Former hog heavyweight Rey Sotelo appeared in federal court this
morning for allegedly conspiring with a central California chop
shop, but the judge continued the status conference until
December.
Former hog heavyweight Rey Sotelo appeared in federal court this morning for allegedly conspiring with a central California chop shop, but the judge continued the status conference until December, according to court records and a U.S. attorney involved in the case.
“Really nothing earth shattering happened,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Laurel Montoya said in an e-mail Tuesday afternoon.
Attorneys for both sides will continue to review evidence and paper work until Sotelo returns to the federal court in Fresno at 9 a.m., Dec. 15. He has yet to enter a plea, but has told the Dispatch he is innocent and had no idea the motorcycle shop was trying to export a stolen Harley-Davidson to Sweden without Uncle Sam’s permission.
The bike in question never made it across the Atlantic Ocean, but Sotelo has been charged with conspiracy after state and federal law officers arrested him July 15 in Gilroy for allegedly helping to counterfeit the bike’s official papers. Eight other men throughout Stanislaus County were also arrested that morning for allegedly associating with the Road Dog Cycle in Denair, southeast of Modesto. Federal prosecutors have used a grand jury’s findings to indict a total of 11 men, including five with law enforcement connections.
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