Nevada Assembly resolution supports national monument designations
CARSON CITY — The Nevada Assembly on Thursday introduced a resolution of support for the national monument designations that Gold Butte and the Basin and Range areas have.
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Gary Hunt – Burns Chronicles No 58 – “Twice Put in Jeopardy”
Burns Chronicles No 58 “Twice Put in Jeopardy” Gary Hunt Outpost of Freedom March 23, 2017 Of course, we must start with the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution, as it is the “supreme Law of the Land. The pertinent part reads: “No person… shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb.” Now, that phrase, “twice put in jeopardy” is also referred to as “Double Jeopardy”, though whichever way we choose to phrase it, the meaning is quite simple. If you are charged with a crime, absent a mistrial […]
Bundy defendants interviewed in undercover FBI operation
Undercover FBI agents posed as documentary filmmakers for a production titled “America Reloaded” to draw statements from the men who rushed to support rancher Cliven Bundy in his 2014 stand against the federal government.
The undercover operation has been alluded to in previous court filings, but it was detailed in federal court Wednesday when FBI Special Agent Charles Johnson testified as a government witness in the trial against six men accused of conspiring to block Bureau of Land Management agents from impounding Bundy’s cattle.
Oregon standoff defendants: Outcomes, sentencing dates
By Maxine Bernstein | The Oregonian/OregonLive Updated March 21, 2017 at 7:27 PM Pleas to felony charges in Oregon standoff case/sentencing dates: -Brian Cavalier pleaded guilty to two charges: conspiracy to impede and possession of firearms in a federal facilities. Sentenced Oct. 25, 2016 to time served, or nine months. -Blaine Cooper pleaded guilty to conspiracy charge. Sentencing set for May 24, 2017. -Jon Ritzheimer pleaded guilty to conspiracy. Sentencing set for June 21, 2017 -Joe O’Shaughnessy pleaded guilty to conspiracy. Sentencing set for Oct. 23, 2017. -Ryan Payne pleaded guilty to conspiracy. Sentencing set for June 15, 2017. -Wesley […]
Judge issues guilty verdicts on 9 of 11 misdemeanor charges against four Oregon standoff defendants
A federal judge on Tuesday found four men guilty of trespassing and other misdemeanor charges for their roles in the occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge last winter.
U.S. District Judge Anna J. Brown issued her rulings in court against Jason Patrick, Duane Ehmer, Darryl Thorn and Jake Ryan — the final four defendants in the Malheur case to go on trial.
Shortly afterwards, Patrick was taken into custody by deputy U.S. marshals, after the judge ordered he be placed on electronic monitoring and given a curfew as he awaited sentencing.
FaceBook as Criminal Evidence In Federal Court?
Las Vegas – As the fifth week of the first of three 2014 Bundy Ranch Standoff trials gets under way, prosecution continues its second week of Facebook evidence and supporting testimony. FBI agents made a methodical presentation of sections of more than 12,000 pages of Facebook posts and messages collected in a government search. FBI Agent Sara Draper, testified that over 1000+ FBI agents were used to gather and review the Facebook evidence being introduced.
Navarro rejected a steady litany of defense objections that the Facebook messages were more prejudicial than probative. Not all defendants were mentioned in the posts, nor have all yet been directly tied to militia organizations. While some militia groups portray themselves as constitutionally focused fraternal organizations that aid their local communities in times of crisis, others espouse anti-government rhetoric and even nationalistic and white supremacist views while advocating violence against federal employees.
Justice Alito: U.S.’s dedication to religious liberty being tested
Madison — The U.S. is entering a period when its commitment to religious liberty is being tested, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito told an audience Wednesday at an event sponsored by a Catholic lawyers’ organization.
Alito used his own words from his dissent in the Supreme Court’s landmark same-sex marriage case, telling the gathering he had predicted opposition to the decision would be used to “vilify those who disagree, and treat them as bigots.”
“We are seeing this is coming to pass,” he said, then mentioned Bob Dylan’s famous song lyric, “You don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows.”
No laughter allowed in court, but ‘Bundy Court Sketches’ provided plenty of laughs after court
U.S. District Judge Anna J. Brown often warned defendants, defense lawyers and spectators that she wouldn’t tolerate outbursts or laughter in the courtroom during the conspiracy trials against the occupiers of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.
One man, often hunched over a small pad of paper and scribbling with a pencil in the back row, paid close attention to fill the void.
Scott Klatt would take notes on the witnesses or exchanges in court, quickly draw a brief scene, add a caption and some dialogue. Then he’d post his “Bundy Court Sketches” on Twitter and Facebook, providing plenty of laughs long after court recessed.
Nevada Highway Patrol sergeant testifies in Bundy trial
A Nevada Highway Patrol sergeant who responded to the 2014 protests in Bunkerville testified Monday that he was “jealous” of one of Cliven Bundy’s supporters because the man carried a radio that broadcast police scanner activity better than a state-issued device.
“Our radios weren’t that clear. I was kind of jealous because his was better than ours,” Sgt. Shannon Selena told jurors Monday.
He was referring to Gregory Burleson, one of six men in the first group of a three-part federal trial against Bundy and 16 others accused of conspiring to block federal agents from rounding up the rancher’s cows. The jury seated for the first trial has heard hours of testimony about law enforcement’s assessment of the general threat level during the April 2014 standoff, but Monday marked the first time a government witness singled out a defendant for his role in the protests.
Feds file motion to dismiss charges against Ammon Bundy’s lawyer Marcus Mumford
Special federal prosecutors assigned to the criminal case against Ammon Bundy’s lawyer filed a motion Monday to dismiss all the charges against Marcus Mumford.
The motion comes more than three weeks after a judge dropped one of three charges against Mumford and ruled that he would decide the remaining two charges after a trial.
It also comes on the first business day after a federal jury in Portland found four remaining defendants guilty on a variety of chargesstemming from the occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.
Gary Hunt – Freedom of the Press #12 – Fully Biased Instigators
When I was in the Army, I had to obey the orders that were given to me, by my superiors. That obligation ceased nearly fifty years ago.
Since that time, I have only taken “orders” from my employer or supervisor, though I have given “orders” to subordinates, as a part of my supervisory responsibilities in various positions I have held.
I have also given “orders” for food or other purchases, as I don’t expect waitresses or clerks to be mind readers.
In all of the above instances, there has been a relationship predicated on the fact that there was some implied obligation by virtue of the relationship, fiduciary or voluntary, between the “orderer” and the “orderee“. Yes, I made those two words up, but I suppose that all reading this will get the point being made.
Rancher standoff trials ask: When is a ‘journalist’ an ‘occupier’?
Some defendants in Nevada, Oregon prosecutions claim 1st Amendment press protection
A flurry of dramatic property and civil rights-related trials is taking place across the western U.S. in federal courts, in which defendants, including independent media representatives, are charged with up to 17 crimes each, from trespass to terrorism.
All the accused had confronted or ignored law-enforcement officers in group protests in either 2014’s Bunkerville, Nevada, confrontation or 2016’s similar standoff in Harney County, Oregon. Both showdowns were responses to perceived overreach of federal bureaucracies – chiefly the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Read reaction to split verdict in second Oregon standoff trial
Here’s what people are saying after the mixed verdicts Friday in the second Oregon standoff trial.
The jury found two of four defendants — Jason Patrick and Darryl Thorn — guilty of conspiracy in the 2016 takeover of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge and acquitted two others — Duane Ehmer and Jake Ryan — on the conspiracy charge
But the jury found Ehmer and Ryan guilty of willfully damaging the refuge and found Thorn guilty of possessing a gun at a federal facility. Patrick and Ryan were acquitted on the gun charge.
Two convicted and two acquitted of conspiracy in Oregon occupation trial
A federal jury Friday delivered a split verdict in the second Oregon standoff trial, finding two defendants guilty of conspiracy in the takeover of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge but acquitting two others of the same charge.
The jury found Jason Patrick, described by prosecutors as one of the organizers of the armed occupation, and Darryl Thorn, who worked on security details, guilty of conspiring to prevent federal workers from doing their jobs at the refuge through intimidation, threat or force. The other two men on trial, Duane Ehmer and Jake Ryan, were found not guilty.
‘Justice served’ with convictions in 2nd Oregon standoff trial, prosecutor says
A jury returned guilty verdicts Friday on at least one felony charge against each of the last four defendants in the armed occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge – a victory for prosecutors who took a devastating blow at the first trial.
Defense lawyers immediately decried the convictions of the more minor players as a miscarriage of justice when the ringleaders got off last fall.
Prosecutors reflect on refuge takeover trials after Friday’s verdicts
Oregon’s U.S. Attorney Billy J. Williams said he was in constant communication with federal Justice officials in Washington, D.C. during the occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, through the development of the prosecution case and on charging decisions.
“Anytime there’s a case of national significance, we consult with main Justice,” Williams said.
Defendant’s medical complaint interrupts standoff trial
LAS VEGAS (AP) — A medical complaint by a defendant with a history of health problems briefly interrupted a trial Thursday in Las Vegas for six men accused of wielding guns during a 2014 armed standoff between followers of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy and federal agents.
An attorney for Gregory Burleson rose suddenly during testimony and told Chief U.S. District Judge Gloria Navarro that Burleson needed immediate attention.
Attorneys and spectators in the courtroom said Burleson became pale and his hands were shaking when the judge called a two-hour break.
Las Vegas 8 News Now reports on Dennis Michael Lynch’s testimony at the Bundy Ranch Standoff trial today 3-8-17
Las Vegas 8 News Now reports on Dennis Michael Lynch’s testimony at the Bundy Ranch Standoff trial today 3-8-17
DML Takes Stand At Bundy Trial: “I feared being shot.”
Las Vegas, Nevada — Dennis Michael Lynch, known better as ‘DML’, took the stand today as a witness in the first of three trials set to take place in relation to the standoff between the Bundy family, their supporters, and the federal government.
Lynch was kept on the witness stand all day on Wednesday. He answered numerous questions from the U.S. attorney after the jury was shown a long list of the video clips DML captured during the event that took place in Bunkerville, NV on April, 12, 2014.
DML, who at the time was a regular guest on The Kelly File (Fox News Channel), was filming the events in Nevada for an upcoming segment to air on Megyn Kelly’s show.
Documentarian Dennis Michael Lynch testifies during Bunkerville standoff trial
A media cameraman who tried, unsuccessfully, to mediate the Bunkerville standoff gave hours of testimony Wednesday while federal prosecutors played shaky, handheld footage that provided a more dynamic view of the protests than anything previously disclosed on dashcam recordings.
The government called Dennis Michael Lynch as a witness after they fought ferociously earlier in the week to keep the footage he captured out of court.
Defense attorneys Monday had tried to use some of the videos to rebut a federal agent’s testimony, and prosecutors’ decision to call Lynch reflected a strategic attempt to control the narrative as they continue to present their case against six men accused of conspiring with rancher Cliven Bundy.
Lawyers vigorously challenge misdemeanor charges against refuge occupiers
Defense lawyers Wednesday vigorously challenged misdemeanor charges against four defendants accused in the takeover of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge as the judge prodded a prosecutor to make his case against each by citing specific evidence and exhibits.
The defense argued that the federal regulation involving trespass at a national wildlife refuge is vague, that defendants never received formal notice they were trespassing and that no evidence exists that the four saw trespassing signs on the property.
Criminal conspirators or political protesters? Lawyers paint different portraits of refuge occupiers
Prosecutors urged jurors to use common sense and consider the “overwhelming circumstantial evidence” to find four defendants who occupied the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge last winter guilty of conspiring to prevent federal workers from doing their jobs through intimidation, threat or force.
“At its core, this case is about four defendants who went too far,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Ethan Knight said Tuesday.
He reminded the jury that no formal agreement is necessary to prove the conspiracy charge.
Refuge manager, fish biologist tell jurors how they felt scared, violated during occupation
The manager of the Malheur National Wildife Refuge and its former fish biologist returned to the witness stand Tuesday morning in the government’s rebuttal to testify about the fears they felt just before and during the takeover of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.
Refuge manager Chad Karges, who was aware Ammon Bundy and followers were in the Burns area in late November and December 2015, said he placed loaded guns at every door of his home “just because of the threats I had seen” involving Bundy and his standoff with federal agents in Bunkerville, Nevada in 2014.
After Christmas 2015, Karges told his kids and grandkids not to venture into Burns.
Tempers flare, nerves fray in trial against Bundy supporters
A downtown Las Vegas courtroom provided scenes as wild as a Western movie Monday when federal prosecutors and defense attorneys battled over nearly every piece of evidence presented in the trial against six of rancher Cliven Bundy’s supporters.
Defense attorneys tried to block a government witness from testifying. A prosecutor invoked an evidence rule that led even the judge to flip open a legal handbook. A juror made a wisecrack that caused one lawyer to raise concerns of potential bias.