Thread: Jury Acquits MinuteMan

Jury Acquits Anti-Illegal Immigrant Activist

POSTED: 7:01 pm PDT September 26, 2007
UPDATED: 7:51 pm PDT September 26, 2007

SAN DIEGO -- An anti-illegal immigration activist was acquitted Wednesday of attacking a group of day laborers and shouting racial slurs at them.


John Monti Jr., 36, had been accused of assaulting two migrant workers last November in Rancho Peñasquitos.

At 4:45 p.m., the jury handed down their verdicts, finding Monti not guilty of seven charges, including battery, hate crime allegations of interfering with a person's civil rights and filing a false police report. Jurors deliberated for a day-and-a-half.

Monti's defense attorney maintained he was merely an activist taking photos at the protest. In fact, Monti had told police that he was the one who had been attacked at the event.

Following the verdict, Monti said the case was "a hatchet job" against him. He said prosecutors tried to make the trial abou Jeff Schwilk, founder of the San Diego Minutemen and an acquaintance of Monti.

Monti is a bilingual teacher and a resident of Los Angeles County.

Previous Stories:

* September 18, 2007: Jury Selection Begins In Minuteman Trial
* March 27, 2007: SD Minuteman Charged In Assault On Laborers
* February 12, 2007: Group Presses Charges Against San Diego Minuteman

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http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/14214488/detail.html
http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/14205445/detail.html

Thank God that sanity prevailed.

great you got acquitted! now he can start protesting again!