You all remember that Carrie spent several months in jail this winter for refusing to cooperate with the grand jury that ended up indicting Scott.
Scott is scheduled to go on trial on September 13th. Scott is charged with conspiracy for the ALF raid at the University in Iowa in 2004, Lakeside Ferrets in Minnesota, "and other animal enterprises elsewhere" with "persons known and unknown to the Grand Jury.
On Nov. 14, 2004, four masked individuals broke into Spence Labs and Seashore Hall and caused around $450,000 in damage. The Animal Liberation Front — classified a terrorist organization by the USA — claimed responsibility for the break-in.
Other recent activities by the forces of democracy who hate puppies include:
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"Read the full affidavit here.
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. The case , if continued, stands to be a precedent-setting Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act case with implications for all activists.
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.
Several other people report being contacted by the Feds in regards to the on going "investigation" of animal rights activism.
If you have been conctacted by he FBI, call the National Lawyers Guild Green Scare Hotline at: 1-888-NLG-ECOL.The following is from Support Scott Demuth!
SCOTT'S RECENT PRE-TRIAL AND CARRIE SUBPOENAED TO TESTIFY
A relatively uneventful day in court on Monday for Scott DeMuth was followed by an unexpected subpoena for former grand jury resister Carrie Feldman. During pre-trial hearings for Scott held at the federal courthouse, lawyers discussed pending motions in need of resolution before trial. There were no oral arguments or decisions by the court. There will be a suppression hearing before the trial to determine whether evidence seized in a raid on Scott's house prior to the 2008 Republican National Convention can be legally used at the trial. This hearing is scheduled for the morning of Monday, September 13. Prosecutor Cliff Cronk has indicated that he will appeal the decision of the courts if they suppress that evidence, likely postponing the trial until that issue is resolved. For the time being, though, trial is scheduled to begin on Tuesday, September 14 at 9 am. Cronk also indicated that he intends to call up to sixty witnesses at trial. Many of these witnesses could be cut if the defense is willing to stipulate to various facts of the case. Cronk also said that he expects the trial to take around three weeks, three times as long as we had been expecting. Cronk was ordered to file a list of expert witnesses by Wednesday and to respond to a motion in which the defense argues that he should be barred from talking about a number of things at the trial, including other ALF actions, Scott's associations with the RNC Welcoming Committee, and the use of the words "terrorism" or "terrorist" to describe the actions Scott is being charged with. Later that evening, the Conspiracy Tour had an event in nearby Rock Island, Illinois. Two federal agents waited outside the event in plain clothes until Carrie walked outside to get something from the tour van. When she did, they handed her a subpoena to testify at the trial. A scanned copy of the subpoena will be available on http://davenportgrandjury.wordpress.com shortly. In the weeks before trial, we will be finalizing our support plans for Scott and Carrie, so stay tuned for more information. And we're inviting all of you to join us in court if you're able. To find out how to help with support work in Davenport, email us at scottandcarrie(A)riseup.net. Even if you can't come to the trial, you can help spread the word and help us raise legal defense funds in your own community.
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