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Via AP:

1st prison sentence given in Bundy armed standoff in Nevada

LAS VEGAS (AP) — A judge called a New Hampshire man a "bully vigilante" and sentenced him Wednesday to more than seven years in prison for his role organizing armed backers of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy after a standoff with U.S. agents in 2014.


FILE - In this April 16, 2014 file photo, Gerald "Jerry" DeLemus, of Rochester, N.H., sits with a group of self-described militia members camping on rancher Cliven Bundy's ranch near Bunkerville, Nev. DeLemus is set to become the first person sentenced to federal prison on Wednesday, May 31, 2017, for his role in an armed confrontation with U.S. agents near Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy's ranch in 2014 on (AP Photo/Ken Ritter, File)


Gerald "Jerry" DeLemus became the first person sentenced for his ties to the confrontation that became a rallying cry for those who want vast stretches of federal land in the U.S. West put under local control. Eighteen others are in custody.

DeLemus has been jailed for almost 16 months, so the sentence means the 62-year-old former U.S. Marine will spend about six more years behind bars. His attorney, Dustin Marcello, said he will appeal.

DeLemus arrived at the Bundy ranch hours after the tense armed standoff that led to the release of the rancher's cattle and was hailed as a victory in a decades-long fight over government-owned land.

He then spent more than a month in an encampment organizing armed patrols and serving as an intermediary between a self-styled militia and local authorities.

He had been expected to get a six-year sentence after pleading guilty last August to conspiracy to commit an offense against the U.S. and interstate travel in aid of extortion.

But Chief U.S. District Judge Gloria Navarro in Las Vegas added time after faulting DeLemus for trying to withdraw his pleas. She said she didn't think he accepted responsibility for his actions.

"I have to say, Mr. DeLemus, that you unfortunately are blinded by the information you choose to believe," she said.

Instead of advising Bundy to abide by court orders to pay 20 years of overdue grazing fees or let agents round up his cattle from public land, Navarro said DeLemus became "a bully vigilante, threatening peacekeepers of the community."

"I never heard you say you told Mr. Bundy ... to follow the law," she said.

DeLemus told the judge that he traveled cross-country with weapons because he'd heard that government snipers surrounded the Bundy home. He said he was willing to "take a bullet" to protect the family.

"My concern was that someone would get hurt," he said, choking back tears. "It wasn't the cows. I didn't want that family injured. God will know in the end."

DeLemus said he never would have shot at law enforcement. He cast himself as a martyr to his Christian beliefs and cited a biblical passage that there is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends.

"I may not have given it out there," he said of the standoff near Bunkerville, about 80 miles northeast of Las Vegas. "I'm giving it now, in jail."

DeLemus once ran for sheriff and mayor in his hometown of Rochester, New Hampshire, and served as a delegate to the Republican National Committee.

His wife, Susan DeLemus, a former Republican state lawmaker, sat among Bundy supporters in court, where several waved and thanked DeLemus as he was led away.

"We'll make it through this," she said later.

Bundy, two of his sons and two other defendants are due for trial later this year. Six others, including two other Bundy sons, may not be tried until early next year.

A good start, but not clear on why this band of ass clowns weren't charged with sedition - their actions seem literally textbook to match with the definition of seditious conspiracy.

I'm glad that one of them finally got a sentence, and I hope that more of them will follow. Especially members of the Bundy Clan themselves.

I know that these guys have been around a long time, but I wonder if there is anything we can do about people who are radicalized like this in the future. It easier than ever for people who are dissatisfied to connect with others online and radicalize themselves, even if there is nobody else in their family or community who shares their views. They can find people who think like them and feel like they belong to a community, and are then easily convinced to take up arms against innocent people.

We know that some of them travel to camps for training and even set up paramilitary structures, so we should be able to track people who have traveled to locations like that and monitor their movements and keep a closer eye out on them.

 Ouze wrote:
A good start, but not clear on why this band of ass clowns weren't charged with sedition - their actions seem literally textbook to match with the definition of seditious conspiracy.

Because then the jury would have to get out a dictionary to figure out what "sedition" means.

Six years feels right.

 Frazzled wrote:

 Ouze wrote:
A good start, but not clear on why this band of ass clowns weren't charged with sedition - their actions seem literally textbook to match with the definition of seditious conspiracy.

Because then the jury would have to get out a dictionary to figure out what "sedition" means.

You were a lawyer. You know that things like that would be explained.

Six years feels right.

It absolutely does not. It's far too lenient of a sentence for the crap that this meatbag did.

 Kanluwen wrote:

 Frazzled wrote:

 Ouze wrote:
A good start, but not clear on why this band of ass clowns weren't charged with sedition - their actions seem literally textbook to match with the definition of seditious conspiracy.

Because then the jury would have to get out a dictionary to figure out what "sedition" means.

You were a lawyer. You know that things like that would be explained.

humor dude, humor. Stop. grab some coffee, chillax, then re-read.

Six years feels right.

It absolutely does not. It's far too lenient of a sentence for the crap that this meatbag did.

It's not like he did something serious, like drugs.

 d-usa wrote:
It's not like he did something serious, like drugs.

or tax evasion.

Inversely, and in Kanluwen's defense, had the army come in, grabbed him and hanged him George Washington Shay's Rebellion style I would have been ok with that too. He does look like a with his tacticool drop holster spiel.

This doesn't appear to have been picked up on right winger sights yet. I look forward to arguing with them about it.

 Frazzled wrote:
Six years feels right.

For a first time offender with no priors I would agree. It's federal, so no parole, and he won't ever be able to legally own a gun again.

I agree that the sentencing probably would have been significantly harsher had it been a drug related crime but I think I'd ideally prefer to bring sanity back to drug sentencing, rather than extrapolate it out to everywhere else

Personally I'd up it for everything else and reduce it for that, but hey thats why I'm eating peach yogurt this morning, I'm such a softy.

Hopefully the start of a beautiful, long-lasting trend. Enjoy living in a cage donkey-cave.

 d-usa wrote:
I'm glad that one of them finally got a sentence, and I hope that more of them will follow. Especially members of the Bundy Clan themselves.

I know that these guys have been around a long time, but I wonder if there is anything we can do about people who are radicalized like this in the future. It easier than ever for people who are dissatisfied to connect with others online and radicalize themselves, even if there is nobody else in their family or community who shares their views. They can find people who think like them and feel like they belong to a community, and are then easily convinced to take up arms against innocent people.

We know that some of them travel to camps for training and even set up paramilitary structures, so we should be able to track people who have traveled to locations like that and monitor their movements and keep a closer eye out on them.

I honestly do not know if this was satire about how some would respond to Islamic terrorists or not. In a post-fact world satire is dead.



Anyway, I am glad to see this and look forward to more traitors being sentenced for their deeds.

I will always be thankful to these clowns for giving the world the Branch Dildoians. What a lot of ass-hats.

 Ouze wrote:
and he won't ever be able to legally own a gun again.

Oh lord, that's gonna hurt this muppet more than any length of jail time will. I love it!

 Frazzled wrote:

 Ouze wrote:
A good start, but not clear on why this band of ass clowns weren't charged with sedition - their actions seem literally textbook to match with the definition of seditious conspiracy.

Because then the jury would have to get out a dictionary to figure out what "sedition" means.

Six years feels right.

LOL over this. Good one Frazzled.

 d-usa wrote:
I'm glad that one of them finally got a sentence, and I hope that more of them will follow. Especially members of the Bundy Clan themselves.

I know that these guys have been around a long time, but I wonder if there is anything we can do about people who are radicalized like this in the future. It easier than ever for people who are dissatisfied to connect with others online and radicalize themselves, even if there is nobody else in their family or community who shares their views. They can find people who think like them and feel like they belong to a community, and are then easily convinced to take up arms against innocent people.

We know that some of them travel to camps for training and even set up paramilitary structures, so we should be able to track people who have traveled to locations like that and monitor their movements and keep a closer eye out on them.

It would be a lot more difficult than you think because none of what you've listed is illegal so the .gov would need to gather more concrete evidence than thinking thoughts and taking shooting classes together to obtain warrants for surveillance. The near future is going to include more fractured politics, more distrust of the govt and more social networking of like minded people. The amount of violence that comes with that is going to be determined more by the govt's actions in response to a population they have less control over than by self radicalized social networks.

 d-usa wrote:
I'm glad that one of them finally got a sentence, and I hope that more of them will follow. Especially members of the Bundy Clan themselves.

I know that these guys have been around a long time, but I wonder if there is anything we can do about people who are radicalized like this in the future. It easier than ever for people who are dissatisfied to connect with others online and radicalize themselves, even if there is nobody else in their family or community who shares their views. They can find people who think like them and feel like they belong to a community, and are then easily convinced to take up arms against innocent people.

We know that some of them travel to camps for training and even set up paramilitary structures, so we should be able to track people who have traveled to locations like that and monitor their movements and keep a closer eye out on them.

Nice.

It's good to know that at least some of the Branch Dildonians aren't getting away with this crap. There's still so many unanswered questions surrounding the case, though.

What happened to the lube?

Prestor Jon wrote:

 d-usa wrote:
I'm glad that one of them finally got a sentence, and I hope that more of them will follow. Especially members of the Bundy Clan themselves.

I know that these guys have been around a long time, but I wonder if there is anything we can do about people who are radicalized like this in the future. It easier than ever for people who are dissatisfied to connect with others online and radicalize themselves, even if there is nobody else in their family or community who shares their views. They can find people who think like them and feel like they belong to a community, and are then easily convinced to take up arms against innocent people.

We know that some of them travel to camps for training and even set up paramilitary structures, so we should be able to track people who have traveled to locations like that and monitor their movements and keep a closer eye out on them.

It would be a lot more difficult than you think because none of what you've listed is illegal so the .gov would need to gather more concrete evidence than thinking thoughts and taking shooting classes together to obtain warrants for surveillance. The near future is going to include more fractured politics, more distrust of the govt and more social networking of like minded people. The amount of violence that comes with that is going to be determined more by the govt's actions in response to a population they have less control over than by self radicalized social networks.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poe%27s_law

 Henry wrote:

 Ouze wrote:
and he won't ever be able to legally own a gun again.

Oh lord, that's gonna hurt this muppet more than any length of jail time will. I love it!

Lol thanks for brightening up my day

If he doesnt care about laws, what makes you think he will care about legally owning his guns?

Prestor Jon wrote:

 d-usa wrote:
I'm glad that one of them finally got a sentence, and I hope that more of them will follow. Especially members of the Bundy Clan themselves.

I know that these guys have been around a long time, but I wonder if there is anything we can do about people who are radicalized like this in the future. It easier than ever for people who are dissatisfied to connect with others online and radicalize themselves, even if there is nobody else in their family or community who shares their views. They can find people who think like them and feel like they belong to a community, and are then easily convinced to take up arms against innocent people.

We know that some of them travel to camps for training and even set up paramilitary structures, so we should be able to track people who have traveled to locations like that and monitor their movements and keep a closer eye out on them.

It would be a lot more difficult than you think because none of what you've listed is illegal so the .gov would need to gather more concrete evidence than thinking thoughts and taking shooting classes together to obtain warrants for surveillance. The near future is going to include more fractured politics, more distrust of the govt and more social networking of like minded people. The amount of violence that comes with that is going to be determined more by the govt's actions in response to a population they have less control over than by self radicalized social networks.

This can be said about all threats we are facing, really.

 hotsauceman1 wrote:
If he doesnt care about laws, what makes you think he will care about legally owning his guns?

He is, of course, free to attempt to break the law again on his release, if he's prepared to deal with the legal consequences.

 d-usa wrote:

Prestor Jon wrote:

 d-usa wrote:
I'm glad that one of them finally got a sentence, and I hope that more of them will follow. Especially members of the Bundy Clan themselves.

I know that these guys have been around a long time, but I wonder if there is anything we can do about people who are radicalized like this in the future. It easier than ever for people who are dissatisfied to connect with others online and radicalize themselves, even if there is nobody else in their family or community who shares their views. They can find people who think like them and feel like they belong to a community, and are then easily convinced to take up arms against innocent people.

We know that some of them travel to camps for training and even set up paramilitary structures, so we should be able to track people who have traveled to locations like that and monitor their movements and keep a closer eye out on them.

It would be a lot more difficult than you think because none of what you've listed is illegal so the .gov would need to gather more concrete evidence than thinking thoughts and taking shooting classes together to obtain warrants for surveillance. The near future is going to include more fractured politics, more distrust of the govt and more social networking of like minded people. The amount of violence that comes with that is going to be determined more by the govt's actions in response to a population they have less control over than by self radicalized social networks.

This can be said about all threats we are facing, really.

Most of the domestic threats sure but that's because its the same dynamic coming around again. There was plenty of anti Obama and anti Holder sentiment before and now the anti Trump and anti Sessions sentiment is even stronger and more widespread. People had a very low opinion of Congress before and Congress has only become more of a laughingstock/punching bag with the Republicans in charge. There's already been massive protests against Trump's federal policies and there'll certainly be more once Sessions' regressive views on marijuana laws get put into practice. I'm sure Sessions and the DEA will generate even more negativity towards the Feds than Holder and the ATF did. The more coverage we get of how the Feds are messing up peoples' lives the more pushback there is against the Feds and we'll see more confrontations with Federal agents and protests against Federal actions/policies. Regardless of how the rest of the sentencing goes for the Bundy people we're going to see a lot more of that type of anti govt protesting.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Spinner wrote:

 hotsauceman1 wrote:
If he doesnt care about laws, what makes you think he will care about legally owning his guns?

He is, of course, free to attempt to break the law again on his release, if he's prepared to deal with the legal consequences.

If he goes back to living in NH when he gets out of prison it would be rather easy for him to both obtain more firearms and avoid running afoul of the cops. NH has very permissive gun laws, this guy isn't particularly famous now and its unlikely he'll be a household name in NH 6 years from now. Of course who knows what kind of mindset he'll have after spending half a dozen years in a federal prison.

There will be plenty of private sellers that won't know him, some with a wink I imagine.

What's the penalty for illegally possessing a firearm in the USA?

I'm shocked that I don't already know the answer to that question.

 feeder wrote:
What's the penalty for illegally possessing a firearm in the USA?

Depends. It could be jail time, violating parole or anything else.

Automatic prison time, I forget how much though. Quick Google tells me two to ten years, plus other violations.

Varies by state. In Texas, for example, a illegal possession of a firearm by a felon is a 3rd degree felony punishable by 2-10 years and a fine up to $10000. In NH it looks like it is a class be felony punishable by 3.5-7 years (what an odd range) and a fine up to $4000. NH seems to be pretty light on its punishment ranges (murder is 7.5-15 years; here in Texas that gets you 5-99!).

 Ouze wrote:
A good start, but not clear on why this band of ass clowns weren't charged with sedition - their actions seem literally textbook to match with the definition of seditious conspiracy.

Sure, sedition might be the logical thing to charge them with - but these guys seem to think they've done nothing wrong and instead protected the "average guy" against the "Eebil Gubernment". Perhaps it is for the best to give them a lighter sentence while you edumacate the rest of the rednecks so it won't happen again?