The Bundy Ranch ordeal

IIRC Finicum did not commit grand theft auto. Also, entering the US illegally is punishable by, well, deportation and denial of future entry.

:dunno: running full speed at the police blockade might be considered assault with a deadly weapon?



We're quite far off track in this futile attempt to show how innocent these trespassers, squatters, car thieves, traffic violators, tax evaders, fee dodgers, conspirators, etc. are though...
 
Level = Ted Cruz
High Voltage = Bernie Sanders.

Or something.
 
Oregon Occupier Countersues For $666 Billion, Citing 'Works Of The Devil'


Shawna Cox, one of the last militants to be arrested for occupying an Oregon wildlife refuge last month, has filed a countersuit against the U.S. government and others in which she alleges "damages from the works of the devil in excess of 666,666,666,666.66."

While she invoked the number of the beast in her request for damages, Cox listed a wide array of people she plans to subpoena, including: ranchers in the western U.S.; judges and prosecutors; Oregon's current and former governor; local and state police officers; FBI agents; and "various law professors."

Cox said she plans to ask a jury to deliver civil and criminal penalties against many of those same people, who she says have worked to subvert the constitutional government and impose "socialism, communism and imperialism types of government onto the people of the United States of America."

The complaint was filed Wednesday, the same day a federal grand jury indicted Cliven Bundy along with his sons Ryan and Ammon and two other people for "a raft of felony charges related to a 2014 armed standoff," as Oregon Public Broadcasting reports. That 2014 standoff is seen as a forerunner to the occupation of the Malheur refuge in Oregon.

Federal and state police arrested Cox and Ammon and Ryan Bundy in late January; the Malheur standoff ended two weeks later with the surrender of the last holdouts at the refuge.

The federal charges against Cox include a felony count of "conspiracy to impede officers of the United States from discharging their official duties through the use of force, intimidation, or threats."

Saying that she's the victim of malicious prosecution, Cox states that her group was using the legal tactic of "hostile adverse possession" to expose what they see as the federal government's fraudulent handling of land in the former Northwest Territories.

In her complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Oregon, Cox also says the group seized control of Malheur at a time when the refuge was preparing to shut down for the winter. She denies interfering with government employees, saying, "If anything, it was their choice to not come to work, out of guilt."
 
It is hard to believe, but yes, they are that wacky.
 
Wonder if she's going to be talking about admiralty law when she meets the judge.
 
Cliven Bundy, 4 others face federal indictment in Nevada


Ammon Bundy, brother Ryan Bundy, Ryan Payne and Peter Santilli -- already indicted in the armed takeover of a federal wildlife refuge in eastern Oregon -- now face federal indictment along with Cliven Bundy in the 2014 armed standoff near the Bundy ranch in Nevada.

The indictment charges the four with 16 felonies: one count of conspiring to commit an offense against the United States, one count of conspiring to impede or injure a federal officer, four counts of carrying a firearm in a crime of violence, two counts of assault on a federal officer, two counts of threatening a federal law enforcement officer, three counts of obstructing justice, two counts of interfering with interstate commerce by extortion and one count of interstate travel in aid of extortion.

It also levels five counts of criminal forfeiture against each defendant. If convicted of the offenses, they would have to forfeit property obtained from the proceeds of their crimes, totaling at least $3 million, including cattle at the so-called Bunkerville Allotment and Lake Mead National Recreational Area in Nevada. They also would have to forfeit firearms and ammunition used in the April 12, 2014, standoff with federal authorities.

"The rule of law has been reaffirmed with these charges,'' said Nevada's U.S. Attorney Daniel G. Bogden in a prepared statement. "Persons who use force and violence against federal law enforcement officers who are enforcing court orders and nearly causing catastrophic loss of life or injury to others, will be brought to justice.''

The elder Bundy, 69, of Bunkerville, Nevada, his sons, Ammon E. Bundy, 40, of Emmet, Idaho, and Ryan C. Bundy, 43, of Mesquite, Nevada, as well as Ryan W. Payne, 32, of Anaconda, Montana, and Peter T. Santilli, Jr., 50, of Cincinnati, remain in custody in Portland.

"This indictment sends a resounding message to those who wish to participate in violent acts that our resolve to pursue them and enforce the law remains unwavering," said Nevada's FBI Special Agent in Charge Laura Bucheit.

The indictment stems from what federal officials have described as the "massive armed assault'' by Cliven Bundy and his co-defendants against federal law enforcement officers who tried to corral about 400 cattle near the Bundy Ranch.

They're accused of planning, organizing and leading the 2014 assault and recruiting hundreds of others in an armed force to thwart the seizure and removal of Cliven Bundy's cattle from public lands.

It accuses the elder Bundy of trespassing on the public lands for more than 20 years, refusing to get the legally required permits or pay the required fees to the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to keep and graze his cattle on the land.

"Today marks a tremendous step toward ending more than 20 years of law breaking," said Neil Kornze, director of the Bureau of Land Management. "The nation's public lands belong to all Americans."

Cliven Bundy was arrested after he arrived in Portland on Feb. 10 to visit his two jailed sons, who were indicted in the armed takeover of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. Ammon Bundy led the takeover, which began Jan. 2 and lasted 41 days. He said he and his followers were demonstrating against the return to prison of Harney County ranchers Dwight Hammond Jr. and his son, Steve Hammond, and the federal government's control of public land.

The indictment identifies Cliven Bundy as the "leader, organizer and chief beneficiary" of the conspiracy. Ammon and Ryan Bundy are accused of recruiting followers, interfering with the federal effort to impound the Bundy cattle, threatening and using force against federal officers and trying to extort BLM contractors.

"It's what we anticipated,'' said Ammon Bundy's lawyer, Mike Arnold. A federal complaint issued last week against Cliven Bundy had referenced four unnamed co-conspirators in the Nevada case. Arnold declined comment on the substance of the charges, saying he hadn't seen the formal indictment yet.

"It's important for the public to remember that there is a constitutional presumption of innocence in America,'' Arnold said in an email. "A government charge is proof of nothing. That's what courts and trials are for.''

Payne is accused of organizing armed "protection'' for the alleged conspirators in Nevada, and Santilli, an independent broadcaster, is accused of recruiting followers using the Internet.

According to the indictment, Santilli tried to "incite listeners'' to travel to the Bundy Ranch for unlawful purposes. It quotes him saying on April 8, 2014, "if this is not the issue right now where we stand and fight to the absolute death there is no other option; the federal government must get out of the state of Nevada...if you're in Nevada and can legally carry, get weapons out there, o.k...we are going to stand and fight in Clark County, Nevada.''

Santilli's court-appointed lawyer Thomas Coan has argued in federal court in Portland that his client, a "shock jock,'' is being persecuted for his political speech and bravado in his online broadcasts.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Nevada, the maximum penalties for the Nevada-based charges range from five years to 20 years, with $250,000 in fines for each charge.

The maximum sentence is five years for conspiracy to commit an offense against the U.S., six years for conspiracy to impede and injure a federal officer; 20 years for assault on a federal officer; 10 years for threatening a federal law enforcement officer; 10 years for obstruction of justice, 20 years for interfering with interstate commerce by extortion, 20 years for interstate travel in aid of extortion and a five-year minimum for using and carrying a firearm in a crime of violence.

Cliven Bundy is expected to be returned to Nevada to face federal prosecution there. The defendants in the Oregon refuge takeover case are likely to be prosecuted here before facing federal prosecution in Nevada.

Update: Ammon Bundy, from jail, released this statement on Thursday, Feb. 18:

This is Ammon Bundy. I just wanted to give you a statement about the NV indictment: the Bundy Ranch. Again, just to help people understand that this is just a continuation of government trying to protect its own power, government taking land that does not belong to them from the people. This is a continuation of them overreaching--going far beyond their constitutional bounds and showing that they are willing to use the court system to prosecute people that were defending their rights; defending their property. And don't forget what happened at the Bundy Ranch: that they killed cattle, that they tased people, that they threw women on the ground, that they sicced their dogs on pregnant women, that they gang-beat men to the ground for filming them with their iPad. And that they set up a First Amendment right area and saying that you cannot protest outside those corrals. Don't forget what happened at the Bundy Ranch and how important this is that we make a stand. Thank you.
 
Santilli's court-appointed lawyer Thomas Coan has argued in federal court in Portland that his client, a "shock jock,'' is being persecuted for his political speech and bravado in his online broadcasts.
Now there's a solid defense. "Your honor, my client is clearly full of shit."

Glad to see they're not going easy on these fucking morons now that they've caught em. Hope they spend a good long time in jail too.
 
He will just be the next G. Gordon Liddy and be thought of as a hero by his fans for standing up to the man and going to jail for it.
 
He will just be the next G. Gordon Liddy and be thought of as a hero by his fans for standing up to the man and going to jail for it.
Oh no doubt. I'd be surprised if Santilli is a true believer. He's just a cynical enough asshole to realize that this is a good bunch of suckers to build cred with. He'll do some time and then make money off his "struggle".
 
Police 'Justified' In Shooting Oregon Militant; DOJ Reviewing FBI Conduct


At a news conference Monday, authorities said Oregon State Police's fatal shooting of one of the occupiers of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, Robert "LaVoy" Finicum, was "justified." But now the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General is investigating possible misconduct by members of the FBI team involved in the operation.

At the news conference, authorities from two Oregon counties who led the local investigation into the shooting alleged that the FBI agents failed to disclose as many as two shots they fired at Finicum, NPR's Kirk Siegler reports. They confirmed that neither of those shots hit Finicum, but the revelation was enough to prompt the federal government to launch an internal review.

U.S. Department of Justice Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz issued the following statement:

"As announced at the news conference in Bend, Oregon today, the Department of Justice Office of Inspector General is investigating the actions of the FBI's Hostage Rescue Team in connection with the shooting in Oregon on January 26, 2016. Under the Inspector General Act, the DOJ OIG has jurisdiction to independently review allegations of FBI misconduct. We look forward to working closely with the U.S. Attorney's Office in Oregon, as well as state and local officials as we review this matter. Because our investigation is ongoing, we will be unable to provide any further information until it is complete. We will publicly disclose our findings at that time."

The shots that killed Finicum were fired by the Oregon State Police, and the investigation into the shooting has found their use of force to be justified. The news conference also shed more light on the events immediately preceding Finicum's shooting. Oregon Public Broadcasting reports:

"[Authorities] say that, despite complaints from occupiers and their supporters that police shot more than 100 times into the truck carrying Finicum and other militants, only eight shots were fired ? six from the Oregon State Police and two by members of the FBI hostage rescue team."

Law enforcement used a cellphone video shot by another militant, Shawna Cox ? who was in Finicum's truck along with two others at the time of the confrontation ? to piece together what happened after a number of the occupiers drove out of Malheur, law enforcement chased down their vehicles, and Finicum left his vehicle.

"You back down or you kill me now, go ahead, put the bullet through me," Finicum said in the video recording, which authorities showed at the press conference.

OPB reports that Finicum can also "be heard repeatedly ignoring commands from law enforcement to surrender." The cellphone video has not yet been released.

FBI special agent Greg Bretzig said, "Mr. Finicum chose to break the law, Mr. Finicum chose to put other people's lives in danger, and as the investigation shows, he chose to provoke a confrontation with law enforcement."


I haven't found a decent video yet, but it was on the news and it should be all over soon enough.


 
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