SHAC Ringleaders Behind Bars at Last

By Simon Ward, FCUSA Communications Director

GUILTY AS CHARGED: Stepanian, Gazzola, Kjonaas, Harper, Conroy, Fullmer. Count 1, Conspiracy to violate AEPA: All defendants, including SHAC. Count 2, Conspiracy to commit interstate stalking: SHAC, Kjonaas, Gazzola, Conroy. Counts 3, 4 & 5, each charging interstate stalking of specific victims: SHAC, Kjonaas, Gazzola, Conroy. Count 6, Conspiracy to use a telecommunications device to abuse, threaten and harass persons: SHAC, Kjonaas, Gazzola, Conroy, Harper.

Last March, a federal jury convicted the Philadelphia-based SHAC USA, Inc. and six of its members on all counts against them for their roles in a campaign of terror against officers, employees and shareholders of Huntingdon Life Sciences (HLS) of East Millstone, NJ.

One convict, Andrew Stepanian, began his sentence Oct. 3, while the others reported for lock-up Nov. 16.

The case represented the first jury convictions under the Animal Enterprise Protection Act (AEPA), which criminalizes certain conduct aimed at companies involved in animal research and testing. The defendants were convicted of conspiracy to violate that act, as well as other charges, including interstate stalking.

This September in Trenton, NJ, former SHAC president Kevin Kjonaas was sentenced to six years, Lauren Gazzola to 52 months, Jake Conroy to four years, Josh Harper and Andrew Stepanian to three years, and Darius Fullmer to 366 days.

The judge also ordered SHAC and the individual defendants to share in payment of $1 million in restitution to HLS.

There is no parole in the federal system, and defendants must serve nearly all of their sentence.

Jury unimpressed

At trial the defendants tried to disassociate themselves from SHAC’s tactics, while arguing that much of their conduct was protected free speech, but the jury was unimpressed.

“There is nothing legitimate about inciting violence and intimidation against innocent people or companies conducting lawful business,” said US Attorney Christopher Christie in a statement announcing the sentences. “These are appropriately long prison sentences that should deter others from crossing the line from lawful protest to criminal conduct.”

Run largely via its websites, SHAC’s campaign encouraged and incited members and followers to intimidate, harass and commit acts of violence against HLS and its employees, as well as companies doing business with it.

According to victims’ testimony, SHAC routinely posted personal information on the web, including names, addresses and phone numbers of employees. Also published were names of employees’ spouses, names and ages of their children and where they attended school, and even in some instances teachers’ names, license plate numbers, churches attended and more.

What comes next?

With so many of North America’s leading animal extremists now behind bars, the terrorist fringe have been forced to regroup. They are also rethinking strategies in preparation for the signing into law of the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act. This beefed up replacement for the AEPA has been tailored specifically to address some of the tactics employed by SHAC, including so-called tertiary targeting.

New voices have predictably sprung up to replace the old, vowing to carry on the  “good fight” while their comrades scratch the days on the walls of their prison cells. But will the new crop of fanatics pose more or less of a threat than the last lot?

It’s too early to make predictions with any certainty. Yes, there will always be animal rights fanatics prepared to push the envelope of legality in pursuit of their cause. But in the current climate, they should have a harder time recruiting young and impressionable cohorts to carry out their dirty work - at least until such time as their comrades in prison fade in the collective memory.

Perhaps as much as 95% of offenses committed by this movement nowadays are acts of petty vandalism or intimidation - smashing windows, or sending hate mail - that appeal to bored louts who then get the added thrill of seeing their acts lauded the next day on the Internet.

At the very least, the thought of doing hard time should deter some from casually lobbing a brick or penning a death threat. And with luck, they will realize why such acts are wrong, and why a jury of their peers saw SHAC’s leaders not as heroes but as dangerous sociopaths.

For further information contact: Teresa Platt, Executive Director, Fur Commission USA, PMB 506, 826 Orange Avenue, Coronado, CA 92118-2698 USA, (619) 575-0139, (619) 575-5578/fax, furfarmers@aol.com, www.furcommission.com. See also Teresa's blog and Facebook.

To take a cyber-tour of a fur farm, visit FCUSA's Fur on Film.

Home

© 1998-2010 Fur Commission USA