Animal rights activist receives prison sentence for refusing
to testify to a grand jury investigating the A.L.F.
Today, Jordan
Halliday was sentenced in federal court to 10 months in prison for his refusal
to answer questions during a grand jury investigating A.L.F. mink releases in
Utah.
Jordan Halliday will serve 10 months in prison, in addition to the
nearly four months he has already served - without credit for time served.
Fortunately, he was able to walk out of the courtroom today, and will remain
free until January, when he must turn himself into prison.
Halliday's
only "crime" was answering "no comment" or pleading the fifth to a series of
questions relating to Animal Liberation Front activity in Utah.
Two Utah
mink releases were being investigated by the grand jury: the release of 650 mink
from the McMullin fur farm in South Jordan, and the release of 7,000 mink from
the Lodder fur farm in Kaysville. William Viehl and Alex Hall plead guilty to
carrying out the first raid. The raid of the Lodder fur farm remains unsolved.
The government even expressed that Halliday is not considered a suspect in the
mink releases, and is being imprisoned solely for his refusal to testify.
The backstory:
After two Utah fur farms were raided in two months in
the fall of 2008, a grand jury was convened to investigate. Jordan Halliday was
subpoenaed to testify, for apparently no other reason than his visibility as a
local animal rights activist.
Halliday invoked his First and Fifth Amendment
rights when questioned by the grand jury, and was jailed for nearly four months.
The government then released Jordan, promptly charging him for the
rarely-prosecuted crime of "criminal contempt". This is the first time in
decades anyone has been prosecuted criminally for refusing to testify to a grand
jury in a political case.
After over 18 months since first being subpoenaed,
the government sentenced Jordan Halliday to 10 months in prison. This is a
victory for the government, it its attempt to intimidate activists out of
employing what is always best form of defense: silence.
Support Jordan
More information on how to support Jordan Halliday can be found at:
Support Jordan Facebook page
Support Jordan website
- Peter Young
Hello friends,
It is with sadness that we inform you all that our friend Jordan Halliday
was sentenced to an additional 10 months in prison and 3 years of probation.
Fortunately, he was allowed a stay and will need to report to prison by
January 2011. He is filing an appeal.
For more information and to
donate please visit:
http://www.supportjordan.com
Here is an article forwarded from indymedia that helps explain in better
detail what happened today.
-The Jordan Halliday Support Committee
Forwarded from IndyMedia:
Grand Jury Resister Jordan Halliday Sentenced to 10 months
By: Resist
Stance
November 3, 2010
Salt Lake City, Utah --- This morning United States District Judge Ted
Stewart sentenced Jordan Halliday to 10 months in federal prison and 3 years
probation.
In 2008 Halliday, an animal rights activist in Salt Lake City, was
subpoenaed to testify before a federal grand jury investigating the animal
rights community of Utah. When Halliday resisted, he was held in civil
contempt of court for nearly 4 months. Upon release he was indicted for
criminal contempt of court for the same refusal. This past July Halliday
admitted to willfully & knowingly violating an order by US District Chief
Judge Tena Campbell.
After Halliday's guilty plea, the Prosecutor applied the sentencing
guidelines for another charge, "obstruction of justice," and an enhancement
for “substantial interference with the function of the judicial system”
which consequently increased the advisory Sentencing Guideline range for
Halliday's charge to 15-21 months. The court declared that the “obstruction
of justice” guideline was with warrant, however believed the enhancement for
“substantial interference with the function of the judicial system” was not
justified. Halliday's Attorney Kent Hart stated that a guideline range for
“failure to appear” was more applicable to this case. However his argument
was struck down.
Currently Halliday's sentence of 10 months amounts to nearly half of each
sentence ultimately given to Alex Hall and William 'BJ' Viehl, against whom
Halliday was brought to testify.
Assistant United States District Attorney John Huber maintains the claim
that he believes Halliday still has insider information regarding unsolved
Animal Liberation Front crimes in Utah. Halliday has maintained the claim
that he has no knowledge of any illegal activity, and in a statement to the
court said “I have always tried to work within the law by lobbying and
attempting to pass legislation for the basic rights I believe all animals
deserve.”.
The prosecution however states that a communique concerning a mink
release in Utah was sent to a news organization from an individual who
listed their name as “Jordan”. The government states that this communique
was received before police even knew of the incident. Halliday affirmed that
he never sent a communique and that if one exists, that he now understands
why the government might be going after him. He also stated that “If such a
communique was legitimately sent, I am truly disheartened”.
After 4 months in jail, over a year of excessive pretrial conditions and
a lot of living in legal limbo, Halliday will begin his 10-month sentence in
January 2011, which he has the option to appeal in the interim.
To learn more about Halliday's case peruse
http://supportjordan.com/
Grand Jury Resister Jordan Halliday Sentenced to 10 months
Thursday,
November 04 2010 @ 08:27 AM UTC
Contributed by: Anonymous
This morning
United States District Judge Ted Stewart sentenced Jordan Halliday to 10
months in federal prison and 3 years probation. In 2008 Halliday, an animal
rights activist in Salt Lake City, was subpoenaed to testify before a
federal grand jury investigating the animal rights community of Utah.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 3, 2010
Salt Lake City,
Utah --- This morning United States District Judge Ted Stewart sentenced
Jordan Halliday to 10 months in federal prison and 3 years probation.
In 2008 Halliday, an animal rights activist in Salt Lake City, was
subpoenaed to testify before a federal grand jury investigating the animal
rights community of Utah. When Halliday resisted, he was held in civil
contempt of court for nearly 4 months. Upon release he was indicted for
criminal contempt of court for the same refusal. This past July Halliday
admitted to willfully & knowingly violating an order by US District Chief
Judge Tena Campbell.
After Halliday's guilty plea, the Prosecutor
applied the sentencing guidelines for another charge, "obstruction of
justice," and an enhancement for “substantial interference with the function
of the judicial system” which consequently increased the advisory Sentencing
Guideline range for Halliday's charge to 15-21 months. The court declared
that the “obstruction of justice” guideline was with warrant, however
believed the enhancement for “substantial interference with the function of
the judicial system” was not justified. Halliday's Attorney Kent Hart stated
that a guideline range for “failure to appear” was more applicable to this
case. However his argument was struck down.
Currently Halliday's
sentence of 10 months amounts to nearly half of each sentence ultimately
given to Alex Hall and William 'BJ' Viehl, against whom Halliday was brought
to testify.
Assistant United States District Attorney John Huber
maintains the claim that he believes Halliday still has insider information
regarding unsolved Animal Liberation Front crimes in Utah. Halliday has
maintained the claim that he has no knowledge of any illegal activity, and
in a statement to the court said “I have always tried to work within the law
by lobbying and attempting to pass legislation for the basic rights I
believe all animals deserve.”.
The prosecution however states that a
communique concerning a mink release in Utah was sent to a news organization
from an individual who listed their name as “Jordan”. The government states
that this communique was received before police even knew of the incident.
Halliday affirmed that he never sent a communique and that if one exists,
that he now understands why the government might be going after him. He also
stated that “If such a communique was legitimately sent, I am truly
disheartened”.
After 4 months in jail, over a year of excessive
pretrial conditions and a lot of living in legal limbo, Halliday will begin
his 10-month sentence in January 2011, which he has the option to appeal in
the interim.
To learn more about Halliday's case peruse
http://supportjordan.com/
