Animal-rights Activist Jordan Halliday Sent to Federal Prison
To Serve Time for Criminal Contempt After Completing Sentence for Civil Contempt
The Salt Lake Tribune
Nov 3, 2010
The founder of an animal-rights group will spend 10 months in federal prison and
serve 36 months of supervised release for refusing to testify about attacks on
mink farms. U.S. District Judge Ted Stewart handed down the sentence Wednesday
to Jordan Halliday at the federal courthouse in Salt Lake City.
Halliday in July pleaded guilty to contempt of court for refusing to testify
about attacking the mink farms. By refusing to testify, he did not comply with
an order by U.S. District Judge Tena Campbell to go before a grand jury.
Halliday, the 23-year-old founder of the Animal Defense League of Salt Lake
City, was indicted last year on the contempt charge, which stemmed from his
appearances before a federal grand jury on March 4 and March 13 of 2009.
The panel was investigating the release of hundreds of minks at the McMullin
farm in South Jordan in August 2008; the release of minks at the Lodder farm in
Kaysville in September 2008; and an attempt to damage the operations of the
Mathews mink farm in Hyrum in October 2008. Prosecutors say Halliday either
responded with “no comment” to most questions or invoked a Fifth Amendment right
against self-incrimination to other questions.
Two men, Alex Jason Hall and William James Viehl, were charged in the attacks at
the McMullin and Mathews farms. They pleaded guilty to the mink release at the
McMullin farm. Hall was sentenced earlier this year to 21 months in prison and
Viehl to 24 months.
[Viehl is already out of prison after serving a fraction of his sentence; Hall
should be released soon. As the actual liberators, they may have served less
time than Halliday will for his refusal to cooperate with the federal witch
hunts called grand juries. ]
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