Animal Rights Terrorist Sentenced

FUR COMMISSION USA PRESS RELEASE, FEBRUARY 4, 2010

Animal Rights Terrorist Sentenced

Domestic terrorist group issues threat against another Utah business

(Revised Feb, 9, 2010)

SALT LAKE CITY, UT: Under the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act (AETA), Judge Dee Benson sentenced William James Viehl to two years’ incarceration in a federal prison and $66,753 in restitution to the farm he damaged in 2008. Additionally, Viehl is banned from any contact with animal rightists while in jail and during a three-year probationary period after release.

Judge Benson commented on the influence of personal letters received from the farming community reporting on the negative impact of Viehl’s crime spree. Farmer Lindsey McMullin, one of Viehl’s targets, told the farmers, “Your letters made a difference.”

While the Judge had been ready to sentence Mr. Viehl to 3 years, he was moved by Viehl’s statement admitting responsibility and remorse for his crimes. Viehl stated he was committed to turning his life around.

On the other hand, Benson said, “This involves real people involved in an honest, law-abiding livelihood. … (Viehl) is just a copycat, which reinforces my desire to do something to deter someone else from being a copycat. This shouldn’t happen in America.”

McMullin said afterward he was pleased with the judge’s decision.

“We feel very confident in the judicial system,” he said. “The underlying message is acts of domestic terrorism will be prosecuted. We hope this will be a deterrent to others and that Mr. Viehl will put his life back together and be a productive citizen and member of society.”

“Today Judge Benson used the AETA to send a strong message against domestic terrorists,” stated Teresa Platt, Executive Director of Fur Commission USA, the trade association representing mink farmers in Utah and over two dozen other states. “We hope that other violent animal ‘liberation’ extremists coming before Utah courts will be treated with the same firm hand.”

Sending their own message, the domestic terrorist Animal Liberation Front claimed damage to a Salt Lake City horse carriage barn this week, threatening that if the horses had not been inside, there “would be no more building left”, and adding “You’ve been warned, we are watching”. The claim of damage turned out to be false, but the threat of future terrorist attacks is very real.

Note:

Utah is the second largest mink farming state in the country, with a feed cooperative servicing eight western states supplying daily feed to over 100 mink farms in Utah. While recycling our food production waste, these Utah farms produce over half a million pelts a year (enough pelts for over 20,000 natural fiber fur jackets). The pelts produced on these Utah farms were valued at almost $23 million at auction in 2008. See Fur farming special feature: Focus on Utah.

See also:

Animal-rights activist gets 2 years in prison. Salt Lake Tribune, Feb. 5, 2010.

Judge sentences suspect in mink farm raid. Fox13 TV, Feb. 4, 2010.