Thread: Armed militia group attempting to overthrow the government

March 03. 2016 11:09AM


Jerry DeLemus, who at the time was running for Strafford County sheriff. DeLemus is the founder of one of the state's largest Tea Party groups. (File)



UPDATE: DeLemus facing slew of federal charges

By DAN TUOHY
New Hampshire Union Leader

Federal agents have arrested Jerry DeLemus, a local Tea Party leader who stood with Cliven Bundy armed resistance in 2014 and again this year, in connection with the standoff.

DeLemus is facing nine federal charges based on an indictment brought in Nevada, including conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States, threatening a federal law enforcement officer, assault on a federal officer, obstruction of justice, attempting to impede or injure a federal law enforcement officer, interference with interstate commerce by extortion, and several firearms charges, according to court records.

He is scheduled to be arraigned later today in U.S. District Court in Concord.

The 64-page indictment cites DeLemus as one of eight defendants who "planned, organized, led, and/or participated as gunmen in the assault, all in order to threaten, intimidate, and extort the officers into abandoning approximately 400 head of cattle that were in their lawful care and custody."

Court papers describe DeLemus as a "mid-level leader and organizer of the conspiracy," who recruited, organized, trained and gave logistical support to gunmen and followers. He is alleged to have been a leader and organizer of armed patrols and security checkpoints on the Nevada ranch. DeLemus first traveled from New Hampshire to Nevada on April 10, 2014.

The indictment stems from the massive armed assault against federal law enforcement officers in and around Bunkerville, Nev., on April 12, 2014, which court records refer to as a conspiracy to thwart the seizure and removal of Cliven Bundy's cattle from federal public lands. Bundy was under a federal court order to remove his cattle from the public lands since 1998.

Two more court orders came in 2013, when led to an impoundment process and armed standoff and alleged assault.

State Rep. Susan DeLemus, R-Rochester, confirmed that FBI agents arrested her husband Thursday morning. Fighting back tears, she told the Union Leader that was all she would say about the arrest at this point.

Jack Kimball, a former state GOP chairman and a Tea Party leader, wrote on social media that DeLemus said the FBI agents forced their way into their condo with weapons drawn.

DeLemus is also a co-chairman for Veterans for Donald Trump in New Hampshire.

(This is a developing story and will be updated Thursday.)
- See more at: http://www.unionleader.com/FBI_arres....qnCf71Ga.dpuf

Bundy, 18 others indicted in 2014 range standoff in Nevada


FILE - This April 11, 2015 file photo shows rancher Cliven Bundy as he speaks with supporters at an event in Bunkerville, Nev. A federal indictment accuses Bundy, two of his sons and at least five other men of conspiracy, obstruction, threatening federal officers and other charges in a 2014 armed standoff over grazing cattle on U.S. land near Bundy’s ranch. (John Locher, File/Associated Press)
By Lynne Tuohy and Ken Ritter | AP March 3 at 9:09 PM

LAS VEGAS — Federal authorities rounded up 12 people in five states on Thursday, bringing to 19 the number of defendants facing conspiracy, assault and threats charges in a 2014 armed standoff over grazing cattle on U.S. land near renegade cattleman Cliven Bundy’s ranch in southern Nevada.

Arrests of alleged co-conspirators in Arizona, Utah, Idaho, Oklahoma and New Hampshire came after a federal grand jury in Las Vegas expanded an indictment already filed against Bundy. It also names two adult Bundy sons and five other men already in federal custody following the end of a nearly six-week armed occupation of a wildlife refuge in Oregon.

Court documents accuse the men of leading more than 200 followers into an armed confrontation that forced federal Bureau of Land Management agents and contract cowboys to abandon an effort to corral and remove Bundy cattle from federal lands where he was accused of letting them graze for decades without paying federal fees.

At the family home in Bunkerville, Nevada, Cliven Bundy’s wife, Carol, acknowledged that her husband and sons Ammon, Ryan, Melvin and David Bundy were in federal custody. The mother of 14 adult children pleaded for prayer and echoed her husband’s call to fight government overreach.

“I truly believe this is showing the federal government thinks they have unlimited power over we the people,” Carol Bundy told The Associated Press in a brief telephone interview.

“What kind of government do we have?”

“This is going to be won in the court of public opinion,” she added. “When we the people make a stand, that’s when we’ll win.”

Bundy supporters Ryan Payne of Montana, Peter Santilli Jr. of Cincinnati, and Brian Cavalier and Blaine Cooper, both of Arizona, were also already in custody. They were arrested Jan. 26 during the occupation of a federal wildlife refuge in eastern Oregon.

The arrests in the Nevada case came the same day U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch said in Portland, Oregon, that additional charges would be filed “very soon” in the 41-day standoff at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. She didn’t provide specifics.

The nine-count indictment in U.S. District Court in Las Vegas is similar to one filed Feb. 11, the day after Cliven Bundy was arrested as he arrived in Portland to visit Ammon and Ryan Bundy in jail.

The brothers were among 16 defendants who pleaded not guilty last week to federal conspiracy charges. A total of 25 people are charged in the occupation. The occupiers had said they wanted the U.S. government to relinquish public lands to locals and free two Oregon ranchers who they say were wrongly imprisoned for setting fires.

In the Nevada armed showdown case, charges include conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States; threatening a federal law enforcement officer; obstruction of justice; attempting to impede or injure a federal law enforcement officer; and several firearms charges.

The indictment alleges co-defendants recruited, trained and provided support to armed men and other Bundy followers during a dispute over more than $1 million in unpaid grazing fees and penalties. Officials say the fees still haven’t been paid.

It identifies Cliven Bundy as the leader and beneficiary of the conspiracy, and Ammon and Ryan Bundy as leaders and organizers of about 200 gunmen and followers.

The result: A picket line of self-styled Bundy militia perched on a high Interstate 15 bridge, pointing military-style AR-15 and AK-47 weapons down at BLM agents and cowboys herding cattle up a ravine to a corral. Dozens of woman and children were in the possible crossfire.

The federal officials backed down, and they released about 400 cows that had been rounded up.

Documents submitted following the Thursday arrest of Gerald “Jerry” DeLemus in Rochester, New Hampshire, said that DeLemus “organized and led armed patrols and security checkpoints” for several following weeks around the Bundy ranch in southern Nevada.

DeLemus was running for Strafford County sheriff in New Hampshire when he was arrested.

He appeared in custody in federal court in Concord, New Hampshire, for a detention hearing that was postponed until Monday. His wife, Republican state Rep. Susan DeLemus, said she planned to hire a lawyer for his defense.

Federal officials identified others arrested Thursday as: Blaine Cooper of Humboldt, Arizona; Eric J. Parker and Steven A. Stewart, both of Hailey, Idaho; O. Scott Drexler of Challis, Idaho; Richard R. Lovelien of Westville, Oklahoma; Todd C. Engel of Boundary County, Idaho; Gregory P. Burleson of Phoenix; Joseph D. O’Shaughnessy of Cottonwood, Arizona; and Micah L. McGuire and Jason D. Woods both of Chandler, Arizona.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/natio...ced_story.html

What LaVoy Finicum shooting investigation found

Robert 'LaVoy' Finicum's death is investigated

Robert "LaVoy" Finicum was a leader in the 41-day armed occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife refuge. He was shot and killed Jan. 26, 2016. FBI said he was reaching for a gun when he was shot. Others call his death a murder.

By Les Zaitz | The Oregonian/OregonLive
Email the author | Follow on Twitter
on March 08, 2016 at 10:15 AM, updated March 08, 2016 at 10:20 AM


BEND – The results of the police investigation into the shooting death of Robert "LaVoy" Finicum contrast with claims made by witnesses and Finicum supporters since the Jan. 26 shooting.

Finicum was shot as he tried to evade arrest on a rural highway 20 miles north of Burns. He was among leaders of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge on their way to a community meeting in nearby John Day to talk about their cause.

Here's a comparison of the claims versus the investigative findings:

AMBUSH:

Claim: Police trapped Finicum in an ambush intending to kill him.

Investigation: Investigators said operation planners devised a traffic stop to safely take the occupation leaders into custody. Oregon State Police shot and killed Finicum only when he appeared ready to use deadly force.

NO TIME TO STOP:

Claim: Finicum had no chance to stop when encountering the roadblock, forcing him to drive off the road to avoid a collision.

Investigation: Investigators calculated Finicum had 862 feet – nearly the length of three football fields – to stop once he saw the roadblock. A state police van chasing him did manage to stop. Investigators experimented twice, replicating Finicum's estimated speed, and concluded he could have stopped.

FINICUM AND WEAPONS:

Claim: Finicum was unarmed when he was shot.

Investigation: Police found a 9mm Ruger semi-automatic handgun inside Finicum's left jacket pocket. The gun was loaded with a round in the chamber, meaning it was ready to fire. He had two magazines in his right jacket pocket.

HANDS UP OR HANDS DOWN:

Claim: Finicum had his hands up in surrender when police shot him.

Investigation: Investigators said that three times, Finicum had his hands up but lowered them and reached toward his concealed handgun. He was shot after he lowered his hands the third time.

FINICUM'S MOTIONS:

Claim: In motions caught on FBI video, Finicum reached for his side after he was shot there by police. He wasn't reaching for a gun.

Investigation: The state autopsy showed Finicum was shot three times in the back. He had no gunshot wound on his lower left side, the report shows.

WARNED OR NOT?

Claim: Finicum was shot without warning by police while he tried to surrender.

Investigation: State troopers ordered Finicum out of his truck when he initially stopped on the highway.

Later, after he crashed, troopers ordered him at least three times to get on the ground.

GUNSHOT WOUNDS:

Claim: A private autopsy of Finicum showed he had been shot nine times. (Finicum's family has said it had an autopsy done, but hasn't released the results.)

Investigation: The state autopsy identified three bullet wounds.

HEAVY GUNFIRE:

Claim: The last three people remaining in the truck endured a hail of more than 100 bullets fired at close range by police.

Investigation: After Finicum was shot, FBI agents fired several nonlethal "sponge" rounds, the equivalent of a beanbag round, including several that hit a truck window and bounced off. The agents also fired several nonlethal pepper spray rounds and deployed a half-dozen "flash-bangs." Ryan Bundy suffered a minor shrapnel wound but the other two passengers needed no medical care.

http://www.oregonlive.com/oregon-sta...investiga.html

NV. Bundy supporter Michele Fiore files to run for Congress

Arizona mass shooter accusing Gabrielle Giffords of framing Cliven Bundy

MT man misses court appearance, 2nd MT man still wanted

By KECI Staff
POSTED: 52 mins



MISSOULA, Mont. -A Montana man did not show to his scheduled court appearance along with Cliven Bundy and four other men accused of taking part in an armed confrontation with government agents in Nevada two years ago.

Ryan Payne of Anaconda, along with Ammon Bundy, Ryan Bundy, Blaine Cooper, Brian Cavalier and Peter Santilli are accused of taking part in standoffs at the Bundy ranch in April 2014.

They're also accused of taking part in the Oregon wildlife refuge standoff this year.

Bundy family matriarch Carol Bundy said she was told the men were still in federal custody in Portland, Oregon.

Court officials didn't immediately respond to messages.

No word where another Montana man tied to the refuge standoff is.

The Sanders County sheriff is trying to get Jake Ryan, of Plains, to surrender after the feds indicted him for his involvement in the standoff.

Ryan's warrant set off a firestorm of comments on the Sanders County sheriff's page, with critics urging the sheriff to not hand him over to the feds.

The sheriff said he has no FBI agents in the county and he is working to make sure the peace is kept.

http://www.nbcmontana.com/news/mt-ma...anted/38739852

I don't understand anything about this. None of it makes any sense. No one should have died in this. No one. Americans have the right to protest. Americans have the right to object. These were good people with a gripe. They had the right to gripe. I don't know if I agreed with their gripe or not. But it doesn't matter. There was no harm being caused by their protest. Just let it play out. But no, you had to confront, you had to invoke, you had to shoot. WRONG!!

Now you're going to throw the book at the husband of a State Rep.?? A 64 page indictment over a protest??

WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE? ARE YOU INSANE?! You kill someone for no reason at all, and then you issue a 64 page indictment against someone who supported the protest?! While murderers, rapists, gang-bangers, drug dealers, illegal aliens, spies, hackers and Jihadists flow over our borders?!!

This makes no sense. None at all.

It's Ruby Ridge, it's Waco, it's MOVE, it's Kent State, it's everything bad that we thought we had surpassed and seen the last of.

Shame. Shame. Shame.

Related

Armed Feds Prepare For Showdown With Nevada Cattle Rancher

Seems like they killed him to deter any future actions like the takeover. It was their mission that day. They shot the vehicle first with no provocation from the occupants; it was already decided someone's going down.

Massive Herd Of Cattle Linked To Bundy May Be Starving On Public Lands

care2 petitions

ByKATHERINE KRUEGER
Published APRIL 15, 2016, 1:23 PM EDT


Nearly 1,000 feral cattle may be starving in the wild after Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy released them when he lost the right to graze on public lands years ago, according to a Thursday report from the Reno Gazette-Journal.

The animals have roamed public lands for two decades, the result of a long-running dispute over land rights between Bundy and the federal government. The dispute escalated to an armed standoff in 2014 that culminated in federal agents backing down over fears that tensions with armed, self-styled militiamen could turn violent.

While the original herd was about 150 animals, according to the Reno Gazette-Journal, its numbers have swelled to 1,000 or more after years of the cattle reproducing freely. A recent petition to intervene with the livestock, which the organizers claims are “literally wasting away and suffering from starvation,” has garnered nearly 6,000 signatures.

But an administrator for the Nevada Department of Agriculture told the paper they have not received any “substantiated” reports that Bundy’s cattle are starving.

“We have not received any substantiated reports of Cliven Bundy’s cattle starving on the Golden Butte allotment – though this may be true to some extent, as Cliven’s management practices leave a lot to be desired," said Flint Wright, the animal industry administrator for the department.

But the question of who’s response for the cattle is complicated. Wright told the Gazette-Journal that while the cattle are state property because they’re trespassing on public lands, a move by the department to corral the cattle would require an order from the federal Bureau of Land Management.

A representative for the BLM also told the paper their hands are tied when it comes to dealing with the free-ranging cattle.

“The Bureau of Land Management too is concerned about the welfare and condition of the cattle,” Rudy Evenson, of BLM in Nevada, said in a statement.

“Unfortunately, all previous attempts to remove Mr. Bundy’s trespass cattle from the public lands have been met with threats of violence and most recently with an armed assault on law enforcement officers.”

Bundy refused to recognize federal jurisdiction over public grazing lands and has wracked up more than $1 million in unpaid grazing fees over two decades.

Most recently, Bundy and two of his sons were charged along with more a dozen others for their roles in the 2014 standoff, as well as a 41-day-long armed occupation of a wildlife refuge in rural Oregon this year.

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewir...ay-be-starving