[Ppnews] Scott Demuth - pleads guilty to lesser charge

Mon Sep 13 18:56:28 EDT 2010

Animal rights activist pleads guilty to lesser charge

http://qctimes.com/news/local/article_ad1b451e-bf83-11df-a0f0-001cc4c002e0.html 

<http://www.qctimes.com/news/local/article_ad1b451e-bf83-11df-a0f0-001cc4c002e0.html>Animal 
rights activist pleads guilty to lesser charge

<http://qctimes.com/search/?l=50&sd=desc&s=start_time&f=html&byline=Brian%20Wellner>Brian 
Wellner The Quad-City Times | Posted: Monday, September 13, 2010 5:09 
pm | 
<http://qctimes.com/news/local/article_ad1b451e-bf83-11df-a0f0-001cc4c002e0.html?mode=comments>No 
Comments Posted

A Minnesota man accused in connection with a 2004 University of Iowa 
animal lab break-in pleaded guilty instead Monday to releasing 
ferrets from a Minnesota farm.

Scott DeMuth, 23, of Minneapolis, entered his plea in U.S. District 
Court, Davenport, to a misdemeanor conspiracy charge and faces six 
months in prison. He was set to go to trial Tuesday for both crimes.

DeMuth admitted to releasing ferrets from Lakeside Ferret Inc. in 
Minnesota in April 2006 and causing damage to computers and records. 
The charge is a misdemeanor because the damage was less than $10,000.

His attorney, Michael Deutsch, said after Monday's change of plea 
hearing that prosecutors had approached the defense asking to resolve the case.

"I told them he wasn't involved in the Iowa break-in," Deutsch said. 
"Unless that was taken out, I wouldn't be agreeable to a plea."

DeMuth declined comment.

Federal prosecutor Cliff Cronk had said the government had planned to 
call 60 witnesses to testify during a trial that was scheduled to 
last two to three weeks.

If convicted of the felony conspiracy charge, DeMuth would have faced 
up to three years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

"I felt he was being made a scapegoat," Deutsch said.

DeMuth was previously ordered detained for refusing to testify before 
the grand jury. He has been out on bond while awaiting trial.

His former girlfriend, Carrie Feldman, also was detained for refusing 
to testify. She was released after DeMuth was indicted and FBI agents 
raided a home in Salt Lake City, Utah. One of the targets of the 
warrant was Peter Young, an animal rights activist who served time in 
federal prison for fur-farm raids in the 1990s, documents show.

The FBI was called in to investigate the November 2004 vandalism and 
break-in at the University of Iowa's Spence Laboratories and Seashore Hall.

The Animal Liberation Front, an underground animal-rights activist 
group, claimed responsibility for the damage to lab equipment and the 
release of 88 mice and 313 rats used in psychology department 
experiments. The break-in was designated as domestic terrorism.

The ALF also claimed responsibility for the Lakeside Ferret Inc. action.

UI officials estimated the damage in the hundreds of thousands of 
dollars and offered a $10,000 reward for tips leading to 
identification of the vandals. The university also increased security 
at its labs after the break-in.

No one else has been charged in connection with the incident.

<http://qctimes.com/app/terms/>Copyright 2010 The Quad-City Times. 
All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, 
rewritten or redistributed.
***************************************************

DeMuth Will Not Face Trial on Vandalism to UI Lab

http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/DeMuth-Will-Not-Face-Trial-on-Vandalism-to-UI-Lab-102815344.html
DAVENPORT - A Minnesota man accused in connection with a 2004 
break-in at a University of Iowa animal lab pleaded guilty Monday to 
releasing ferrets from a Minnesota farm.

Scott DeMuth, 23, of Minneapolis, entered his plea in U.S. District 
Court, Davenport, to a misdemeanor conspiracy charge and faces six 
months in prison. He was set to go to trial Tuesday for both crimes.

He will not be tried in connection with the damage to the UI's Spence 
Laboratories and Seashore Hall.

"I told them he wasn't involved in the Iowa break-in," said DeMuth's 
attorney Michael Deutsch. "Unless that was taken out, I wouldn't be 
agreeable to a plea.

"I felt he was being made a scapegoat," Deutsch said of his client.

DeMuth admitted to releasing ferrets from Lakeside Ferret in 
Minnesota in April 2006 and causing damage to computers and records. 
The charge is a misdemeanor because the damage was less than $10,000.

Deutsch said after Monday's change-of-plea hearing that prosecutors 
had approached the defense asking to resolve the case.

DeMuth declined comment.

Federal prosecutor Cliff Cronk had said the government had planned to 
call 60 witnesses to testify during a trial that was scheduled to 
last two to three weeks.

If convicted of the felony conspiracy charge, DeMuth would have faced 
up to three years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

DeMuth was previously ordered detained for refusing to testify before 
the grand jury. He has been out on bond while awaiting trial.

His former girlfriend, Carrie Feldman, also was detained for refusing 
to testify. She was released after DeMuth was indicted and FBI agents 
raided a home in Salt Lake City, Utah.

One of the targets of the warrant was Peter Young, an animal rights 
activist who served time in federal prison for fur-farm raids in the 
1990s, documents show.

The FBI investigated the November 2004 vandalism and break-in at 
Spence Labs and Seashore Hall.

UI officials estimated the damage in the hundreds of thousands of 
dollars and offered a $10,000 reward for tips leading to 
identification of the vandals. The university also increased security 
at its labs after the break-in.

No one else has been charged in connection with the incident.

The Animal Liberation Front, an underground animal-rights activist 
group, claimed responsibility for the damage to lab equipment and the 
release of 88 mice and 313 rats used in psychology department 
experiments. The break-in was designated as domestic terrorism.

The ALF also claimed responsibility for the Lakeside Ferret action.

Freedom Archives
522 Valencia Street
San Francisco, CA 94110

415 863-9977

www.Freedomarchives.org  
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://freedomarchives.org/pipermail/ppnews_freedomarchives.org/attachments/20100913/c0935f8d/attachment.htm>