June 09, 2009

DEFENDANT IN MODESTO RACKETEERING CASE PLEADS GUILTY

FRESNO, Calif.—Acting United States Attorney Lawrence G. Brown announced today that MICHAEL J. OROZCO, 51, of Manteca, California, pleaded guilty today before United States District Judge Oliver W. Wanger to conspiracy to collect extensions of credit by extortionate means as part of the racketeering indictment brought by the United States against Stanislaus County business owner ROBERT C. HOLLOWAY and others.

This case is the result of an extensive investigation conducted by the Central Valley Gang Impact Task Force that includes the Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office, the Modesto Police Department, Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department, and the FBI.

According to Assistant United States Attorneys Mark E. Cullers and Laurel J. Montoya, who are prosecuting the case, between October 2007 and December 2007, OROZCO conspired with ROBERT HOLLOWAY and others to implicitly threaten the use of violence and other criminal means to cause harm to Josh Bell, in order to collect and attempt to collect an extension of credit given to Josh Bell. At that time, OROZCO was the Chapter President of the Manteca Chapter of the Alky Haulers outlaw motorcycle club.

OROZCO admitted that on October 10, 2007, he spoke via telephone with HOLLOWAY and discussed outlaw motorcycle club members who owed HOLLOWAY money. On December 10, 2007, he took possession of a motorcycle belonging to Josh Bell and on December 17, 2007, he spoke with HOLLOWAY regarding law enforcement’s involvement in the investigation of the motorcycle taken from Josh Bell.

Sentencing is scheduled for August 24, 2009, at 1:30 p.m. OROZCO faces a statutory maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison and/or a fine of up to $250,000. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables and any applicable statutory sentencing factors.

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For more information on federal criminal defense law, contact the Law Offices of Joseph Shemaria of Los Angeles, California.