On Wednesday, a Nevada grand jury chose to indict Cliven Bundy and his sons nearly two years after the standoff with the Bureau of Land Management.
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U.S. Magistrate Judge Janice Stewart said Tuesday that Bundy should not be released ahead of trial because there is a risk he won’t show up for future court dates.
Bundy, 69, was arrested in Portland last week on charges stemming from a 2014 armed standoff with federal officials who were rounding up his cattle over unpaid grazing fees.
Cliven Bundy was arrested in Portland on February 10 after flying to OR to visit his sons, who were arrested January 26 in connection with the armed occupation of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.
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. “Persons who use force and violence against federal law enforcement officers who are enforcing court orders, and almost causing catastrophic loss of life or injury to others, will be brought to justice”. Ammon Bundy led the takeover, which began January 2 and lasted 41 days. The loose-knit band of farmers, ranchers and survivalists – whose action was sparked by the jailing of two ranchers for arson – said they would not rule out violence if authorities stormed the site, although federal officials said they hope to avoid bloodshed.
“Today marks a tremendous step toward ending more than 20 years of law breaking”, said Bureau of Land Management Director Neil Kornze in a statement, referring to Cliven Bundy’s longstanding dispute with his agency.
Following an armed standoff, the federal agents ultimately backed down, citing safety concerns and returned the cattle they had seized.
Bundy allows his cattle to “run wild on the public lands with little, if any, human interaction until such time he traps them and hauls them off to be sold or slaughtered for his own consumption”, prosecutors said. The Bundys used “deceit and deception” to lure hundreds of followers across the country to his call to arms, the indictment alleges.
“The indictment charges that Cliven Bundy was the leader, organizer, and chief beneficiary of the conspiracy”, the U.S. attorney’s office said in a statement on Wednesday.
Justice was delayed due to the nature of the well-defended Bundy ranch, including a. 50 caliber machine gun, but it caught up with those earlier outlaws, who were also well-armed, and now it has caught up with Cliven Bundy.
Ammon Bundy’s attorney, Mike Arnold, said, “the Nevada indictment is no surprise”.
According to the indictment, Santilli tried to “incite listeners” to travel to the Bundy Ranch for unlawful purposes. About 40 Bundy supporters stood in front of the officers carrying or brandishing firearms, and more than 20 others carried or brandished weapons on the bridges above, it said.
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The sixteen counts carry prison terms fines. Ammon is a rancher in Idaho, Ryan works a ranch in Nevada, Peter Santilli is from OH, and Ryan Payne is a Montana rancher.
