On Thursday, convicted mink liberator William “BJ” Viehl was released from federal prison.
Earlier this year, a rogue judge sentenced Viehl to 24 months in prison for the release of 650 mink from the McMullin and Sons fur farm outside of Salt Lake City. The sentence was four times what Viehl agreed to in his plea bargain.
The other prisoner in this case, Alex Hall, is expected to be released in December, despite having been sentenced to less time than his co-defendant. Release dates in the federal system are often calculated in an arbitrary way, despite a fixed sentence length.
Walter Bond is charged with two more arsons in Utah
In an unsurprising development, Walter Bond has been charged with the remaining two arsons claimed by the “A.L.F. Lone Wolf” – the Tandy Leather Factory, and Tiburon (foie gras restaurant), both in the Salt Lake City area.
Bond faces two counts of arson and two counts of force, violence and threats involving animal enterprises.
$30,000 in damages was done to the Tandy Leather Factory in early June when someone broke in and set the building on fire. $10,000 damages was inflicted on the Tiburon restaurant in July, when it too was broken into and set on fire. Both arsons were claimed by the Animal Liberation Front.
Bond was arrested in July after allegedly being caught on tape admitting to his brother that he was responsible for all three arsons. It has been speculated since his arrest that charges for the remaining two Utah arsons would be forthcoming.
This comes just days after Bond’s attorney filed a notice that he intends to plead guilty to the Sheepskin Factory arson in Denver, the first in a string of three arsons claimed by the “A.L.F. Lone Wolf”. It is not yet clear how the new charges will affect Bond’s announced guilty plea.
If found guilty, Bond could potentially receive twenty years in prison for each count of arson with a five year minimum. In addition, the animal enterprise counts carry potential five years each.
Federal prosecutors expect Bond to be transferred to Utah to face today’s indictment when the Colorado case is resolved.
Scott DeMuth pleads guilty to fur farm liberation, Iowa lab raid charges dropped
The day before trial was to begin for Scott DeMuth, it was announced he would be pleading guilty to the release of ferrets (or mink) from a farm, and the University of Iowa lab raid charges would be dropped.
In an apparent move of defeat, DeMuth’s lawyer was approached by prosecutors the day before trial was to begin, stating they would like to resolve the case. DeMuth’s lawyer told them he “would not be agreeable” to any resolution that involved pleading guilty to charges related to the University of Iowa lab raid.
The end result: DeMuth will plead guilty to the 2006 release of “hundreds” of animals from a Minnesota fur farm (or pet store breeder, depending on your source – more on that in a minute). The prosecution will recommend a sentence of six months for one misdemeanor violation of the Animal Enterprise Protection Act. His plea does not involve providing any testimony against anyone.
In exchange, prosecutors dropped charges against DeMuth for the 2004 raid at the University of Iowa, in which 401 animal were rescued (that’s removed and placed in homes according to the communique, not “released” as has often been recited by lazy reporters unwilling to check their facts) and nearly $500,000 damage done to research labs. DeMuth was 17 at the time of that action.
The fur farm raid
DeMuth will now plead guilty to one misdemeanor count of Animal Enterprise Terrorism (misdemeanor because losses to the farm were estimated to be under $10,000) for the release of “hundreds” of animals from Lakeside Ferrets. Or was it the Latzig Mink Ranch?
Mink or ferrets?
There is some confusion as to what animals DeMuth is alleged to have released. Court documents describe the action, stating that the animals released were ferrets.
Yet the communique for the action (read in full here) describes it this way:
Only the breeding animals were on the farm. After cutting several
holes and opening gate in the surrounding fence, we entered the
main breeding shed. All of the breeding information was removed and
destroyed. Every cage was opened, releasing hundreds of mink into
the surrounding countryside.
There is no question that at one time, the farm was called the Latzig Mink Ranch. The farm was the site of one of the first mink liberations in the U.S., when 1,000 mink were released there in 1996.
However Lakeside Ferrets is also a business registered with the Secretary of State to that address. There are several possibilities here:
*The claim that the A.L.F. released ferrets and not mink is an attempt by the fur industry to discredit the A.L.F. (by suggesting the A.L.F. are not smart enough to know what kind of animals there are releasing)
*The farm breeds both ferrets and mink
*When working in total darkness at an address known to have been a mink ranch at one time, ferrets were (understandably) mistaken for mink
Unlike mink, I am not aware of any research on the survivability of farm-bred ferrets in the wild (read my article on such a study done with mink here). Nor have I looked into the types of ferrets sold as “pets” in the U.S. (Lakeside Ferrets is said to breed ferrets for pet stores) and where they are native to. All of these would factor into any assessment on the efficacy of releasing ferrets into the wild.
The end of the University of Iowa A.L.F. investigation?
Major disclaimer: I am not a lawyer.
That said, the first question that comes to mind with the dismissal of the University of Iowa charges is: Does this mean the end of the Iowa lab raid prosecution?
Based on my conversations with laywers after the FBI raided my house as part of this investigation, I learned several things (again, this is all based on my lay person’s interpretation):
*The federal statute of limitations on the University of Iowa lab raid is five years.
*The indictment was filed just days before the expiration of the SoL, in November 2009.
*The filing of an indictment effectively freezes the clock on SoL’s, giving prosecutors time to issue superseding indictments and add additional charges against additional people, so long as there is an active indictment.
With the indictment now dropped, would this mean the clock has now run and charging anyone for the Iowa raid would be problematic to impossible?
I put this question to Matthew Strugar, an attorney who has worked on several prominent cases, including the AETA 4 case. The question was: What does the dismissal of charges for Scott DeMuth mean for the University of Iowa prosecution?
His response:
The general statute of limitations for federal crimes is five years. The University of Iowa raid was now almost six years ago. With the DeMuth case resolved, and with no related pending conspiracy charges, it seems highly unlikely the federal government could bring charges related to that raid.
Everything is speculative now, but one thing is known: Scott DeMuth will now spend no more than six months in prison, and has had the most serious charges against him dismissed.
A victory, for now…
The fortitude of Carrie Feldman and Scott DeMuth in refusing to cave to the pressure of imprisonment and intimidation has effectively shut down a shameful, politically motivated, and farcical prosecution. Their non-compliance should offer positive reinforcement to all activists that if you can ride out a brief county jail stay, and call them on their bluff, victory will be won in the end.
Mink farm raided last week identified as the Harvey Beck mink farm in Granite Falls, Washington
After a non-specific report of 400 mink being released from an unnamed farm in Granite Falls, Washington last week, yesterday local media identified the farm as the Beck Mink Farm.
The Animal Liberation Front has not (yet) taken credit.
This farm has personal significance: the Harvey Beck farm is the first fur farm I visited nearly 15 years ago. Located in Granite Falls, a small towm approximately 20 minutes NE of Seattle, the farm sits just off Engebretsen Road, down a gravel path. Curious to see imprisoned mink close up, we visited the farm on many occasions.
I’ve seen the sickness of this mink prison: The thousands of caged mink, and corpses stacked in the processing shed in the property’s SE corner. I couldn’t be more happy to learn that years after my first visit, a person of persons unknown finally won freedom for 400 of its captives.
When we show the fur industry that even motion sensor alarms are no deterrent, the demoralizing effect of knowing the A.L.F. will get inside their farms no matter the obstacles is a powerful message, and one that brings us one step closer to the end of the fur industry.
Private security firm holds secretive conference on “animal rights extremists”, a leaked document reveals
Animal Liberation Front-line has been provided with a document, marked “CONFIDENTIAL”, detailing an invite-only meeting for animal abuse industries on the “threat” of the animal rights movement and the A.L.F.
The document was leaked by a client of security firm INA, and provides the schedule for their “security roundtable” titled “Managing Threats from Activist Groups“. The invite-only event is to be held on Tuesday, September 14th in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. In attendance will be representatives of animal abuse industries who presumably consider themselves potential targets of the Animal Liberation Front, and other militant groups.
The event is organized by INA (Information Network Associates), a shadowy private company which has its niche investigating the animal rights movement. In future posts, I will cover this company’s nefarious history infiltrating and reporting on the movement, including the posting of more leaked documents never meant to be seen by activist’s eyes.
“8:30 AM – 8:45 AM Opening Remarks / Introductions
8:45AM – 9:45 AM Current Issues and Trends in the Animal Rights Movement
The INA staff will provide an intelligence briefing on current activities, recent events and trends within the animal rights movement.
The Fur Commission USA is reporting 400 mink were released September 9th, 2010 from a fur farm in Granite Falls, Washington.
The name of the farm was not specified. According to the fur farm directory The Blueprint, Granite Falls is home to two known mink farms: The Jeff Craggs fur farm, and Beck’s Mink Farm. View images of the farms here:
While the target of the September 9th raid is not known, one of the two mink farm owners is familiar to activists – Harvey Beck reported an attempted raid of his farm in the summer of 1997. No animals were reported to have been released in that incident.
In a verbal folly of Bush proportions, while endorsing a bill that would target “eco-terrorists”, Beck made this statement to Washington state lawmakers in 2001:
What does ecoterrorism have to do with our civil liberties and free speech? Absolutely nothing but destruction.
No claim of responsibility by the Animal Liberation Front has been made.
It is unknown if security cameras at a Lebanon, Oregon mink farm have deterred the release of mink by the A.L.F. However this week, they failed to prevent the theft of the cameras themselves.
Police reported this week that two of an Oregon mink farm’s night vision security cameras had been stolen.
In addition to cameras, activists report that the farm at one time employed another curious security feature: a prominent scarecrow erected outside a mink shed, adorned with a sign: “A.L.F. Stay Away”.
None of the farm’s security devices deterred activists in 1997, when 80 mink were released in an overnight raid.
Losses from the video camera theft (and the additional theft of a gas can) were placed at $545.
The following essay describes accused Animal Liberation Front activist Walter Bond’s conversion to veganism in small-town Iowa. In it, He explains that this awakening followed an atypical course: Bond used to build slaughterhouses.
In the winter of 1995, when I was 19 years old, I got a job with a company by the name of Dakota Mechanical. We built slaughter-houses in the Midwest, mainly in Iowa. The state of Iowa is the largest producer of pork in the nation. At the time I was employed in that evil industry there were 27 slaughter-houses for pigs alone. I helped build the IBP plant in Logansport, Indiana as well. It was a brand new plant.
I never saw an animal murdered in the 9 or so months I worked in Logansport, but it wasn’t difficult for me to get the gist of what many of those machines would do when in operation. I was primarily a forklift operator to begin with, but then worked my way to industrial plumber’s apprentice. After that factory was built there was a three month layoff.
But soon I got the call for the next job. The one that would forever change my life. It was a smaller job; we were to build an extension to the kill floor at the IBP plant in Perry, Iowa. In this fully functioning slaughter-house I saw the most grizzly mechanized murders that there are to witness. Since it was an old facility we were constantly called away from our construction work to do maintenance throughout the plant. From the pen runs, to the kill floor, to rendering, over the course of 5 months I was a confederate and accomplice to it all.
When I first started the smells, sights, and sounds were overbearing. I kept telling myself, “This is what you eat; don’t get squeamish.” Within 6 to 8 weeks I felt soul dead. For 12 hours, sometimes 15, I often worked ankle deep in gore.
Like the 3 days I worked plumbing rinse stations with 40 gallon drums of de-skinned hogs’ heads staring at me.
Or the times I would have to take the forklift behind the facility to gather raw materials, right next to which was a 25 foot pile of ‘defective’ hogs which were ‘unfit for human consumption.’ For one reason or another they were left in heaping piles, exposed to the elements and freezing to death in the Iowa cold. With all the horrors to which I was privy, it’s that pile of freezing dead that still haunts my soul.
Then came the day that changed me. We were wrapping up all our tools and cleaning up when a hog who had been knocked out with an electric jolt, had his throat stuck, and had been hung upside down to bleed to death woke up, convulsed, and freed himself of the foot-hold. He came running off of the kill floor straight toward me and the rest of the crew. Three IBP workers gave chase. One with a pipe wrench and two with baseball bats. They began to beat the hog to death. I turned away as I thought anyone would……I was wrong. As I turned, I was face to face with the rest of my crew. While listening to the thuds and squeals of a blunt force death a mere 30 feet behind me, I watched as my co-workers whooped and cheered, high-fiving each other each time there was a thud, laughing and celebrating the violent death of a sentient being.
That night in my hotel room my mind raced. I was disgusted with myself. I was disgusted with humanity. I quit eating meat. A few days later my foreman approached me and asked if I need to borrow any money. I said, “No, why do you ask?” He said that he’d noticed that all I’d been eating was peanut butter and jelly and that he thought I was broke. I told him that I wasn’t broke and that I was simply done eating meat. He began heckling me and calling me a “born-again tree hugger.” I quit on the spot.
I went home and began to study Animal Rights. I went vegan and became active in a legal capacity. I spent years tabling and talking with people. I worked at animal sanctuaries and rescued animals whenever I could.
I have never felt that anything I have done or will do on behalf of our Mother Earth and her animal nations has been enough. Those machines I built back in 1996 are still murdering, even as I write this. That is my guilt and my shame; I earned them. But it is also my strength and resolve. Nothing will ever make me forget the plight of factory farmed animals and so-called free range, which is just as sick, wrong, unnecessary, and indefensible.
Like all industries of animal exploitation, the circle of abuse will end with the antagonist (humans) falling prey to its own perfidiousness. For instance, my grandfather was a hog farmer whom I never met. He died in the year of my birth, after the ammonia from hog waste destroyed his lungs. That same waste run-off from his and adjoining hog farms in the 70’s poisoned the ground water, allowing illegal levels of radium to pollute the tap water. To this day in certain areas of the Midwest you have to sign a waiver stating that the water from public works is hazardous to your health and that you are “OK” with that before they will turn your water on.
I’ve said it before, but it’s worth restating. It is these industries of death that are the animal and Earth terrorists. Not those who fight against them.
Walter Edmond Bond
PO Box 16700
Golden, CO 80402-6700
As of August 10, 2010, Walter Bond is facing a single federal arson charge for his alleged role as an ALF operative known as “Lone Wolf”. “Lone Wolf” took credit for three different arsons throughout the Spring and Summer of 2010 in Denver and Salt Lake City: The Skeepskin Factory, a store selling furs and pelts; Tandy Leather Store; and Tiburon, a restaurant serving foie gras.
Walter’s brother alerted the FBI and the ATF about his suspicions that his brother, Walter, was behind the attacks. While Walter was visiting Denver in July 2010, his brother helped participate in a sting operation, allegedly wearing a wire and helping procure audio evidence against Walter. He was arrested in Denver and is now being held in the Jefferson County Jail in Golden, Colorado awaiting trial.
Walter has been a dedicated animal rights activist and anarchist for several decades and has struggled for animal liberation and against a deadly and genocidal culture of drug abuse in the United States. Walter was the subject of a song by the vegan straight edge band Earth Crisis. The band’s song “To Ashes” was inspired by Bond’s 1998 prison sentence for arson. Bond was convicted of burning down a meth lab owned by a drug dealer who was selling to his brother (not the same brother as the snitch).
Animal Liberation Front-Line just received a brief report about the continued FBI hunt for Andreas San Diego.
Last week in Des Moines, Iowa, the FBI attempted to question an individual about the whereabouts of Andreas San Diego. The person told agents to contact their lawyer, and refused to speak to them.
San Diego has been sought by the FBI for nearly seven years, after he was allegedly pulled over by police in a routine traffic stop near the site an explosion at the headquarters at an HLS customer. A previous bombing had occurred at another HLS target in the area weeks prior. San Diego was placed under surveillance by the FBI. When they lost track of him, he was subsequently indicted.
In recent years, the FBI has released reports of San Diego being spotted in North Carolina, Europe, and Costa Rica, among other locations. Despite his addition to the FBI’s “Most Wanted Terrorists” list, and three features on America’s Most Wanted, San Diego has remained free.
The FBI has made no statements indicating what links San Diego would have to Iowa. The person questioned stated they have been visited frequently by the FBI in relation to other investigations.
A roundup of recent FBI visits, subpoenas, and other government assaults on the animal liberation movement in August:
New AETA 4 DNA warrant
This week, Joseph Buddenberg of the AETA 4 was the target of a warrant for his DNA. A quote from the agent who authored the affidavit:
“I believe probable cause exists that Buddenberg was involved in the February 24, 2008 altercation at the L.H./J.R. residence in Santa Cruz…. The samples from the bullhorn found in Khajavi’s vehicle will yield evidence that Buddenberg was involved in force, violence, and threats involving animal enterprises, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 43 & 371”
Buddenberg submitted himself to FBI agents this week, who took four swabs of DNA.
While the AETA 4 indictment was recently thrown out, this recent government offensive indicates the case is not yet over. If continued, this stands to be a precedent-setting Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act case with implications for all activists.
Carrie Feldman re-subpoenaed
Last week, Carrie Feldman was approached by FBI agents in Rock Island, IL, and handed a subpoena,ordering her to testify at the trial of Scott DeMuth. DeMuth is charged with a conspiracy role in the A.L.F. raid of the University of Iowa, in which 401 animals were rescued. The trial is set to begin on September 13th.
Feldman was previously jailed for four months after refusing to testify to the grand jury investigating the Iowa raid.
FBI visit
The FBI reportedly visited a former east coast activist last week, inquiring about an animal rights activist in Utah. The questioning appears to be related to the recent raid of an activist house in Salt Lake City.
Rod Coronado sent back to prison
Rod Coronado has been sentenced to four months in prison for a probation violation. A judge found him guilty of adding well-known Earth First! co-founder Mike Rosselle as a friend on Facebook, which the judge found violated his probation conditions. The conditions bar Coronado from associating with anyone involved with Earth First. He was also found to have used a computer which was not approved by the probation department.
Another FBI Visit
An activist in Minneaoplis was approached by two FBI agents at a gas station August 16th. The report does not specify what the agents were investigating, or what information was sought. The person refused to speak to them, and drove away. Read the full report below.
****
Here’s what I recall about my encounter with the FBI today: I was topping off a full tank of gas at the Holiday Gas Station in Plymouth (Rockford Road and HWY 169) at 10:28am this morning when two FBI agents approached me. They identified themselves. One was heavset with dark short hair. The other was skinnier with a goatee and shorter dark hair. The skinnier agent did all the talking. I mostly ignored their presence by looking at them and stating, “I have nothing to say to you guys.” I then hung up my gas pump and walked into the Holiday Gas Station to pay. The two agents followed me as I walked across the parking lot to pay inside the gas station. They stopped at the door and waited for me when I went inside to pay.
After I paid and exited the building, the two agents followed me to my vehicle. They were persistenly asking me to cooperate with them and repeatedly mentioned that they wanted to give me an “opportunity.” Again, I ignored their presence as I walked to my vehicle, opened my door, and drove away. It was 10:32am when I left the parking of the gas station. To my knowledge, they did not follow me.
They were standing by a red (metallic red) four door (pontiac?) with licence plate # MNB 615 (or a combination of those letters and numbers).
Dialogue I remember them saying to me as I was ignoring them:
“Dominoes are starting to fall all around,” and “we want to give you an opportunity,” and
“it would be shame if you didn’t talk to us.” My daughter was concerned because she heard them say the word “kids” when I was getting into the car and shutting the door. I don’t know what exactly they said, but it was probably something to push my buttons. My two children were with me when the agents approached me today. All three of us are fine now.
Feel free to pass this info on to any lists or groups that you wish.
Dr. Toxic
If you have been conctacted by he FBI, call the National Lawyers Guild Green Scare Hotline at: 1-888-NLG-ECOL.
Anonymous activists leak gruesome photos from inside Primate Products
According to Bite Back, this week the recently-formed Animal Liberation Investigation Unit claimed responsibility for releasing horrific photos from inside Primate Products, a dealer of primates for vivisection.
The photos show numerous mutilated primates. The communique did not specify the source of the photos, but it is clear they were not intended for public release. The images will prove to provide more problems for a company that is already experiencing weekly demonstrations, and has had its trucks and an office set on fire.
The Animal Liberation Investigation Unit communique is as follows:
The Animal Liberation Investigation Unit has obtained damning
photographs from within Primate Products, Inc. (www.primateproducts.com) in Miami, Florida. The photographs reveal the true faces of vivisection and the global primate trade.
The Animal Liberation Investigation Unit appears to be a recently formed leg of the underground movement, having claimed three actions (all in Europe) this year. I was unable to find a record of the ALIU prior to 2010.
In December I wrote about the new “intelligence unit” model, where activists are anonymously releasing incriminating or otherwise damaging information on animal exploiters.
In August, the previously unknown Fur Farm Intelligence Unit released the location of the Canada Mink Breeder’s Association Annual Meeting, the hotel check-in and check-out dates of each registrant, and addresses of fur farms owned by several attendees (likely to be vacant and unguarded during the conference). Months later, the FFIU disclosed the address of a previously unknown Oregon mink farm.
With the birth of the Animal Liberation Investigation Unit, anyone with damming information on animal absuers now has a title under which to claim and release such information. The ALIU title can now be used by employees inside labs, activists who break in and confiscate data, or anyone who obtains sensitive whistleblower information and wishes to release it anonymously.
I expect with the recent publicity surrounding whistleblowing generated by Wikileaks, combined with the new “Animal Liberation Investigation Unit” title under which to claim such leaks in the animal rights movement, we will see an increase in sensitive information on animal abusers being made public.
Details are sparse, but law enforcement sources have reported a previously unknown mink release on July 13th in Franklin, Idaho.
The only details available are from a police report, stating that approximately 30 mink were released from their cages around midnight. Information suggests all of the mink were recovered. No other information is available.
Scott DeMuth set for trial in Iowa Animal Liberation Front lab-raid case
At the final pre-trial hearing Monday, it was confirmed the case of Scott DeMuth will proceed to trial. The trial is set to begin on September 13th.
Scott DeMuth is charged with one felony count of conspiracy in connection with the Animal Liberation Front action that caused hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage at the University of Iowa in 2004. 401 animals were also rescued in the raid. DeMuth was 17 at the time of the action.
At Monday’s hearing, DeMuth’s attorney referred to “acts of deceit” by the government, saying prosecutors have refused to release evidence such as photographs and police reports to the defense.
“I don’t know what the government’s case is,” he said. “I believe the government can’t prove their case.”
The government stated they intend to call 60 witnesses.
Two months after being sentenced to 21 months for an Animal Liberation Front mink liberation, Alex Hall has arrived at a federal prison in Littleton, Colorado. Hall was convicted for the release of 650 mink from the McMullin Fur Farm in South Jordan, Utah.
Hall’s “case manager” in Littleton has told him he “will be lucky” to get two months in a halfway house, and that he can expect to be released no sooner than December. Meanwhile, Hall’s co-defendant, William Viehl, has been told he will be released to a halfway house in September, despite being arrested only two weeks before Hall. This arbitrary calculation of release dates based on the personal and political biases of B.O.P. staff is not uncommon.
Please write Alex Hall during the last months of his incarceration at his new address:
Alex Hall
15908-081
FCI ENGLEWOOD
FEDERAL CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTION
9595 WEST QUINCY AVENUE
LITTLETON, CO 80123
