DeChristopher Guilty of Placing Bogus Bids
ACTIVISM, 7 Mar 2011
Brandon Loomis & Aaron Falk - The Salt Lake Tribune
Newly convicted climate activist Tim DeChristopher appreciated the songs, the banners and the hugs outside the courthouse Thursday [3 Mar 2011], but he expects more.
“We know that now I’ll have to go to prison,” DeChristopher said. “If we’re going to achieve our vision, many after me will have to join me as well.”
The 29-year-old Salt Lake City man said he is prepared to do time after Thursday’s two felony guilty verdicts for misrepresenting himself and placing bogus bids at a federal oil and gas lease auction. His question for a throng of supporters outside was: Who else is ready to join him in risking their freedom for a healthy planet?
Many in the crowd called back: “I’ll join you.”
A jury of eight men and four women deliberated nearly five hours before rejecting DeChristopher’s defense for his Dec. 19, 2008, actions, which provoked a chaos of inflated prices and fraudulent winnings that shut down the last of the Bush administration’s offerings to energy developers.
The fate of 149,000 acres of redrock Utah desert that the U.S. Bureau of Land Management offered to oil and gas drillers that day remains unclear because the Obama administration has pulled most of the leases off the market.
Moments after the courtroom had cleared, DeChristopher, along with attorneys Pat Shea and Elizabeth Hunt, silently exited the second-floor chamber. After a speechless ride down the elevator, DeChristopher retrieved his mother’s cell phone from a security checkpoint, then asked Shea if there was anything else they needed to do before he could join his supporters outside Salt Lake City’s federal courthouse. Shea shook his head.
“OK,” DeChristopher said, shuffling to the door with his hands in his pockets. “I’ve had enough of this place for a week.”
DISCLAIMER: The statements, views and opinions expressed in pieces republished here are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of TMS. In accordance with title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. TMS has no affiliation whatsoever with the originator of this article nor is TMS endorsed or sponsored by the originator. “GO TO ORIGINAL” links are provided as a convenience to our readers and allow for verification of authenticity. However, as originating pages are often updated by their originating host sites, the versions posted may not match the versions our readers view when clicking the “GO TO ORIGINAL” links. This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond ‘fair use’, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.