Bundy Brothers Not Guilty: Group That Took Over Malheur National Wildlife Refuge In Oregon Acquitted

The Bundy brothers have been found not guilty in Oregon. Ammon Bundy, Ryan Bundy, and five co-defendants were all found not guilty by a federal jury on October 27. A report by the Oregonian stated that the group had been charged with conspiring to prevent federal employees from doing their jobs through intimidation, threat, or force. Ammon Bundy, Ryan Bundy, Ryan Waylen Payne, Brian Cavalier, Peter Santilli, Joseph Donald O’Shaughnessy, and Shawna Cox were the seven people facing charges in federal court.

As previously reported by the Oregonian, the Bundy brothers led a group of armed protestors who took control of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge headquarters. The Oregon standoff lasted 41 days, beginning on January 2, 2016, with armed protestors taking over the location near Burns, Oregon. The protestors were often seen on national newscasts carrying guns around the facility and allegedly vandalizing the property.

On Thursday, though, the Bundy brothers, as well as Jeff Banta and David Fry, were all found not guilty on charges of having guns in a federal facility. As for the other charges, Kenneth Medenbach was found not guilty of stealing government property and there was a hung jury in the case of Ryan Bundy stealing FBI surveillance cameras. The hung jury was a result of the group not coming to a conclusion on the charges and telling the judge that they would not be able to come to an agreement.

Marcus R. Mumford, who served as Ammon Bundy’s lawyer in the courtroom, had to be restrained by four United States Marshals after the verdict was read. He was angry that the Bundy brothers were not immediately released following the verdict reading. A report from the New York Times relayed information on what that occurred.

“Both Bundy brothers, along with others who were at the refuge, are also charged in a criminal case in Nevada over a standoff in 2014 at the Bundy ranch south of Las Vegas. In that episode, an armed group tried to prevent federal officials from seizing cattle owned by Cliven Bundy, who had refused for years to pay the government grazing fees. That trial is scheduled to begin in February.”

The jury in the case deliberated for five days and consisted of nine women and three men. One man had to be replaced on the jury after a fellow juror questioned his impartiality in the case. He was replaced by a woman during deliberations, causing a short delay before the jury was back in session. It was on Thursday, October 27, that the 12-person jury came to a conclusion on the charges against the Bundy brothers and the five other defendants.

Another report by the Oregonian stated that $6 million in damages were caused to the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge as a result of the Oregon standoff. Ransacked offices, missing employee files, and extensive damage to the property was reported when the Bundy brothers had vacated the refuge.

The Huffington Post reported that the occupation ended up costing more than $9 million in tax payer money, not including the court costs incurred later on. Officials were also worried that Native American artifacts had been damaged during the Oregon standoff. That wasn’t all that officials found at the location following the arrest of Ammon Bundy.

“A report released in February by the FBI said ‘significant amounts of human feces’ were found on-site after the occupiers surrendered, next to a ‘sensitive cultural site’ containing artifacts sacred to the Burns Paiute Tribe.”

Immediately following the breaking news of the Bundy brothers being found not guilty, social media began exploding with debates about the comparison to these alleged crimes and those alleged against the Black Lives Matter movement.

[Featured Image by Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office via Getty Images]