Activist Kevin Olliff enters plea deal, awaits sentencing

[Omaha Steve]

Press release in email.

Kevin Olliff enters plea deal, awaits sentencing


Animal rights activist Kevin Olliff has been jailed without bail since April 18, 2009 on ten felony charges related to above-ground animal rights activism.

On March 19th, Kevin Olliff signed a deal, pleading “no contest” to six felony charges (three stalking and three conspiracy to stalk–including conspiracy to stalk a school official).

He was escorted to the courtroom late, and in an unusual grey uniform, because he is temporarily in the jail hospital fighting an infection in his lymph nodes. IV in arm, he signed a the plea document for three years and parole.

Sentencing is scheduled for May 12th, so Kevin may have time to recuperate from his current condition. It will then be determined when and where he will be transferred to a state prison to carry out the rest of his time. Anyone in the Los Angeles, Orange County, or southern California vicinity is strongly encouraged to attend the sentencing to support Kevin in this decision. It will be at LA Superior Court (210 W. Temple St.) on the ninth floor in Department 102.

He has been in jail for a year, and has been receiving double-time retroactively after January 25th of this year. If he continues to be serving “good time”, we can expect to have him out by mid-October.

Write Kevin to help him pass the time before sentencing! (Please note he switched from D-Pod to C-Pod when addressing letters).

Kevin Olliff #1300931
TTCF 161 C-Pod
450 Bauchet St.
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Background:
Kevin Olliff’s prosecution is in the line of other recent “Green Scare” cases where law enforcement target above-ground activists in an attempt to link them to illegal, underground activity. Much like the SHAC-7 and AETA-4, Olliff is indicted for incendiary speech activity­ namely, chants at home demonstrations.

Like the AETA-4, Olliff’s case arises from the long-running campaign against primate research in the University of California system. The campaign has included a significant level of illegal activity aimed at UC researchers. Unknown individuals set a researcher’s porch on fire, ‘flooded’ another researcher’s house by putting a garden hose through a window, firebombed multiple cars, sent threatening anonymous emails, and left an unlit Molotov cocktail on a researcher’s porch. The Animal Liberation Front and other underground animal rights organizations claimed responsibility for most of these actions.

The indictment makes reference to many of these illegal actions, alleging they were undertaken by unnamed coconspirators, and alleges Olliff’s speech activity constitutes overt acts in furtherance of the activity. However, there is no evidence that Olliff participated in any of the illegal activity.
Animal Liberation Press Office
6320 Canoga Avenue #1500
Woodland Hills, CA 91367

www.animalliberationpressoffice.org
[e-mail]

[flvegan]

1. Activists are only terrorists when it's animal rights.

But feel free to beat up a gay fella if you want to, or cut the propane line of a politician you disagree with.

I'm actually amazed that he wasn't charged under the AETA, but I guess using CA's anti-stalking law against a protesting activist for the first time was stretch enough.

[gratuitous]

2. Shoulda just thrown bricks through people's windows or cut propane lines

Then he would have been hailed as a hero in certain quarters, instead of being stove-piped as a "terrorist."