The North American Animal Liberation Press Office

Activist Jordan Halliday Enters Guilty Plea to Federal Contempt Charge July 27 The founder of an animal-rights group pleaded guilty Tuesday to contempt of court for refusing to testify about attacks on mink farms. Jordan Halliday admitted he disobeyed an order by U.S. District Judge Tena Campbell to testify before a grand jury. Halliday is slated to be sentenced Oct. 19 by U.S. District Judge Ted Stewart. A contempt of court offense is unique: It's neither misdemeanor nor felony, and there is no maximum punishment set by law. Stewart has the right to impose whatever sentence he believes is appropriate.

Astoria, Oregon Fur Farm Destroyed by Arson July 27 In an anonymous communique received by the North American Animal Liberation Press Office, animal liberation activists have taken credit for the destruction of Ylipelto Mink Farm in Astoria, Oregon. The farm has been the target of 2 previous raids by animal liberationists; the first occurred in October 2008, when 1,500 mink were released in a raid claimed by the “Vegan Straight Edge”. The second raid occurred October 4th, 2009, when 300 mink were released; at 1:23 AM that morning, a farmer reported to police that someone was “releasing her mink”, indicating the liberators were spotted in the act, but escaped un-arrerested. (read more)

Animal Liberation Front "Lone Wolf" May Have Been Captured in Denver July 23 The FBI has arrested a man in connection with the A.L.F. arson at Sheepskin Factory in Denver, Colorado. Walter Bond, 34, was arrested by federal agents Thursday. The FBI alleges Bond admitted to an informant to setting two additional fires - one at Tandy Leather Factory, the other at Tiburon (foie gras restaurant), both in Utah. The arrest follows three months of A.L.F. activity in which three businesses (in UT and CO) were targeted by arson. “A.L.F. Lone Wolf” took credit for all three arsons in two communiques. To date, Bond is charged only with the Sheepskin Factory arson. The suspect also served prison time in 1997 for an arson at a meth lab in Iowa. Bond received notoriety when the vegan straight edge band Earth Crisis wrote a song about Bond and the arson titled “ To Ashes ” for their 2009 album “To The Death”. (read more)

All Charges Dismissed Against AETA-4 Defendants for Lack of Evidence July 13 A federal judge on Monday dismissed the indictment against four animal rights activists accused of a violent protest at the home of a UC Santa Cruz researcher more than a year and a half ago, but attorneys involved in the case estimated the legal battle is far from over. U.S. District Court Judge Ronald White, who heard arguments on the motions to dismiss the case a month ago, sided with the activists in a 14-page ruling issued Monday. "...(T)he indictment fails to allege the facts of the crimes charged with sufficient specificity," the judge's ruling stated. Joseph Buddenberg, Maryam Khajavi, Nathan Pope and Adriana Stumpo were arrested in February 2009 and charged with interfering with animal enterprise - a violation of a federal law - and conspiracy. (read more)

Animal Liberation Front "Lone Wolf" Strikes Again at the Heart of Animal Abuse July 07 The fire at the Tiburon restaurant was small but enough to shut the place down. "We don't know if they forced their way in or found an unlocked door," said Sandy Police Sergent Troy Arnold. Overnight, ABC 4 News received this e-mail....It said, "The ALF (animal liberation front) is watching and there is nowhere to hide. The arson at the Tiburon restaurant in Sandy Utah was done because of there (sic) sale of Foie Gras (young duck) and other 'wild game'. Animals exist for there (sic) own purposes, not human ends. Go Vegan! ALF Lonewolf." A spokesperson for ALF says the menu is a big problem with activists, "This is not a delicacy. It's nothing more than animal cruelty and animal abuse served on a plate." (read more)

UCLA Primate Vivisector Arthur Rosenbaum Dead July 01 Dr. Arthur L. Rosenbaum, a prominent UCLA pediatric eye surgeon known for innovative research on eye- muscle disorders who late in life was targeted by animal-rights extremists, has died. He was 69. Rosenbaum died June 22 at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center of complications from treatment related to cancer, said his wife, Sandra. Three years ago, anti-animal research activists began harassing Rosenberg, although he was primarily a surgeon with ties to only one animal-research project. He led a team that conducted research on a primate to test ways to correct severe cross-eyed conditions. In mid-2007, an unexploded firebomb was found under Rosenbaum's car at his home near UCLA. A group known as the Animal Liberation Brigade claimed responsibility for the incident. (read more)

Alex Hall Sentenced to 21 Months for Mink Liberation June 30 An Ogden man who admitted releasing hundreds of mink from a South Jordan farm in support of animal rights was sentenced Wednesday to 21 months in prison. The term was three months shorter than U.S. District Judge Dee Benson had planned to impose. The judge shaved off the time because of a heartfelt apology by 22-year-old Alex Jason Hall, who faced his victims in the courtroom and said: “You truly have nothing to fear from me. I ask your forgiveness. I can assure you I've learned my lesson.” Hall earlier had pleaded guilty to one felony count of damaging and interfering with animal enterprises by releasing about 650 mink on Aug. 19, 2008, at the McMullin farm. (read more)

Animal Liberation Front Issues Claim for Colorado, Salt Lake Arsons Against Animal Abusers June 15 A member of the Animal Liberation Front claims to have set fire to the Sheepskin Factory in Glendale in April. A member, calling himself "Lone Wolf", wrote a post on www.directaction.info saying "The arson at the Sheepskin Factory in Denver was done in defense and retaliation for all the innocent animals that have died cruelly at the hands of human oppressors. Be warned that making a living from the use and abuse of animals will not be tolerated." The anonymous writer also claimed to be responsible for an arson in Salt Lake City, Utah that burned down a Tandy Leather store in June. (read more)

SHAC-7 Appeal Denied Again- Circuit Court Refuses to Hear Case June 06 The full 3rd Circuit won't reconsider a panel decision upholding the convictions of six animal-rights activists who used their website to incite threats and vandalism against researchers in a New Jersey lab. The federal appeals court in Philadelphia rejected an appeal by six members of Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty, who were convicted in 2006 of interstate stalking and conspiring to use their website to abuse, threaten and harass the workers of at least 10 companies directly and indirectly involved with the Huntingdon Life Science research center in Franklin Township, N.J. (read more)

Arson Closes Salt Lake Leather Shop- Activists Suspected But No Claim Yet June 06. A window is boarded up at the Leather Factory on 1100 South and State Street. Inside, crews have been working to make repairs from smoke and fire damage in a minor fire that broke out last week. Salt Lake City fire spokesman Scott Frietag says the fire was intentionally set. "We don't know who. We don't know what the motive is -- nothing left behind, or nothing sent to us since then that claims responsibility or claims a motive," Freitag says. In 1995, a leather store was set on fire in Murray, causing hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage. (read more)

AETA-4 Activists Move to Dismiss Federal Case June 05. A federal judge on Monday heard arguments on a motion that could quash the case against four animal rights activists accused of a violent protest at the home of a UC Santa Cruz researcher nearly 18 months ago. No decision was made. The hearing before U.S. District Court Judge Ronald White marked the first time charges against Joseph Buddenberg, Maryam Khajavi, Nathan Pope and Adriana Stumpo were openly discussed in court since the four were arrested in February 2009. All have pleaded not guilty to charges of interfering with animal enterprise -- a violation of a federal law -- and conspiracy. (read more)

Police Try to Blame ALF for UCSC Researcher's Car Trouble May 27. Just after the Animal Liberation Front was falsely blamed for the release of a kangaroo from a roadside zoo, this week investigators are hinting the A.L.F. may be behind the sabotage of a UC-Santa Cruz researcher's car. The punchline? The researcher doesn't experiment on animals.

Press Officer Jason Miller Guilty of Violating restraining Order May 17. Jason Miller pleaded guilty today to violating a protection-from-stalking order and was placed on a year's probation. Miller organized numerous provocative demonstrations in a relentless campaign against the efforts of the Johnson County Park and Recreation District to shoot more than 300 deer in Shawnee Mission Park. A Johnson County judge issued the protective order Nov. 18 in which Miller was prohibited from having direct or indirect contact with Meadors or the members of the district's board. On Feb. 13, Miller sent an e-mail to a member of the park district that, unbeknownst to Miller, violated that order. [Send an email, go to jail...]

Sheepskin Factory Burned to the Ground May 04. Over 42 firefighters responded to a blaze at Sheepskin Factory April 30th in Denver, Colorado. The fire reportedly broke out at 3:15am and gutted the building. It has been ruled arson. Sheepskin Factory sells sheep carcasses.To date, neither the Animal Liberation Front nor other clandestine animal liberation group has claimed responsibility. Similar unclaimed actions have been reported in Colorado. On January 13th, 2002, another sheepskin business went up in flames north of Denver in Greeley. The building was burned to the ground. No claim of responsibility was made in that fire either, but the fire was deemed suspicious due to A.L.F. graffiti threatening arson being found at a similar plant in Denver the previous month. This latest arson marks the second burned down sheep skin business in Colorado. (read more)

Elephant Has Had Enough, Kills Trainer in Pennsylvania April 10. "It should come as no surprise that elephants and other animals sometimes snap and attack circus employees and members of the public," said Robbyn Brooks of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). "PETA has obtained shocking photos and video of circus trainers as they beat elephants and subject them to violent training methods using barbaric devices such as bullhooks."

72 Hens Liberated from Shepherd's Egg Farm (Utah) April 04. In the late hours of April 1st and the early morning of April 2nd our cell liberated 72 hens from Shepherds Egg Farm near Spanish Fork, Utah. The hens are now being transferred to a better place. - The Animal Liberation Front

Four Utah Vivisectors Visited by ALF with Incendiary Devices; Solidarity with Animal Liberation Prisoners Cited April 04. In an anonymous communique received by the Press Office yesterday, the Animal Liberation Front claims to have placed an incendiary devices at the homes of four University of Utah vivisectors, as well as vandalizing their homes and nearby vehicles. Robert H. Lane, Jennifer Ichida, Allesandra Angelucci and Paul Bressloff are known to utilize animals from local shelters, as well as non-human primates in their experiments. Angelucci and Bressloff reside at the same residence. The communique describes placement of "cocktails" on each vivisectors doorstep, presumably referring to Molotov Cocktails, simple devices designed to ignite nearby combustible materials. It is unknown whether the devices actually detonated or caused significant economic damage to the homes. (read more)

Carrie Feldman Released from Punative Custody After Refusing to Cooperate with Secret Gand Jury Mar 18. A woman detained by federal authorities for refusing to testify before a grand jury considering a University of Iowa animal lab break-in was released from custody Thursday. Carrie Feldman, 20, was ordered held by federal Judge John Jarvey after she refused to testify before the Davenport-based grand jury in November. Feldman's release comes three days after FBI agents raided a home in Salt Lake City, Utah. (read more)

FBI Raids Animal Activist House in Utah Mar 17. FBI agents and law enforcement from multiple agencies raided a well-known activist group house in Salt Lake City on Monday in connection with an investigation of Animal Liberation Front (ALF) crimes in Iowa. Details are still emerging, but it is clear that the warrant was issued by the Southern District of Iowa, and authorizes the seizure of any books, pamphlets, computers and other materials tied to “animal enterprise terrorism.” One of the residents of the raided home is Peter Young, repeatedly mentioned by name in the warrant. Young was one of the first people prosecuted for “animal enterprise terrorism” in connection to fur farm raids in the late 90s. He served two years in prison, and has been living in Salt Lake City, speaking at colleges, and writing on his website, Voice of the Voiceless. Young is among the most vocal, public supporters of the ALF and direct action. At least 15 computers were taken by the FBI, along with boxes of documents, notebooks, files, and address books. No arrests have been made. (read more)

"It's a principle thing for me," -Carrie Feldman Feb 22. Having sat three months now in an Iowa jail, Carrie Feldman of Minneapolis is a hero to scores of animal-rights defenders around the world. Carrie Feldman, 20, was charged with contempt of court and jailed Nov. 17 for refusing to tell a grand jury what she may know about events that occurred in 2004, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported Monday. Feldman was 15 years old at the time and contends she knows nothing of the Nov. 14, 2004, attack on Spence Laboratories by the Animal Liberation Front. The group allegedly released a video of members breaking into the facility, setting hundreds of mice and rats free, dumping chemicals, and smashing computers, with damages totaling $450,000, the newspaper said. (read more)

Liberationist BJ Viehl Sentenced to 2 Years in Prison for Liberating 650 Wild Mink Feb 04. A federal judge sentenced a Layton man to serve two years in a federal prison for damaging a mink farm in South Jordan. U.S. District Judge Dee Benson said Thursday that William James Viehl's letter to him did not "square up" with his Internet blogs. He was supposed to be sentenced Nov. 12, but Viehl's attorney, Heather Harris, asked Benson to continue the sentencing until January because Benson said he was inclined to send Viehl to federal prison for three to five years instead of the recommended six months. (read more)

Self- Immolation in Front of Oregon Fur Store; Pain and Suffering of Millions of Fur-Bearing Animals Highlighted in Lethal Protest: Jan 28. A man set himself on fire after pouring gasoline on himself outside Nicholas Ungar Furs at 12th and Yamhill Wednesday morning before police used a fire extinguisher to put out the flames. He later died from his injuries at the hospital, police said. The man was identified as 26-year-old Daniel Shaull from Kansas, according to the Multnomah County medical examiner. It was not immediately clear whether Shaull was protesting against the store, which has had problem with animal rights activists in the past , but witnesses said he was screaming about the treatment of animals. “There are animals dying! Animals dying!” witnesses said Shaull was screaming as flames engulfed his body and shot above his head. (read more)

Third Person Subpoenaed for Iowa Grand Jury Investigating 2004 ALF Raid; Attorney Leane Stormont Becomes Latest Victim of Repression: Jan 22. A University of Iowa College of Law graduate is the latest person subpoenaed to appear before a federal grand jury in Davenport regarding a 2004 animal-rights related break-in and vandalism at the university, according to an activist Web site. Leana Stormont, a barred attorney and graduate of the Iowa law school, was called to testify about the Iowa raid. The Iowa alumni directory lists Stormont as living in Norfolk, Va. Activists claiming affiliation with the Animal Liberation Front, an underground animal-rights group, said they were responsible for the damage to lab equipment and the release of more than 400 rodents used in Iowa psychology department experiments. The break-in at Spence Laboratories and Seashore Hall was designated as domestic terrorism; university officials estimated damage in excess of $450,000. (read more)

Updated July 29, 2010