When Ryan Payne took a plea deal
in July
in the case against the occupiers of the Malheur National Wildlife
Refuge, it was an important win for the prosecution: Payne was
considered one of the strategic leaders of the 41-day occupation. But
earlier this month, Payne asked the court to reverse his plea from guilty to not guilty. Payne, 33, is an electrician and Army Veteran from Anaconda, Montana,
who has been characterized as a tactical leader in the occupation.
Prosecutors say he and Ammon Bundy went to Harney County in November and
December and met with Sheriff Dave Ward to present their "redress of
grievances." Prosecutors also said Payne and Bundy demanded that Ward
provide a safe haven for ranchers Dwight and Steven Hammond, to prevent
them from having to report to federal prison. The plea deal Payne
originally struck with prosecutors recommended he spend somewhere
between 41 and 51 months in prison. He was facing a conspiracy charge
that carries a maximum of six years in prison and a $250,000 fine. In
addition to conspiracy and weapons charges related to the Oregon
occupation, Payne also faces a slew of criminal counts tied to the 2014
standoff in Bunkerville, Nevada. He hasn’t entered a plea for those
charges yet. Payne agreed to answer OPB's questions by phone from the Southern Nevada Detention Center, where he is being held without bail. Payne
said that he didn’t have much time to reflect upon and consider the
Oregon plea deal, and that he was under "duress and pressure" from the
government. "I succumbed to that duress and pressure," he said.
"And I was able to regather my wit, mostly through my faith in the
Creator … that the people will be the righteous judges." In his
Oct. 11 motion to withdraw the plea, Payne’s attorney Rich Federico
argued the foundation of the Oregon deal was an assumption that Payne
and the government would also reach a deal in Nevada. That apparently
fell through...
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