Thread: Armed militia group attempting to overthrow the government

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6:59pmUpdated June 29, 2016 - 7:46pm

Arizona man pleads guilty to federal charges stemming from Oregon standoffGallery

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

PORTLAND, Ore. — An Arizona tattoo artist pleaded guilty Wednesday to federal charges in the Oregon’s ranching standoff case.

Brian Cavalier, a bodyguard for standoff leader Ammon Bundy and his father Cliven Bundy, pleaded guilty to conspiracy and possessing a gun in a federal facility. Cavalier admitted in federal court in Portland that he conspired with others to impede Interior Department employees from doing their jobs at the refuge near Burns.

He became the sixth defendant to plead guilty in the continuing case. The other five took deals in which government prosecutors agreed to dismiss the gun charge.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig Gabriel said prosecutors, in exchange for Cavalier’s acceptance of responsibility, will recommend a sentence far below the maximum of 11 years in prison, likely 15-21 months.

Cavalier also faces charges in Nevada for his involvement in a 2014 armed standoff with federal agents at Cliven Bundy’s ranch. Gabriel said Wednesday’s plea agreement is with Oregon alone, and there are “no promises” in the Nevada case.

Cavalier, 45, traveled to Oregon this past winter to participate in the Ammon Bundy-led occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, a protest against the federal control of Western lands and the imprisonment of two ranchers convicted of setting fires.

Cavalier stayed for only five days before going back to Arizona. He had a run-in with police there and returned to Oregon.
He was arrested Jan. 26 along with Bundy as the two traveled to a community meeting away from the refuge. Robert “LaVoy” Finicum, the occupation spokesman, was in a different vehicle and was fatally shot by Oregon State Police during the traffic stop.

Gabriel noted that Cavalier was armed during his initial stay at the refuge, but didn’t have a gun when he returned to Oregon and was unarmed during the traffic stop.

Cavalier told the judge his actions could have led to the intimidation of federal employees. Gabriel took exception to the word “could,” and the defendant rephrased his answer. In response to another question, he said: “Yes, your honor. I did agree with at least one other person to impede,” emphasizing the last word.

Cavalier will be sentenced Sept. 30, three weeks after most of the remaining 20 defendants — including Ammon Bundy — are scheduled to go on trial.

http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/bu...regon-standoff

July 7, 2016 - 5:47pmUpdated July 7, 2016 - 5:59 pm

Bundy bodyguard pleads guilty in Oregon wildlife refuge takeover

This photo taken June 21, 2016, shows a locked gate that blocks the road at the headquarters of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge near Burns, Ore., more than four months after the last occupier left. (Andrew Selsky/AP)





Previous coverage
See a timeline of events leading up Cliven Bundy's conflict with the Bureau of Land Management in 2014. Also, see the most recent reports involving Bundy and his family.


By JEFF GERMAN
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL


Blaine Cooper, a Bundy family bodyguard, pleaded guilty Thursday in Oregon in connection with his role in the armed takeover of a government wildlife refuge there.

Cooper, 37, of Arizona, pleaded guilty to a felony conspiracy charge stemming from the 41-day standoff at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Eastern Oregon that ended in February.

As of late Thursday, no plea agreement had been publicly filed in the federal case in Portland, Ore.

But the court docket said Cooper is to be sentenced Nov. 18 in Portland.

His lawyer there said Cooper was close to striking a plea agreement with Nevada prosecutors, according to The Oregonian in Portland.

If true, Cooper would be the first of 19 defendants to plead guilty in connection with the 2014 armed standoff with law enforcement near Bunkerville. Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy and four of his sons are among those charged in the case.

All of the Nevada defendants, who are in federal custody, are charged with conspiring to assault BLM agents on April 12, 2014, and take back impounded Bundy cattle that had been grazing on federal land.

A Feb. 6 trial date has been set in the high-profile case.

Federal prosecutors have alleged that Cooper was a “mid-level leader and organizer” of the Bunkerville standoff.

He is alleged to have recruited gunmen and followers to the Bundy ranch to confront law enforcement officers, gone on reconnaissance missions and provided protection for the Bundys and others involved in the conspiracy.

Natalie Collins, a spokeswoman for the Nevada U.S. attorney’s office, declined comment late Thursday on a possible deal in Nevada between Cooper and prosecutors.

Cooper’s Las Vegas lawyer, Matthew Lay, could not be reached for comment.

Contact Jeff German at jgerman@reviewjournal.comor 702-380-8135. Find @JGermanRJ on Twitter.

http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/na...efuge-takeover

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Bundy militant Blaine Cooper gets 6 months in prison after pleading guilty in Oregon occupation


TRAVIS GETTYS
08 JUL 2016 AT 07:01 ET


Blaine Cooper (YouTube)


Blaine Cooper, whose recruitment videos made him one of the more well-known Bundy militants, has pleaded guilty to one federal charge related to the armed takeover of an Oregon wildlife preserve.

The 37-year-old Cooper is also expected to plead guilty to at least one of the 11 charges he faces in connection with the 2014 armed standoff at Cliven Bundy’s ranch in Nevada, reported The Oregonian.

Cooper, who is from Humboldt, Arizona, could face a six-year prison term as part of the plea deal in Nevada.

He’s expected to get credit for the nearly five months he’s served in Oregon as part of a six-month recommended sentence, followed by another six months in a halfway house or home detention.

Cooper’s attorney asked the other militants to respect his decision to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy.

“He is very apologetic about his behavior,” said attorney Krista Shipsey. “He felt like a nobody, and this movement gave him a purpose in his life … The fame took over his senses.”

Federal prosecutors found no evidence that Cooper, a convicted felon, had a gun at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, but he recorded videos with occupation leader Ammon Bundy encouraging others to bring weapons to the federally owned nature preserve.

A photo taken during the Bundy ranch standoff shows Cooper carrying a gun despite his conviction for domestic violence.

Cooper, whose real name is Stanley Blaine Hicks, has amassed more than a dozen felonies under his birth name and another felony under his chosen name — which is the name of Jesse Ventura’s character in the 1987 movie “Predator.”

Those include multiple counts of assault — both with and without a deadly weapon — and making threats, along with several alcohol- and traffic-related offenses, and militia members accused Cooper of stealing thousands of dollars of photography equipment from the border militia’s Camp Lone Star.

U.S. District Judge Anna J. Brown asked Cooper to explain his actions in Oregon before accepting his guilty plea, and he said had traveled out of state to raise awareness for two ranchers who were sent back to prison after a judge ruled they had not completed their sentences for arson.

“Um, well, I felt that we had to protest, speak out against something evil that happened both against the Hammonds,” Cooper said. “I could see how calling people out to a refuge armed could be intimidating.”

Cooper is the seventh of 26 defendants to plead guilty in connection with the Oregon occupation, and he would be the first to accept a plea deal in connection with the Nevada standoff.

Federal prosecutors agreed as part of the plea deal not to charge Cooper in connection with another Oregon standoff, organized by the right-wing Oath Keepers gun group at Sugar Pine Mine in spring 2015.

Cooper agreed to pay restitution when that amount is determined, and he will be sentenced Nov. 18.

https://www.rawstory.com/2016/07/bundy-militant-blaine-cooper-gets-6-months-in-prison-after-pleading-guilty-in-oregon-occupation/

Posted July 14, 2016 - 5:56pm
Updated July 14, 2016 - 7:07pm

Key defendant in Bundy armed takeovers to plead guilty in Oregon case

A building is shown at the Malheur National



Previous coverage

See a timeline of events leading up Cliven Bundy's conflict with the Bureau of Land Management in 2014. Also, see the most recent reports involving Bundy and his family.

By JEFF GERMAN
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL

Ryan Payne, a key defendant in the Nevada and Oregon armed takeovers involving the Bundy family, is pleading guilty in the Oregon case, according to court documents.

A change of plea hearing for Payne, a militia leader from Montana, is set for 9 a.m. Tuesday in Portland, before U.S. District Judge Anna Brown.

He faces a conspiracy and a firearms charge stemming from the 41-day standoff at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in eastern Oregon that ended in February.

Payne’s plea agreement won’t be made public until after he appears in court next week.

His Portland public defender, Rich Federico, declined to comment on the pending deal, and his public defenders in Las Vegas could not be reached late Thursday.

But Payne’s guilty plea is likely to have an impact on his federal case in Las Vegas, where he is charged as one of the Bundy group’s leaders in the 2014 armed standoff with law enforcement near Bunkerville.

Last week, Blaine Cooper, a Bundy family bodyguard who also is charged in both cases, pleaded guilty to a felony conspiracy charge in Portland. He is expected to strike a deal in Nevada, as well.

Payne, 32, and Cooper, 37, are among 19 defendants — including Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy and four of his sons — facing an array of federal charges in the Bunkerville confrontation.

All of the Nevada defendants, who are in federal custody, are charged with conspiring to assault BLM agents on April 12, 2014, and take back impounded Bundy cattle that had been grazing on federal land.

A Feb. 6 trial date has been set in the high-profile case.

Federal prosecutors have alleged that Payne was in the leadership group with Bundy and his sons Ammon, Ryan, Mel and Dave during the Bunkerville confrontation. He recruited and organized gunmen and other Bundy followers and helped lead the armed assault on the federal officers, according to prosecutors.

Payne also is alleged to have helped Ammon Bundy organize the takeover of the government wildlife refuge in Oregon.

Cooper, who lives in Arizona, has been described by authorities as a “mid-level leader and organizer” in Bunkerville. He went on reconnaissance missions and provided protection for the Bundys and others during the Nevada standoff, prosecutors alleged.

Contact Jeff German at jgerman@reviewjournal.comor 702-380-8135.

http://www.reviewjournal.com/crime/k...ty-oregon-case