Former Indian chief arrested
Added on Thursday, July 31st, 2008 by Carole Nash Editor | No Comments
Sotelo left Indian Motorcycles six years ago.
The former boss of Indian Motorcycles Ray Sotelo has been arrested on suspicion of attempting to smuggle a Harley Davidson out of the US.
Sotelo, who retired from the Indian Motorcycle Company six years ago, was one of eleven men arrested in Gilroy, California earlier this month on allegations of racketeering, conspiracy to traffic stolen parts, being a loan shark, and of being involved in deals with outlawed bike gangs.
It is alleged that Sotelo played a part in a plan to smuggle a Harley Davidson motorcycle to Sweden although he denies any wrong-doing, accusing authorities of using him to “sensationalise” the case.
“I’m not the guy they want. They’re just throwing me in this to sensationalize the case,” Sotelo was reported as saying by the Gilroy Dispatch.
If convicted, Sotelo could be jailed for up to five years and face fines of over $250,000 (£125,000). He has already put forward $100,000 for bail.
Sotelo began working in the motorcycle industry in 1979 when he opened a retail outlet, South County Motorcycles, in Gilroy.
Upon opening the outlet, he built a number of custom motorcycles for celebrity sports figures such as professional basketball player Karl Malone, professional football player Ralph Tamm, Major League Baseball manager Dusty Baker and former San Francisco 49er Eric Wright. He even built a re-creation of the Captain America bike from the movie Easy Rider for actor Peter Fonda.
In 1995 Sotelo opened California Motorcycle Company in downtown Gilroy as a full-scale manufacturing operation which was then bought by the Indian Motorcycle Corporation in 1999.
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