The first defendant to enter a guilty plea in the federal racketeering case involving the Denair Road Dog Cycle shop, was handed down a prison sentence Monday.
Michael Orozco, 52, was sentenced to 18 months in a federal prison for conspiring to collect extensions of credit by extortionate means. Orozco pled guilty to the single count in June.
Orozco’s arrest was part of a federal investigation into the Road Dog Cycle shop in Denair and its owner Robert Holloway. Prosecutors contend Holloway operated a criminal enterprise from his motorcycle shop, used violence and extortion to collect debts, used his store as a chop shop, and trafficked in stolen motorcycle parts.
At the time of his arrest, Orozco was the chapter president of the Manteca chapter of the Alky Haulers outlaw motorcycle club, according to the prosecution.
As part of his plea, Orozco admitted to conspiring with Holloway to threaten violence to a man that owed the two men money, according to Assistant United States Attorneys Mark Cullers and Laurel Montoya, who are prosecuting the case. The prosecutors said Orozco and Holloway loaned $5,000 to Josh Bell, with the implicit threat that if Bell did not repay the loan on time, some type of harm would befall him, or his property would be taken. Orozco took Bell’s motorcycle on Dec. 10, 2007, because the debt had not been repaid, according to the prosecution.
Orozco also admitted to speaking with Holloway a week later about law enforcement’s involvement in the investigation of the stolen bike.
A grand jury indicted 12 men as a result of the two-year long investigation, lead by the Central Valley Gang Impact Task Force and the Federal Bureau of Investigations.
Holloway, a retired Stanislaus County Sheriff’s deputy, is the prime target of the investigation and has been held in custody since his arrest in July 2008. He is living in a Fresno halfway house awaiting trial.
Two other men indicted in the case have entered guilty pleas.
Ray Heffington, 40, of Chowchilla entered a guilty plea on June 29 to trafficking in stolen motorcycle parts. Heffington had originally been charged with conspiracy to operate a chop shop, conspiracy to traffic in stolen vehicle parts and operating a chop shop, according to court documents.
According to the prosecution, Heffington admitted to buying and receiving stolen motorcycle parts with altered vehicle identification numbers and delivering those parts to the Road Dog Cycle shop.
Heffington was the president of the Merced chapter of the Hell’s Angels.
On July 16, Reynaldo W. Sotelo, 52, of Gilroy pleaded guilty to conspiracy to traffic in motor vehicle parts, as part of an overall racketeering case, according to the court records.
Sotelo admitted that between Sept. 21, 2007, and Nov. 2, 2007, he conspired with Holloway, Fredrick Noreberg, and others to traffic in motor vehicle parts by supplying false manufacturer statements of origin to Holloway for a motorcycle that was to be shipped from Modesto to Sweden. A manufacturer’s statement of origin is the document used to prove the motorcycle parts were purchased legally.
Sotelo is the former chief executive officer of Indian Motorcycles.
As part of his plea agreement, Sotelo has agreed to cooperate and testify for the government in any future trials related to the racketeering case. Orozco and Heffington have not agreed to testify in any future trials.
To contact Sabra Stafford, e-mail sstafford@turlockjournal.com or call 634-9141 ext. 2002.
Michael Orozco, 52, was sentenced to 18 months in a federal prison for conspiring to collect extensions of credit by extortionate means. Orozco pled guilty to the single count in June.
Orozco’s arrest was part of a federal investigation into the Road Dog Cycle shop in Denair and its owner Robert Holloway. Prosecutors contend Holloway operated a criminal enterprise from his motorcycle shop, used violence and extortion to collect debts, used his store as a chop shop, and trafficked in stolen motorcycle parts.
At the time of his arrest, Orozco was the chapter president of the Manteca chapter of the Alky Haulers outlaw motorcycle club, according to the prosecution.
As part of his plea, Orozco admitted to conspiring with Holloway to threaten violence to a man that owed the two men money, according to Assistant United States Attorneys Mark Cullers and Laurel Montoya, who are prosecuting the case. The prosecutors said Orozco and Holloway loaned $5,000 to Josh Bell, with the implicit threat that if Bell did not repay the loan on time, some type of harm would befall him, or his property would be taken. Orozco took Bell’s motorcycle on Dec. 10, 2007, because the debt had not been repaid, according to the prosecution.
Orozco also admitted to speaking with Holloway a week later about law enforcement’s involvement in the investigation of the stolen bike.
A grand jury indicted 12 men as a result of the two-year long investigation, lead by the Central Valley Gang Impact Task Force and the Federal Bureau of Investigations.
Holloway, a retired Stanislaus County Sheriff’s deputy, is the prime target of the investigation and has been held in custody since his arrest in July 2008. He is living in a Fresno halfway house awaiting trial.
Two other men indicted in the case have entered guilty pleas.
Ray Heffington, 40, of Chowchilla entered a guilty plea on June 29 to trafficking in stolen motorcycle parts. Heffington had originally been charged with conspiracy to operate a chop shop, conspiracy to traffic in stolen vehicle parts and operating a chop shop, according to court documents.
According to the prosecution, Heffington admitted to buying and receiving stolen motorcycle parts with altered vehicle identification numbers and delivering those parts to the Road Dog Cycle shop.
Heffington was the president of the Merced chapter of the Hell’s Angels.
On July 16, Reynaldo W. Sotelo, 52, of Gilroy pleaded guilty to conspiracy to traffic in motor vehicle parts, as part of an overall racketeering case, according to the court records.
Sotelo admitted that between Sept. 21, 2007, and Nov. 2, 2007, he conspired with Holloway, Fredrick Noreberg, and others to traffic in motor vehicle parts by supplying false manufacturer statements of origin to Holloway for a motorcycle that was to be shipped from Modesto to Sweden. A manufacturer’s statement of origin is the document used to prove the motorcycle parts were purchased legally.
Sotelo is the former chief executive officer of Indian Motorcycles.
As part of his plea agreement, Sotelo has agreed to cooperate and testify for the government in any future trials related to the racketeering case. Orozco and Heffington have not agreed to testify in any future trials.
To contact Sabra Stafford, e-mail sstafford@turlockjournal.com or call 634-9141 ext. 2002.
