SAN ANTONIO – A federal judge on Monday rejected attorneys' claims for acquittal and new trial for two former leaders of the Bandidos.
Jeffrey Fay Pike and John Xavier Portillo were convicted in May on charges of racketeering, drug dealing, extortion and multiple murders. The trial lasted more than three months and included testimony from Bandidos members, as well as FBI agent Scott Schuster, who testified as an expert on the gang.
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Attorneys for the men questioned Schuster's testimony primarily on the basis that his testimony was "hearsay" and that "he was shown merely to be an investigator and a recounter of stories he had come across during his investigation of the club."
Judge David Ezra responded that, "Agent Schuster's testimony was based on sufficient facts and data to constitute specialized knowledge, given that he had conducted hundreds of hours of surveillance, including talking to Bandidos insiders, and his study of motorcycle organizations and his exclusive work on the Bandidos."
Other challenges, including whether the previous leader of the gang's conviction should have been presented at trial, were rejected by the judge.
Portillo's sentencing will be Sept. 24 and Pike's sentencing will take place Oct.1.