Scott DeMuth released!

From the Scott and Carrie Support Committee:

We’re excited to let you all know that Scott was released earlier today and is on a bus heading back home to Minneapolis! His prison sentence is now complete and he’s excited to be coming home. While he still has a year of supervised release ahead of him, he’ll once again be with his family, friends, comrades, and loved ones here in the Twin Cities.

We’d also like to thank all of you for the tremendous amount of support you’ve shown him and Carrie Feldman from the beginning of this ordeal, when Carrie was subpoenaed to the grand jury in Davenport, IA in late 2009. Since then, you’ve supported both Carrie and Scott while they were in jail or prison, helped us raise the much-needed funds for their legal defenses, helped spread the word about their cases and other Green Scare cases, and shown the power of our solidarity in the face of state repression.

Scott no longer needs the same kinds of support he needed while he was in prison, but there are plenty of other political prisoners and prisoners of war who need our support. We encourage everyone to reach out to other prisoners to help them through their ordeals. If you’re around the Twin Cities this weekend, we also invite you to a welcome-home gathering for Scott:

* When: Sunday, Aug. 31st, 2pm-??
* Where: Lake Calhoun, south beach
* What: Swimming, potluck, fun!

If you’re not in the area and would like to send Scott some letters of support for his transition back home, you can send them to:

Scott DeMuth
c/o Coldsnap Legal Collective
P.O. Box 50514
Mpls, MN 55405

With love and solidarity,

the Scott and Carrie Support Committe (SCSC)
http://davenportgrandjury.wordpress.com

Scott DeMuth Lands in Michigan, Ready for Mail

May 12 – Scott DeMuth has been moved yet again, to the minimum security federal prison in Milan, MI. We think this is likely to be where he’ll be for a while, possibly until his release date of July 30. Please send him some mail; he could use the support, especially after all of this being moved around! If you wrote him a letter at one of his previous locations and it got sent back to you, feel free to resend it or just send him a new one.

His new address for letters, books and magazine subscriptions is:

Scott DeMuth, Register #11246-030
FCI Milan
Federal Correctional Institution
P.O. Box 1000
Milan, MI 48160

If you would like to send a letter, use the address and register number above. You must include a return address on the envelope. Remember that all letters are opened and inspected – your letter will be read by prison officials, so be smart about what you say.

Books must be sent through the US Postal Service. New books can be sent directly from the publisher or an online bookstore. Scott can also get used paperback books and magazines at his new place! To send a used book or magazine, enclose it in a manila envelope marked “Prison Approved Material: 1 book” (or whatever is enclosed).

Scott put together a shiny new book list, and we put it up here: http://davenportgrandjury.wordpress.com/book-list/

Books and magazine subscriptions must be addressed using Scott’s full information above, including the inmate number. The Bureau of Prisons website notes that publications should not be “detrimental to the security, discipline, or good order of the institution, or facilitate criminal activity.” And you know how important all of that is!

Thanks for all of your support, everybody. We and Scott appreciate it so!

In solidarity,
the Scott and Carrie Support Committee (SCSC)

For more background on Scott and his case, visit http://davenportgrandjury.wordpress.com.

Scott DeMuth moved again.. to be moved, again.

We just got word that Scott’s been moved to a county jail in Oklahoma–for the moment.

They dragged him out of bed at 5:30 this morning (May 5), stuck him on a plane and flew him down there. They say he should be there anywhere from a day to three weeks, on his way to a minimum security facility in Michigan.

His new address is:

Scott DeMuth Reg # 11246-030
Grady County Detention Center
215 N 3rd St
Chickasha, OK 73018

It would be great if people could write to him soon, since he won’t have access to anything to read for a little while. At least for now, he doesn’t want any books sent his way as he doesn’t think he’ll have time to read them.

While he is allowed commissary, he’s not allowed to access it–any commissary he had in his account should transfer when he gets to the prison, but in the meantime, his mother will be purchasing his commissary items for him online.

Thanks so much for your ongoing support, and keep your eyes out for further updates! We will put out his new address and any other news just as soon as we know it.

In solidarity,
Scott and Carrie Support Committee

Scott DeMuth transferred

Scott has been moved to a transitional facility in Leavenworth, Kansas. This is apparently a private facility and not connected to the Prisons at Leavenworth; those facilities have no record of him at this time. He is likely to be moved at least one more time before the end of his term; please update your mailing addresses accordingly, resend any mail that was recently sent and returned, and keep an eye out for further updates from us.
Scott’s new mailing address is as follows:

Scott DeMuth #11246-030
c/o Leavenworth Detention Center
100 Highway Terrace
Leavenworth, KS 66048

Send Scott DeMuth a Letter!

Grand Jury resister Scott DeMuth is in temporary housing at the Polk County Jail, which means he probably won’t have access to the library there and people can’t send him books.  Consequently, his supporters are asking that people send him letters.

 

Scott DeMuth
Polk County Jail
1985 – NE 51st Place
Des Moines, IA 50313-2517

Remember the mail restrictions: All mail must have the sender’s full name and return address on the envelope (no PO Boxes) or it will get rejected. No books, periodicals or packages are allowed.

Since Scott is only allowed 5 photos, please do not send him any. His family will be sending him some soon.

 

Scott Demuth sentenced to 6 months, jailed today

Address and support information available at the bottom of this article

Monday, February 14, 2011

This afternoon, family, friends and supporters gathered to show support for Scott DeMuth as he was sentenced in federal court in Davenport, Iowa. Scott was sentenced to six months imprisonment, and taken immediately into custody. We will be posting information on how to send him mail as soon as his location is confirmed.

Scott pleaded guilty in September to conspiracy to commit animal enterprise terrorism in violation of the Animal Enterprise Protection Act–a misdemeanor–for an animal liberation that took place in Minnesota in 2006.

Scott DeMuth’s Sentencing Postponed Again

The Scott and Carrie Support Committee (SCSC) has reported that Grand Jury resister Scott DeMuth’s pre-sentencing hearing, which had been scheduled for December 29 after getting postponed once already, got  canceled today because of bureaucratic issues in the court system. His actual sentencing is now scheduled for January 14th in Iowa.

In the meantime, Scott is still in need of commissary money, so please donate to support Scott for his time in prison if you can! You can find a Paypal button and other donation information at http://davenportgrandjury.wordpress.com/what-you-can-do.

 

 

FBI closes investigation into 2004 ALF raid in Iowa

From Voice of the Voiceless:

Investigation into the Animal Liberation Front raid of UI labs ends with no one caught

Six years, over 200 FBI interviews, and several house raids and jail terms later, the FBI has officially closed the investigation into the 2004 Animal Liberation Front raid of the University of Iowa – without a conviction.

To put it another way: the A.L.F. pulled off one of the largest lab raids in U.S. history – and got away with it.

In an article this week, the Associated Press put it this way:

“Despite an extensive FBI investigation, it is increasingly unlikely anyone will be prosecuted for a 2004 break-in at a University of Iowa lab where activists released hundreds of animals and destroyed years of research”

Scott DeMuth pleads guilty to lesser charge

On Monday, September 13, 2010, Scott DeMuth pled guilty to one count of misdemeanor conspiracy to commit animal enterprise terrorism under the Animal Enterprise Protection Act for his role in the April 29, 2006 ALF raid on Lakeside Ferrets, Inc., in Howard Lake, Minnesota. The plea was to a lesser included charge of the second superseding indictment (available here: http://davenportgrandjury.files.wordpress.com/2010/02/10-0413second-superceding-indictment.pdf) for an action causing less than $10,000 in damage, and carries a maximum of six months in prison and a period of supervised release. As a condition of Scott’s plea, the government has agreed to ask for a sentence of the full six months in prison, but not to ask for the imposition of any fine. This is NOT a cooperating plea agreement; Scott has not been asked to testify against anyone else, nor would he do so. Though the action in question was committed in a different federal district and, according to Judge Jarvey, lacked any connection to the Southern District of Iowa, Scott also agreed to waive his right to contest the venue in which it was prosecuted. Scott’s sentencing has been scheduled for December 15, 2010, with a surrender date likely to be set for early 2011. In the meantime, the government raised no objection to his continued release, and agreed to the removal of his electronic monitoring, stating that he “poses no flight risk.” The plea agreement is available at: http://davenportgrandjury.files.wordpress.com/2010/02/09-13plea-agreement.pdf

Though Scott has accepted responsibility for the Lakeside Ferrets raid, we fundamentally disagree with the government’s position that such acts of liberation warrant punishment, and we do not believe that the resolution of this case is a simple matter of guilt versus innocence. Despite the nominal right to a jury trial in US courts, the legal system functions in a manner that deprives defendants of just options. As happened with Scott, people are routinely threatened with overblown charges and disproportionate sentencing should they exercise their right to a trial in order to coerce guilty pleas. Prosecutors often take things a step further, ensnaring the friends and family of the accused. In this case, Assistant US Attorney Cliff Cronk subpoenaed Carrie Feldman and Sonja Silvernail to testify at Scott’s trial. Both Carrie and Sonja decided that they would refuse to testify, meaning that they would almost certainly have been held in contempt of court and could have been incarcerated for months or even years (there is no maximum sentence for criminal contempt). Thus, the risks associated with Scott going to trial included not only his own possible conviction and imprisonment, but also that of two friends and comrades.

Scott DeMuth’s Trial Starts in a Week

1. Trial starts in a week! (Info on schedule, housing and rides)
2. We need another $3000 *this week*!
3. TC Anarchist Book Fair
4. 9/26: “Secret of NIMH” Film Screening in Minneapolis
5. 9/26: “Bold Native” Film Screening in Des Moines

1. Trial starts in a week! (Info on schedule, housing and rides)

Yep, Scott’s trial starts in just a week. His last pre-trial hearing is next Monday, September 13th, at 9:00 a.m. at the Federal Courthouse, 131 E. Fourth St., in Davenport, IA. If all goes according to schedule, the trial itself will begin the following day.

*What: the United States vs. Scott DeMuth *When: Tuesday, September 14th, 9:00 a.m. *Where: Federal Courthouse, 131 E. Fourth St., Davenport, IA

We’d like to get as many people in court on these days as possible! The prosecution claims the trial could take three weeks, and we want to maintain a strong showing of support for Scott in the courtroom for as long as it lasts. If you are in the area or can make it down, even for just a few days, please consider coming out to show Scott he’s not alone, and to show the government that this abusive prosecution isn’t going unnoticed. If you need help finding a ride to or from Davenport, or finding housing while you’re there, email us at scottandcarrie@riseup.net.