,700 out of its $100,000 goal.
Several people left comments on the GoFundMe page.
Ellen Baronosky, who donated $50, wrote, “Both Dave & I send our deepest condolences to Eric’s family & also to the whole SWMC!!!! RIP Eric!”
Jim Cooper, who donated $100 said, “it’s the right thing to do.”
Davie, Florida, USA (September 21, 2019) BTN — Davie Police Department detectives are still searching for the suspected motorcycle club members responsible for a brutal beating that resulted in a 57-year-old man's death last year.
Detectives released surveillance video Friday showing several possible witnesses and a group of motorcyclists leaving the parking lot after the beating. Detectives suspect they were Outlaw Motorcycle Club members.
Michael Kline was beaten July 4, 2018, outside of the Road Dawgs Saloon at 13010 W. State Road 84. According to Lt. Mark Leone, they left Kline bleeding on the ground.
Davie Fire Rescue took Kline to Broward General Hospital. Officers said Kline suffered a fractured skull, a fractured orbital bone and a subdural hematoma. Kline died as a result of his injuries Nov. 14, 2018.
Kline's son Michael Kline Jr. told police officers that he had been at Road Dawgs earlier in the evening to have a few drinks with his father and decided to leave him there.
Kline's son also told police officers he remembers seeing several Outlaw Motorcycle Club members there, and his father had argued with one of them a few weeks earlier.
Before the beating, Kline left the bar to buy cigarettes at a nearby Exxon gas station. A witness there told police officers that a man with a long beard and long black hair asked Kline for a cigarette.
The witness said Kline gave it to him and walked back with him toward Road Dawgs, police said. Kline never made it back to the bar. Officers found him lying on the ground bleeding.
Tampa, Florida, USA (July 31, 2019) BTN – Two men this week will stand trial in the 2017 assassination of a rival motorcycle club leader who authorities said was shot and killed while sitting in his pickup truck in rush hour traffic in Pasco County.
The two defendants, Christopher “Durty” Cosimano, 31, and Michael “Pumpkin” Mencher, 52, are both alleged members of the Hillsborough County chapter of the 69’ers Motorcycle Club.
They sat together at the defense table as their murder trial started Tuesday. But their lawyers told jurors that someone else was to blame for the slaying of Paul Anderson, 44, president of the Cross Bayou chapter of the Outlaws Motorcycle Club:
Mencher’s attorney told the jury that Cosimano shot Anderson.
Cosimano’s attorney said someone else — he did not say who — was responsible.
But prosecutors said it was Cosimano who pulled the trigger, and if he missed then Mencher was there to finish the job.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Natalie Adams walked the 16-person jury through the Dec. 21, 2017 assassination and the violent feud that led to it. Cosimano and Mencher rode motorcycles behind Anderson, tracking him. Both carried loaded guns, prosecutors say, and wore masks to hide their faces.
When Anderson took an exit on the Suncoast Parkway and stopped at a red traffic light near State Road 54, Cosimano walked up to the truck’s window, tapped on the glass, then shot the Outlaws leader several times with a Glock 45 semiautomatic pistol, according to prosecutors. “He was dead with his foot on the brake, and a phone in his hand,” said Adams as Cosimano and Mencher looked on, quietly.
The state accused Mencher of being Cosimano’s backup, prepared to kill Anderson if the 69’ers’ president messed up the hit. Anderson, the Outlaw leader, was killed “to claim territory, to demand respect,” Adams said. But Cosimano and Mencher’s attorneys challenged the state’s account of what happened and what motivated the shooting.
Defense attorney Anne Borghetti said her client, Mencher, was told by Cosimano that he wanted to go riding on Dec. 17, 2017. That’s all.
Cosimano never mentioned anything about Anderson, she said, or any plan to execute him. She also tried to minimize Mencher’s ties to the 69’ers, saying the gang treated him poorly, even sometimes leaving him behind at club events. They called Mencher “the village idiot,” she said, and Cosimano’s plan “was to blame Michael Mencher” for the shooting.
Cosimano’s attorney, J. Jervis Wise, said someone else executed Anderson in 2017, but did not name that person. Instead, he described the incident as a “rogue act” that the leader didn’t know about. The attorney said prosecutors are relying on testimony from 69’ers members who will do anything they can to reduce their jail time for involvement in the case.
“They will tell the government what they think the government wants to hear,” Wise said.
Both Cosimano and Mencher faces charges of first-degree murder and a slew of related charges, including conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering activity and use of a firearm in a crime of violence causing death. If convicted, each faces up to life in prison. Mencher also faces drug-related charges for his involvement in a cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine ring that prosecutors accuse the 69’ers of running.
Members of the 69’ers, including at least one who has already pleaded guilty to charges related to this case, are expected to testify on behalf of the government, the state told jurors. Three members of the 69’ers — Allan Burt “Big Beefy” Guinto, Erick Richard “Big E” Robinson and Cody James “Little Savage” Wesling — were indicted along with Cosimano and Mencher and accused of taking part in the plot to kill Anderson. They took plea deals earlier this year.
Authorities said the 2017 murder of Anderson was part of an escalating conflict between local chapters of two prominent and motorcycle clubs, the Outlaws and the 69’ers, whose Hillsborough branch called itself the “Killsborough” chapter.
Columbus, Georgia , USA (July 24, 2019) BTN — Lloyd Jefferson Harris, a member of the Iron Cross Motorcycle Club, was sentenced to 20 years to serve three after pleading guilty to aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and violation of the Georgia Street Gang and Terrorism Prevention Act.
According to Investigator Ryan Foles with the Coweta County DA’s office, the Iron Cross had been on the radar of law enforcement prior to an incident in 2016, which saw the group thrust into the spotlight.
Foles also stated "The sentencing of four local men associated with an outlaw motorcycle group has signaled the end of that group in Coweta County – and a victory for local law enforcement in their battle against gangs."
In November 2016, two teenage girls were chased along U.S. Hwy. 29 into Newnan by members of the Iron Cross and Knights of Solomon motorcycle clubs after a biker lost control of his bike and crashed.
Confiscated patches belonging to the Iron Cross Motorcycle Club
Club members blamed the driver of the car and began pursuing her. At one point during the chase, Harris pointed a firearm at the occupants and shot at least one round in their direction.
The chase ended after the bikers were intercepted by deputies near the intersection of Bullsboro Drive and Ga. Hwy. 154. A handgun was recovered at the scene.
After the chase, Harris was arrested and charged with discharging a weapon near a public highway, pointing a gun at another, and reckless conduct.
Three other members of the club were ultimately sentenced to probation.
Stephen Maxwell Kemp was given 12 months probation for aggressive driving, while Thomas Joseph Lewandowski and Ricky James Hartfree were both sentenced to six months’ probation. All four men were ordered to have no contact with the Iron Cross Motorcycle Club or any other motorcycle clubs.
District Attorney Herb Cranford Jr. said his office could not prove the other bikers involved in the incident knew Harris pulled a gun on the girls while chasing them, so the office only pursued felonies against the most culpable defendant.
“This case was about a group of bikers, all wearing their club patches, chasing down two teenage girls because the girls had disrespected the bikers on the road,” Cranford said. “The girls did not get in a wreck with any bikers, and there was no lawful reason to chase them.
“Nevertheless, we are satisfied that the defendant who pulled a gun and fired one round into the air was sentenced to prison following his non-negotiated guilty plea,” Cranford added.
Following the shooting, the investigation into the group escalated, resulting in the search of its clubhouse on East Jones Street in March 2017.
The house was allegedly being run and managed under the name of a deceased Iron Cross member and was serving as an illegal alcohol establishment for those in the biker culture.
Defunct Iron Cross MC Clubhouse in Columbus, Georgia
Inside, investigators reportedly recovered two truckloads of evidence connecting the bike group to gang culture, hate groups and other “1-percenters” across the state and nationwide – including membership documents and oaths.
Foles said the search of the clubhouse was successful for many reasons, one of which included the discovery of over 50 Christmas cards sent from other 1-percenter clubs across the country – each card containing the names, pictures and addresses of its members.
Foles shared this – and other information collected from the clubhouse – during the summer conference of the Georgia Gang Investigators Association.
The Iron Cross case was significant, Foles said, because local law enforcement agencies are rarely successful at shutting down motorcycle clubs. It is a task typically handled by federal agencies.
Foles said the success was in part to the Security Threat Group Unit (STGU), which operates in the Coweta County Jail, where detention officers help identify gang members and collect evidence for prosecution.
“From the help of the 911 operator to the officer who made original arrests all the way to the detention officers collecting evidence for gang charges – the case was a success because of everyone working together,” Foles said. “They’re pioneers in what they’re doing and are continuing to make the program even better.”
Cranford said biker clubs who associate with the Outlaws, a widely known motorcycle club like the Hells Angels, should be scrutinized by law enforcement and should not be allowed to intimidate and threaten the citizens of Georgia.
“Those Outlaw affiliated biker clubs, like the Iron Cross, give a bad name to law-abiding motorcycle clubs and others who simply enjoy riding motorcycles,” Cranford said. “The sheriff's department should be commended for this investigation which appears to have had the result of removing this Outlaw-affiliated biker gang from our community."
Clarksville, TN, USA (June 11, 2019) BTN — A man wanted in the motorcycle club slaying of two men in a restaurant parking lot on Wednesday was stopped after the shooting and released, only to be named the prime suspect days later.
Michael Clarence "Hulk" Craft, 36, turned himself in on Saturday after several days of investigation by police, according to police spokesman Jim Knoll.
He was booked on two counts of homicide.
At about 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, police found two Clarksville men with multiple gunshot wounds in the Longhorn Steakhouse parking lot, according to court records obtained by The Leaf-Chronicle.
James Ramsey, 37, died at the scene. John Allgood, 53, was taken to Tennova Healthcare, where he died from his wounds.
Witnesses at the scene told police that the men were shot by several members of the Outlaws Motorcycle Club and that they had fled on motorcycles, the arrest warrant said.
Craft was pulled over shortly afterward about 5 miles from the scene, and he was wearing an Outlaws T-shirt turned inside-out. In his saddle bags were a folded Outlaw MC vest and a loaded 9 mm Taurus Millennium G2 pistol. The pistol was loaded with Luger rounds that matched shell casings found at the scene, the warrant said.
Craft first denied being in the area, but later said he might have driven through. He was released by police. Knoll said Monday that there was not enough evidence to hold him at the time.
Investigators later reviewed surveillance footage from the Tilted Kilt restaurant, about 100 yards from Longhorn, that showed Craft leaving Tilted Kilt about 12 minutes before the shooting, the warrant said.
During a subsequent autopsy, bullet fragments were found that were consistent with the Luger rounds in Craft's pistol, according to the warrant.
On Saturday morning, after a search in multiple locations for Craft, police secured a warrant for Craft's arrest and put out an alert to find him. Craft turned himself in Saturday night.
Mayor Joe Pitts was among many people inside the restaurant at the time. He called the incident a rival motorcycle gang shooting and said the shooter sought out his victims.
A Leaf-Chronicle review of court records shows the only violent criminal history for Craft involved a domestic assault charge in a February 2010 incident. That case was given a “nollie” dismissal.
His first court date will be June 17.
The investigation is ongoing, Knoll said, and police are following other leads in the case.
Clarksville, TN, USA (June 9, 2019) BTN — A man known as "Hulk", identified by Clarksville Police as the person who shot and killed two people outside a Longhorn Steakhouse Wednesday night, turned himself in Saturday.
Michael Clarence Craft, 36, also known as "Hulk," turned himself into Clarksville police Saturday. He will be charged with two counts of criminal homicide once he is arrested.
Ames Ramsey, 37, and John Allgood, 53, were shot Wednesday night in the restaurant parking lot on Wilma Rudolph Boulevard. Officers were called to the area around 8:30 that night and when they arrived, officers say as many as 20 people were trying to help the victims.
Ramsey and Allgood were taken to the hospital where they later died.
Alton Illinois, USA (May 31, 2019) — A judge Friday sentenced former Alton resident Brandon Chittum, 36, to 60 years in prison after hearing a video statement of the defendant giving a detailed description of how he helped dismember and dispose of the body of victim Courtney Coats of East Alton.
Associate Judge Neil Schroeder handed down the sentence after prosecutors introduced a taped statement that was excluded from the trial in which Chittum was found guilty of first-degree murder, dismembering a human body and concealing a homicidal death.
Brandon Chittum
On the video, Chittum is heard telling about “getting rid of the blood” holding bags for disposal of body parts and moving the body into a bathroom where co-defendant Patrick Chase ended her life by cutting her throat.
In the video, Chittum never told officers he was asleep when the murder happened. That contradicted trial testimony of Chase, who claimed his friend, Chittum, was asleep during the entire murder process.
Chittum was found guilty under the accountability theory, which holds that he helped participate in the act and was accountable for the acts of Chase, who admitted to carrying out the fatal violence.
Assistant Madison County State’s Attorney Crystal Uhe argued that Chittum deserved the same 70-year sentence as Chase received for the murder. She had argued during the trial that Chittum coached Chase in killing Coats, his then girlfriend.
“But for Brandon Chittum, this case does not happen. There is no way he was less culpable than Patrick Chase. He was the one calling the shots,” Uhe said.
During the trial witnesses said Chittum was a member of the Outlaws motorcycle club, which had authority over The Black Pistons, Chase’s club.
Chittum made no statement on his own behalf. Uhe argued that, while Chase confessed and pleaded guilty, Chittum has never accepted responsibility.
Family members said they were torn apart by the November 2013 loss of Coats, who went missing for several weeks before her body parts were found in trash bags in the Mississippi River in Greene County.
“She was always full of life; she never knew a stranger,” said her uncle, Richard Beach. “What you did was evil, cold and heartless, She was not piece of trash to be thrown off a bridge.”
Coats’ aunt, Jody Lessman, said Chittum played the system, delaying the trial for five years.
“Every day I think about how evil, cold and heartless the crime was that Courtney endured and what these two men did to her,” Lessman said. “Not only did Brandon Chittum aid in taking her from us, he put myself and our family through complete hell while he played the system for five and a half years before going to trial.
The victim’s mother, Elizabeth, said she is happy with the outcome. Uhe said the case could never have been won had it not been for the work of the Alton Police Department.
“What started out as a missing persons investigation has finaly come to a conclusin with both murderers being brought to justice,” she said. “We hope this finally gives Courtney’s family some peace.”
She also thanked the Illinois State Police Crime Lab Crime Scene Investigation and Division of Forensic Sciences.
Plainville, Connecticut, USA (May 22, 2019) BTN — Central Café has been ordered to close indefinitely after police say a fight broke out between two motorcycle clubs, resulting in motorcyclists fleeing the scene in an unsafe manner.
Plainville Police Chief Matthew Catania reported that two similar incidents have occurred at the bar recently and stated that “it is not likely that we have seen the last of this type of behavior at this location,” according to a letter to restaurant permittee Shirley Papallo from Consumer Protection Commissioner Michelle Seagull.
“Based upon the foregoing, DCP finds that public health, safety and welfare imperatively requires emergency action … and orders your café liquor permit suspended immediately and premises closed,” Seagull wrote in the letter. Papallo did not immediately respond to email requests for comment.
The incident Catania referred to occurred on May 16, 2019, when police responded to a fight at Central Café, 54 West Main St.
The letter says “Up to twenty motorcyclists were observed fleeing the premises at high rates of speed and driving over lawns, driving down the wrong side of the road, and driving around other vehicles in an unsafe manner, all while disobeying officers’ signals.”
Police noted that some of the individuals were seen wearing leather jackets and vests indicating membership in the two motorcycle clubs the “Diablos MC” and the “Outlaws MC.”
Inside the bar, one patron was found bleeding from a deep laceration on his head and a human bite on his arm. He refused to provide police with information beyond saying he was hanging out before being “jumped.” A second patron police believe to be an associate of the Outlaws MC was bleeding slightly from a head laceration and refused to cooperate with police.
The letter says an anonymous source told police that members of the Outlaws MC were on the outside patio when a “significant number of Diablos MC members” pulled into the parking lot and attacked the Outlaws.
All available officers were called to secure the building, where several Outlaws MC members remained, yelling obscenities at police. Upon more suspected Diablos arriving and watching police from the road, mutual aid from three surrounding towns was requested.
In an email Catania wrote to Town Manager Robert Lee, which is quoted in Seagull’s letter, he wrote, “It is common knowledge at this point that (Central Café manager Robert Papallo) has friends in the Outlaws motorcycle gang. His actual involvement with the gang has yet to be determined.”
O'Fallon, Illinois, USA (April 26, 2019) BTN — Members of two motorcycle clubs got into a fight Thursday night at the Green Mount Road Harley Davidson dealership.
Around 6 p.m., police were called to a fight in progress at the business in the 1500 block of Green Mount Road, a news release from Capt. James Cavins stated. The dealership was hosting a Bike Night event.
When police arrived, the fighting had stopped, according to the release. It was determined that approximately 5 to 10 members of two motorcycle clubs, the Hells Angels and the Outlaws, and associates of both clubs, were involved in a physical fight.
According to the release, no injuries were reported and all parties refused medical treatment. The event was shut down for safety reasons, and there were no further incidents.
Ocala, Florida, USA (April 23, 2019) BTN — Marion County sheriff’s deputies scrambled to Sharkey’s Bar, located at 10163 SW Hwy. 484, shortly before 3:30 a.m. When they arrived, they found a man who had been shot in his right arm. He was then transported to AdventHealth Ocala for treatment.
A witness told deputies that 28-year-old Robert Patrick Wilson had been in an altercation with the shooting victim. The witness said he tried to break up the fight and the victim exited the bar and started walking toward his vehicle. He said he then heard two shots come from behind him in front of the bar and he took cover behind a vehicle, the report says, adding that the witness said he planned to sneak up behind Wilson and take the gun away.
Another witness told deputies that he’d known Wilson for some time and had “never seen him act like this.” He said he had been talking with him earlier in the evening and after last call, an altercation broke out between Wilson and another man. He said he wasn’t sure what that altercation was about but believed a second altercation then broke out between Wilson and the shooting victim, the report says.
The witness said that Wilson was “freaking out” and allegedly saying, “I am part of the Outlaw gang” and “He is going to be dead in the parking lot.” He said Wilson said, “He’s a dead man” multiple times. And the witness said he tried to call Wilson down several times before the shooting took place, the report says.
The witness said he believed Wilson eventually had calmed down, so he went outside to speak with the victim, who was standing across the parking lot next to his vehicle. He said he then heard a gunshot and turned to see Wilson standing in front of the bar holding a gun, the report says.
The witness reported hearing two shots altogether and then called 911. And he said he saw a bartender and another bar employee surround Wilson and take him to the other side of the building.
Deputies also spoke with a bartender, who said she came out of a bathroom and saw Wilson holding a small handgun. She said he was waving it around and appeared to have the slide in the locked-back position. And she said she followed Wilson as he ran to the other side of the bar to make sure he didn’t leave, the report says.
After two other witnesses told the same account of the shooting, a sheriff’s K-9 deputy responded to the bar and his dog located a black-and-silver SCCY 9mm handgun near where Wilson had been detained. It had three rounds in the magazine, one round in the chamber and was jammed with the slide locked in the back position, the report says.
During the investigation, it was determined that Wilson, who was wearing an Outlaws motorcycle club vest, is a convicted felon and didn’t have a concealed weapons permit. He appeared to be intoxicated, was slurring his words and smelled of alcohol. And after being read his rights, he refused to speak with the deputy, the report says.
Wilson was transported to the Marion County Jail and charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon or firearm, using a firearm under the influence of alcohol, firing a weapon in public, possession of a weapon or ammunition by a convicted United States felon, displaying a firearm during a felony and carrying an unlicensed concealed firearm. He is due in a Marion County courtroom on May 21 at 9 a.m. to answer to the six charges.
