“The rule of law has been reaffirmed with these charges”, U.S. Attorney Daniel G. Bogden, for the District of Nevada, said.
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A federal grand jury has indicted Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy.
Bundy is also facing five counts of criminal forfeiture, which could cost him to the tune of $3 million plus cattle at Bunkerville Allotment and Lake Mead National Recreational Area in Nevada.
Nevada FBI agent Laura Bucheit said that the Bundy indictments send a “resounding message” to Americans who want to engage in “violent acts” that the federal agency will enforce existing laws in an “unwavering” fashion. Cliven should have stayed in his Nevada ranch and the federal government would have no doubt allowed the geriatric “rebel” to continue to steal land and money from the federal government.
Federal authorities said Bundy was the “leader, organizer and chief beneficiary of the conspiracy, and possessed ultimate authority over the conspiratorial operations and received the economic benefits of the extortion”. During the standoff, about 400 head of Bundy’s cattle were rounded up and moved off the federal land by agents.
This indictment refers to the Bundy’s first foray into anti-government militancy, in Nevada two years ago.
No arraignment date has yet been set for Cliven Bundy, his sons, and the other two BLM protesters who were just recently indicted on federal charges.
“A government charge is proof of nothing”, Arnold wrote.
“It’s important for the public to remember that there is a constitutional presumption of innocence in America”, he said. “That’s what courts and trials are for”.
The others allegedly organized and recruited followers and acted as leaders in the incident.
According to the indictment, Santilli tried to “incite listeners” to travel to the Bundy Ranch for unlawful purposes. Just don’t be surprised someday when the government finally gets around to putting you in jail.
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.
Williams requested U.S. Marshals transport Bundy to Nevada, according to the court filing.
The 69-year-old Nevada rancher was arrested February 10 in Portland, Oregon, where his sons, Ammon and Ryan Bundy, are jailed and accused of organizing the occupation of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.
The penalties are stiff, ranging from five years for conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States to 20 years for an assault on a federal officer, with $250,000 in fines for each of the charges listed.
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Court documents say on April 12, 2014, federal officials were outnumbered four to one by armed Bundy followers and wishing to avoid a firefight, diffused the situation by abandoning the cattle to Bundy.
