Opinion ID: 4553375
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Counts Four through Seven

Text: Counts Four through Seven charged Pike with VICAR offenses related to the Bandidos’ rivalry with the Cossacks. See 18 U.S.C. §§ 1959(a)(3), (5), (6), 2. Pike was found guilty of conspiring to commit murder and assault with a deadly weapon against Cossacks members in aid of racketeering (Counts Four and Five), aiding and abetting the Bandidos’ assault of a Cossack in Palo Pinto County (Count Six), and aiding and abetting the assault of another Cossack in August 2015 in Port Aransas (Count Seven). With respect to Counts Four and Five, there was sufficient evidence introduced at trial to show that Pike was aware of the Bandidos’ disagreements with the Cossacks and that he endorsed the group’s plans to address the problem through violence. See Salinas v. United States, 522 U.S. 52, 63 (1997) (“A conspiracy may exist even if a conspirator does not agree to commit or facilitate each and every part of the substantive offense.”). When Portillo 20 Case: 18-50793 Document: 00515516125 Page: 21 Date Filed: 08/05/2020 No. 18-50793 explained that he wanted to “turn up the heat” on the Cossacks, Pike reportedly said “whatever y’all do, y’all be careful.” In the same conversation, Pike agreed to “turn his back” on the Bandidos’ future retaliatory actions. And in another conversation, Portillo explained that Pike told him to “play ball” and “batter up motherfucker” when discussing the group’s plans for addressing the problem with the Cossacks in Crystal City. The government also introduced evidence of assaults and murders against Cossack members throughout Texas, including the murder of a Cossack associate during the altercation in Fort Worth and violent assaults in Port Aransas and Palo Pinto County. This evidence was sufficient to convict Pike even if there is no evidence that Pike agreed to the specific acts of the conspiracy. See id.; Velasquez, 881 F.3d at 332. Evidence presented at trial supported the conclusion that Pike made all major decisions for the group and therefore participated in the conspiracy. See United States v. Salvatore, 110 F.3d 1131, 1137 (5th Cir. 1997), abrogated on other grounds by Cleveland v. United States, 531 U.S. 12 (2000). Likewise, the evidence was sufficient to find Pike guilty on Counts Six and Seven. The specific instances of violence in Palo Pinto County and Port Aransas were both reasonably foreseeable and in furtherance of the conspiracy. See Pinkerton, 328 U.S. at 645–48. These acts of violence were intended to punish the Cossacks for their perceived transgressions against the group. See Henley, 766 F.3d at 907–08. As a result, these acts were “the very essence of, and thus a reasonably foreseeable part of,” the conspiracy. United States v. Maceo, 947 F.2d 1191, 1198 (5th Cir. 1991).