First Guilty Plea Entered in Antigovernment Occupation of Oregon Wildlife Refuge
An antigovernment extremist who served as an armed guard during occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon earlier this year has pleaded guilty.
The first of 26 defendants charged with conspiracy and other crimes in the armed takeover earlier this year of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon has pleaded guilty as part of a plea deal with federal prosecutors.
Corey Lequieu. (Booking Photo, Multnomah County Jail)
Corey Lequieu, 46, of Fallon, Nev., and his court-appointed attorney said his guilty plea came because he faced the prospect of being charged with other crimes, including for his alleged role in the Bundy family’s 2014 standoff with the Bureau of Land Management at Bunkerville, Nev. Lequieu won’t have to cooperate with federal investigators or testify against co-defendants as part of the plea agreement.
Lequieu, who acted as an armed guard at the wildlife sanctuary, left the Oregon refuge shortly after the FBI arrested Ammon Bundy and other leaders on Jan. 25.
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