A federal jury ruled on Thursday evening that brothers Ammon and Ryan Bundy, as well as five others, were not guilty on charges of conspiring against the government.
The leaders – Ryan Bundy, Ammon Bundy, Brian Cavalier, Peter Santilli, Shawna Cox, Ryan Payne and Joseph O’Shaughnessy – will no longer face federal conspiracy and gun charges for the 41-day standoff with local and federal authorities.
Federal prosecutors argued their case for two weeks and displayed more than 30 guns seized after the standoff during their closing remarks. But the jury found the Bundys had not conspired “to impede federal workers from their jobs” – the foundation of the conspiracy charge.
Earlier this year, a group banded together in a protest at the Malheur Wildife Refuge in Oregon over the government’s land-use regulations. A total of 26 people took part in the sit-in. The protesters had armed guards surrounding the property and law enforcement chose to let the situation ride out so as not to provoke a violent showdown between parties.
However, during a ride away from the refuge, officers pulled over a group of men. One man was killed by federal authorities and was the only casualty during the stakeout.
Seven other members of the militia group will go to trial in February and 11 others have already pleaded guilty.
