Indictment Details Charges Against Ammon Bundy, Other Militants

By Bill Chappell

Published February 4, 2016 at 2:00 PM CST

The federal indictment of Ammon Bundy and 15 other militants accuses them of conspiracy and using threats and intimidation to maintain their occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, as well as trying to coerce the local population.

For the past week, only four militants have remained at the refuge near Burns, Ore. At least 11 militants, including Bundy and his brother, Ryan, are being held without bail; another militant, LaVoy Finicum, was killed in last Tuesday's arrest operation.

Released Thursday morning, the grand jury's indictment says that one or more of the 16 listed conspirators engaged in the following acts:

Occupied the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge "by force while using and carrying firearms";

Warned the Harney County sheriff of "extreme civil unrest" if their demands weren't met;

Brandished and carried firearms inside the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge and "prevented federal officials from performing their official duties by force, threats and intimidation";

Threatened violence "against anybody who attempted to remove them";

Traveled to Harney County, Ore., "to intimidate and coerce the population ... in order to effectuate the goals of the conspiracy."

Reporting on the holdouts at the nature refuge, here's member station Oregon Public Broadcasting:

"The four remaining occupants of the Malheur refuge are among the indicted: Sean Anderson, Sandra Lynn Pfeifer Anderson, David Lee Fry and Jeff Wayne Banta.

"As of Wednesday, those four were still occupying the refuge, although all outside communication was cut with the occupiers that afternoon. David Fry had told OPB that the FBI warned them if he or the others inside the refuge spoke with media, they would lose access to incoming calls. Before communication with the militants was cut, OPB had several phone conversations with the occupiers. They described their life inside the refuge and said they had enough food and fuel to continue the occupation for an extended time."