Vanessa Bullock pleaded guilty to a host of felonies
GILROY
One of two defendants in an extortion case pleaded guilty Friday morning to five felony charges, for which she will serve six years in prison.
Appearing at the San Martin Courthouse in a prison-issued mustard shirt, 43-year-old Vanessa Bullock pleaded guilty to extortion, grand theft, embezzlement, identity theft and threatening somebody with a gun.
If Bullock had not taken the plea deal and was convicted of these charges, she could have received eight years in jail.
During the court proceedings, Bullock – who worked at Indian-Victory Motorcycles in downtown Gilroy – admitted to threatening a fellow employee with a .45-caliber handgun, extorting $23,000 from her employer, embezzling a motorcycle and motorcycle parts valued at more than $50,000 and stealing almost $11,000 from another employee.
All these crimes occurred during a three-month period last spring, she said.
Superior Court Judge Hector Ramon told Bullock that she can expect to be ordered to replay much of these losses at her formal sentencing Dec. 17. She could also be ordered to pay up to $20,000 in court fees at this sentencing.
During an hour-long wait to plead guilty, Bullock glared at her co-defendant, 48-year-old James Collier, with whom she was living in a house on the 7400 block of Dowdy Street when arrested in July.
Collier – who is out on bail – did not change his not guilty plea and still faces charges of buying, receiving, concealing or withholding motorcycle parts and buying or receiving a stolen Indian Sprint motorcycle.
He is scheduled to appear in court Dec. 28 to set a date for his preliminary hearing.
During past court appearances, Bullock called Collier a snitch and stared at him, teeth clenched.
Collier would not comment on Bullock’s plea deal, but when his lawyer offered words of comfort after the court proceedings, Collier said he did not care what happened to her. Bullock was sitting less than 15 feet away
“I really don’t give a rat’s ass,” he said.
