LAS VEGAS, Nov. 29, 2017 (Gephardt Daily) — Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy and his son Ammon have been offered a release from jail for the remainder of their federal trial, but Cliven Bundy is reportedly refusing the deal unless all defendants are released.
The offer was made Wednesday during a so-called sealed session with Judge Gloria Navarro.
Should Cliven reconsider, court observers say he and Ammon could be released by the end of the week or sooner, but regardless of Cliven’s decision, their trial, and that of their co-defendants, will go on.
The elder Bundy and sons Ammon and Ryan, along with militia leader Ryan Payne, have been charged with conspiring to commit an offense against the U.S. and conspiring to impede or injure a federal officer. They’ve also been charged with extortion.
If convicted on all counts, each could face up to 80 years in federal prison.
Ryan Bundy had already been granted a release to a half-way house prior to Thanksgiving, just as the case was getting underway after a Nov. 15 start date. He was placed on house arrest upon his release, but Navarro later lessened that restriction, allowing him to leave the residence while placing him on curfew.
Charges against the Bundys are the result of a 2014 armed standoff with federal agents outside their ranch in Bunkerville, Nev. The standoff was sparked by BLM agents who attempted to seize the Bundys’ cattle for non-payment of an estimated million dollars in grazing fees. The Bundys had long maintained the fees were unconstitutional.
Gephardt Daily will have more on this developing story as information becomes available.
