Posted By: Mira Trapper
ELF fire bugs are getting arrested . - 03/12/08 05:26 PM
U.S. Department of Justice
http://detroit.fbi.gov:80/dojpressrel/pressrel08/elf031108.htm
United States Attorney Charles R. Gross
Western District of Michigan
Suite 2001
211 West Fort Street
Detroit, Michigan 48226-3277
For Immediate Release:
CONTACT: KAYE D. HOOKER
OFFICE PHONE: (616) 808-2053
March 11, 2008
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY ARSONISTS CHARGED
Indictment alleges the arsons were committed on behalf of "Earth
Liberation Front"
MICHIGAN-On the grounds of Michigan State University (MSU) in East
Lansing, Michigan, United States Attorney Charles R. Gross; Federal
Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Special Agent in Charge Andrew G. Arena;
MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon; and MSU Police Department Chief James
H. Dunlap, announced the unsealing today of a 4-count felony
Indictment charging four defendants with conspiracy to commit arson,
aggravated arson, and arson in connection with the December 31, 1999,
arson of Agriculture Hall on the main campus of MSU and the January 1,
2000, arson of commercial logging equipment near Mesick, Michigan.
The defendants are Marie Jeanette Mason, 46, of Cincinnati, Ohio;
Frank Brian Ambrose, 33, of Detroit, Michigan; Aren Bernard Burthwick,
27, of Detroit, Michigan; and Stephanie Lynne Fultz, 27, of Detroit,
Michigan.
According to the Indictment, the four conspired to commit the MSU
arson in order to destroy federally-funded plant genetic research
being conducted by university employees, and Mason and Ambrose then
carried out the arson. The Indictment alleges that the four also
conspired to destroy commercial logging equipment in order to sabotage
lumbering activity, and that all four Defendants then carried out the
arson.
The Indictment alleges that both actions were committed on behalf of
the "Earth Liberation Front" (ELF), a loosely-organized movement of
environmental extremists with a history of destroying property, often
by arson, in order to intimidate and coerce communities, businesses,
and governments into abandoning activities that ELF adherents consider
harmful to the environment.
"The Indictment we are announcing today is a testament to the
perseverance, dedication and hard work of law enforcement
professionals at both the state and federal level," said United States
Attorney Gross.
FBI Special Agent in Charge Arena added, "This investigation has been
ongoing for almost a decade and it should be a reminder to all that
the FBI does not allow the passage of time to thwart our ability to
apply our full resources to a case. In particular, domestic terrorism
is a top priority of the FBI and we will continue to aggressively
investigate and pursue prosecution of all such matters. We would also
like to thank the MSU Police Department for its cooperation throughout
this investigation."
Speaking for the University, MSU President Simon observed, "This was
more than an attack on a building and the destruction of valuable
property. It was an assault on the core value of free and open inquiry
at a research university. We always must be open to ideas that
challenge our own, but what we must never allow are disruptions meant
to shut down the open marketplace of ideas."
Commenting on the MSU Police Department's significant role in the
investigation, Chief Dunlap explained, "This was a significant act of
domestic terrorism which caused more than a million dollars in damage
to facilities and loss of research records. As a result, the
University dedicated an unprecedented amount of resources and
personnel to investigate this crime, and the Michigan State University
Police Department appreciates the cooperation of both the FBI and the
United States Attorney's Office in the joint investigation of this
case and the resulting Federal Indictment."
The case is being prosecuted for the United States by Assistant United
States Attorney Hagen W. Frank.
The charges in an Indictment are only allegations of criminal conduct,
and the Defendants are presumed innocent until their guilt is
established in court by proof beyond a reasonable doubt.
http://detroit.fbi.gov:80/dojpressrel/pressrel08/elf031108.htm
United States Attorney Charles R. Gross
Western District of Michigan
Suite 2001
211 West Fort Street
Detroit, Michigan 48226-3277
For Immediate Release:
CONTACT: KAYE D. HOOKER
OFFICE PHONE: (616) 808-2053
March 11, 2008
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY ARSONISTS CHARGED
Indictment alleges the arsons were committed on behalf of "Earth
Liberation Front"
MICHIGAN-On the grounds of Michigan State University (MSU) in East
Lansing, Michigan, United States Attorney Charles R. Gross; Federal
Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Special Agent in Charge Andrew G. Arena;
MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon; and MSU Police Department Chief James
H. Dunlap, announced the unsealing today of a 4-count felony
Indictment charging four defendants with conspiracy to commit arson,
aggravated arson, and arson in connection with the December 31, 1999,
arson of Agriculture Hall on the main campus of MSU and the January 1,
2000, arson of commercial logging equipment near Mesick, Michigan.
The defendants are Marie Jeanette Mason, 46, of Cincinnati, Ohio;
Frank Brian Ambrose, 33, of Detroit, Michigan; Aren Bernard Burthwick,
27, of Detroit, Michigan; and Stephanie Lynne Fultz, 27, of Detroit,
Michigan.
According to the Indictment, the four conspired to commit the MSU
arson in order to destroy federally-funded plant genetic research
being conducted by university employees, and Mason and Ambrose then
carried out the arson. The Indictment alleges that the four also
conspired to destroy commercial logging equipment in order to sabotage
lumbering activity, and that all four Defendants then carried out the
arson.
The Indictment alleges that both actions were committed on behalf of
the "Earth Liberation Front" (ELF), a loosely-organized movement of
environmental extremists with a history of destroying property, often
by arson, in order to intimidate and coerce communities, businesses,
and governments into abandoning activities that ELF adherents consider
harmful to the environment.
"The Indictment we are announcing today is a testament to the
perseverance, dedication and hard work of law enforcement
professionals at both the state and federal level," said United States
Attorney Gross.
FBI Special Agent in Charge Arena added, "This investigation has been
ongoing for almost a decade and it should be a reminder to all that
the FBI does not allow the passage of time to thwart our ability to
apply our full resources to a case. In particular, domestic terrorism
is a top priority of the FBI and we will continue to aggressively
investigate and pursue prosecution of all such matters. We would also
like to thank the MSU Police Department for its cooperation throughout
this investigation."
Speaking for the University, MSU President Simon observed, "This was
more than an attack on a building and the destruction of valuable
property. It was an assault on the core value of free and open inquiry
at a research university. We always must be open to ideas that
challenge our own, but what we must never allow are disruptions meant
to shut down the open marketplace of ideas."
Commenting on the MSU Police Department's significant role in the
investigation, Chief Dunlap explained, "This was a significant act of
domestic terrorism which caused more than a million dollars in damage
to facilities and loss of research records. As a result, the
University dedicated an unprecedented amount of resources and
personnel to investigate this crime, and the Michigan State University
Police Department appreciates the cooperation of both the FBI and the
United States Attorney's Office in the joint investigation of this
case and the resulting Federal Indictment."
The case is being prosecuted for the United States by Assistant United
States Attorney Hagen W. Frank.
The charges in an Indictment are only allegations of criminal conduct,
and the Defendants are presumed innocent until their guilt is
established in court by proof beyond a reasonable doubt.