Former Indian Motorcycle Rey Sotelo pleaded guilty Thursday in a
federal racketeering case, according to lawyers involved. Sotelo,
52, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to traffic in stolen motorcycle
parts, a charge he brushed off last summer when a federal
indictment accused him of helping a central California chop shop
send a stolen Harley-Davidson to Sweden without the government’s
permission.
Former Indian Motorcycle CEO and Gilroy resident Rey Sotelo pleaded guilty Thursday in a federal racketeering case, according to lawyers involved.
Sotelo, 52, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to traffic in stolen motorcycle parts, a charge he brushed off last summer when a federal indictment accused him of helping a central California chop shop send a stolen Harley-Davidson to Sweden without the government’s permission. Sotelo allegedly helped counterfeit the bike’s official papers, but the hog never made it across the pond.
“I’m not the guy they want. They’re just throwing me in this to sensationalize the case,” Sotelo said at the time as he pulled out of his Day Road driveway.
Sotelo could not immediately be reached Thursday afternoon, but his lawyer called him a “minor player” in the government’s case against Bob Holloway, owner of the Road Dog Cycle Shop in Denair. Holloway, Sotelo, and about a dozen other men were arrested last year after authorities completed a multi-year investigation into Road Dog.
A federal judge will sentence Sotelo Sept. 28, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Cullers, who worked out the plea deal. The charge Sotelo faced entailed up to five years in jail and about $250,000 in fines, but the judge could modify as seen fit.
As part of the plea deal, Sotelo also agreed to testify at any future trials in the case, but as there is not trail date set, Cullers said it is difficult to say how long Sotelo will stay involved.
In June, two other defendants pleaded guilty. Ray M. Heffington admitted to trafficking in stolen motorcycle parts. Michael Orozco said he was guilty of one count of conspiracy to collect extensions of credit by extortion. Federal prosecutors used a grand jury’s findings to indict a total of 11 men, including five with law enforcement connections.
Below is the premiere of Marty Richman’s Web show, The News and You, which focuses this week on the Gypsy Tour Motorcycle Classic at Bolado Park.
