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Animal Rights Activist Faces 82 Years in Prison

by Democracy Now
After six years on the run, wanted animal rights activist Peter Young has been arrested.
Animal Rights Activist Faces 82 Years in Prison
After six years on the run, wanted animal rights activist Peter Young has been arrested. Federal officials have accused the 27-year-old of freeing some 8,000 mink from fur farms in Wisconsin, South Dakota and Iowa. He has been charged with engaging in animal enterprise terrorism and unlawfully interfering with interstate commerce. Young has been a federal fugitive for six years. He faces up to 82 years in prison.

Welcome to Infoshop News
Monday, April 04 2005 @ 04:07 PM PDT
Fugitive and accused ALF activist Peter Young Arrested!


Thursday, March 24 2005 @ 12:50 PM PST
Contributed by: Anonymous
Views: 418

(Anarchists in Trouble)

We've just received word that on March 21st Peter Young was captured and is currently being held in San Jose, California. For those of you unfamiliar with his case, Peter has been a "fugitive from justice" since 1998 after being indicted on charges of violating the "Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act"--stemming from a series of 1997 mink liberations in Wisconsin.

For more info: nik [at] nocompromise.org until a formal support network is established.

We've just received word that on March 21st Peter Young was captured and is currently being held in San Jose, California. For those of you unfamiliar with his case, Peter has been a "fugitive from justice" since 1998 after being indicted on charges of violating the "Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act"--stemming from a series of 1997 mink liberations in Wisconsin.

Peter desperately needs our support at this crucial time. Peter has been isolated from friends, family, and the movement since his disappearance years ago. Now is the time to act!

The circumstances surrounding his recent arrest are unknown, but he faces several serious charges as a captured "fugitive."

Please take 5 minutes RIGHT NOW to sit down and write Peter a letter. He needs to know that there's a world of activists out here waiting to support him. Please refrain from going into too much personal detail in correspondence and refrain from writing anything that the feds might try to use against him. We have yet to communicate with Peter so there are many uncertainties at this time; keep this in mind.

Mail/ Correspondence should be addressed as: PETER YOUNG BOOKING #05015987, PFN #DVF828 C/O SANTA CLARA MAIN JAIL COMPLEX 885 NORTH SAN PEDRO STREET SAN JOSE, CA 95110

Make sure his name, Booking#, and PFN# are on the envelope and all pages of correspondence. Mail restrictions follow at the end of this alert.

We are waiting to distribute information on jail visits and sending books and funds for Peter's commissary until his specific desires are made known to us.

He is currently being housed at: Santa Clara Main Jail Complex 150 W. Hedding Street San Jose, CA 95110
BACKGROUND INFOMATION:

On October 28, 1997 Sheboygan County Sheriff's deputies in Wisconsin pulled over Justin Samuel and Peter Young, after fur farmers suspected they were watching their mink barns. Authorities found items that led to a six-count federal indictment against Samuel and Young 1998. The two were charged with violating the then named Animal Enterprise Protection Act with the alleged intent to coerce mink farms out of business by inflicting economic loss and damage. "The indictment reflects the determination of the law enforcement community and my office to address criminal activity designed to curtail or shutdown a lawful industry," said US Attorney Peggy Lautenschlager in Wisconsin's first case of "animal enterprise terrorism."

In October 1997, the A.L.F. took credit for raids on five fur farms in Wisconsin and surrounding states. Thousands of mink were released, and it is estimated over one million dollars of damage was caused.

Justin Samuel and Peter Young were pulled over by police in the vicinity of the farms after suspicious fur farmers contacted authorities. A vehicle search allegedly yielded animal rights literature, as well as other "suspicious" items. In September 1998, a federal grand jury indicted the duo on charges of animal enterprise terrorism and unlawful interference with interstate commerce. Both Samuel and Young went underground and nothing was heard from the two until September 4, 1999, when Samuel was arrested in Belgium and eventually extradited to the U.S. to face criminal charges.

Despite an enormous outpouring of support from the activist community, on August 30, 2000, Samuel entered into a plea agreement with the U.S.

Attorney's office in which he implicated Peter Young (his co-defendant) and promised to "make a full, complete, truthful statement regarding his involvement in violations of federal criminal statutes charged in the original Indictment, as well as the involvement of all other individuals known to him regarding the crimes charged in that Indictment. And the defendant agrees to testify fully and truthfully at any trials or hearings."

Samuel eventually served two years in prison and is now free and living in San Diego, California. Despite his repeated efforts to reintegrate himself into the animal rights movement, most activists and organizations have shunned him as an untrustworthy individual and a snitch.

While bad timing and dumb luck led to the initial indictment of the two, Samuel's fear and lack of moral fortitude is responsible both for his own prison time and for the likelihood that Peter Young (if apprehended) may be found guilty and sentenced to a lengthy imprisonment. Like so many others under police pressure, Samuel clearly fell for the oldest tricks in the book of law enforcement: To this day, he claims he did not tell his inquisitors anything they did not already know. Unfortunately, it is not Justin who will pay the price for his fears, but Peter Young-- and any other activists Justin chooses to name to protect himself.

Excerpts from: http://www.nocompromise.org/issues/25hallofshame.html http://www.earthfirstjournal.org/efj/feature.cfm?ID=21&issue=v19n7
MAIL RESTRICTIONS:

Mail for DOC Inmates Books must be mailed directly from the publisher and must be sent via United States Postal Service (no UPS, FedEx, etc). No hardback books allowed. Sending books from Amazon.com (via USPS) is easiest.

The following items will NOT be accepted through the mail service: Cardboard Plastics, or anything laminated Anything GANG related (Photos, colors, writing, symbols) Drugs Two-ply cards will be separated (they are discouraged) Cards larger than 5x7 Blank paper, cards, envelopes, stamps Magazines, books and newspapers not from the publisher Staples and paper clips Items having suspicious stains or markings Letters or envelopes having stickers on them Hard bound books Padded envelopes Artwork done with wax, water colors or heavy crayons Flowers Envelopes or items with tape Instant camera photos (i.e. Polaroid) Photographs larger than 4x6 Food items Packages Photographs with graphic nudity

Inmates may receive newspapers, magazines, periodicals and books through the US Postal Service if they are mailed directly from the publisher. They will not be accepted if sent by a bookstore or any other person. You may arrange with Friends Outside for some materials to be delivered.
MONEY/ COMMISSARY FUNDS:

Money Orders ($300 maximum) for Peter's commissary can be mailed to: Santa Clara Main Jail Complex 885 North San Pedro Street San Jose, CA 95110

Money Orders must be made out to: "Santa Clara County Dept. of Corrections" and must have "Peter Young, Booking # 05015987, PFN # DVF828" printed in the lower left of the Money Order.
No personal checks are accepted.
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