| Operation Backfire | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of TheGreen Scare | |||||
| |||||
| Belligerents | |||||
 United States*  FBI*  ATF*  Oregon State Police (OSP) | Animal Liberation Front Earth Liberation Front Other environmental cells and individuals | ||||
| Strength | |||||
| Unknown | ~20 militants (The Family) A large number of cells | ||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||
| None | |||||
Operation Backfire is a multi-agency criminal investigation, led by theFederal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), into destructive acts in the name ofanimal rights andenvironmental causes in the United States described aseco-terrorism by the FBI.[1] The operation resulted in convictions and imprisonment of a number of people, many of whom were members of theAnimal Liberation Front andEarth Liberation Front.[2]
In 2004 the FBI merged seven independent investigations from itsPortland, Oregon field office and called them Operation Backfire. According to an agency statement, the operational focus is on investigating acts ofdomestic terrorism, carried out on behalf of two activist groups, theEarth Liberation Front (ELF) andAnimal Liberation Front (ALF).[3]
In December 2005 and January 2006, with assistance from theBureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the FBIindicted six women and seven men on a total of 65 charges, includingarson,conspiracy, use of destructive devices, and destruction of an energy facility. The defendants were named as Joseph Mahmoud Dibee, Chelsea Dawn Gerlach, Sarah Kendall Harvey (née Kendall Tankersley),Daniel McGowan, Stanislas Meyerhoff, Josephine Sunshine Overaker, Jonathan Paul, Rebecca Jeanette Rubin, Suzanne Savoie, Justin Franchi Solondz,Darren Thurston, Kevin Tubbs, and Briana Waters.[4] A number of other unindicted co-conspirators were also named. A 13th alleged co-conspirator,William "Bill" Rodgers, also known as Avalon, committedsuicide while in police custody.[5]
According to reports,[6] and their own websites,[7][8][9] most of the indicted individuals initially claimed to be innocent of the charges.Prosecutors alleged that the 11 conspirators collectively referred to themselves as "The Family" and had taken anoath to protect each other.[10] The FBI indicated that some of the charges relate to a 1998 arson attack, claimed by the ELF, on theVail Ski Resort in Colorado. Other charges were related to another attack on the botany labs at theUniversity of Washington in 2001.[11] The combined cost of the damage from the attacks is estimated at approaching $80 million.[12]
In late 2006, a number of self-described ELF members pleaded guilty to arson and other charges in U.S. federal courts.[13]
On November 11, 2006, Joyanna Zacher, Nathan Block, Daniel McGowan and Jonathan Paul pleaded guilty to several eco-sabotage related charges, as part of a global resolution agreement with prosecutors.Judge Ann Aiken presided over the hearings. The change of pleas from the four defendants resolves all current "Operation Backfire" cases in Oregon.[14]
On December 15, 2006, Chelsea Dawn Gerlach and Stanislas Gregory Meyerhoff, pleaded guilty to $20 million worth of arsons committed between 1996 and 2001 by theEugene-based cell of the ELF known as "The Family". Theirfire-bombing of a Vail ski resort resulted in damages totaling $12 million, with the FBI characterizing the ELF as the United States' "topdomestic terrorism threat". Gerlach has previously pleaded guilty to 18 counts of arson in other attacks, saying she was motivated by "a deep sense of despair and anger at the deteriorating state of the global environment," but adding that she has "since realized the firebombings did more harm than good." Meyerhoff has renounced ELF and pleaded guilty to 54 counts, but is still under indictment inMichigan,Arizona,Washington,Wyoming andCalifornia.[15]
On March 6, 2008, Briana Waters, who was arrested in Operation Backfire for another ELF attack in Washington State, was found guilty of two counts of arson[11] and sentenced later that year to six years in prison.[16]
The FBI alleged that the group was led byWilliam C. Rodgers, who was arrested in December 2005 and committed suicide in jail just before he was to be transferred to Oregon. Josephine Sunshine Overaker has not been apprehended;[17] she is believed to be inSpain.[18]
Justin Franchi Solondz was arrested inDali,China in March 2009 on charges of growingmarijuana.[19] He pleaded guilty to manufacturing drugs in a daylong trial and was sentenced to three years in prison by a local court.[19] He wasdeported back to the U.S. to face charges there after serving his sentence.[20] On December 20, 2011, Solondz pleaded guilty.[21] On March 16, 2012, Solondz was sentenced to seven years in prison.[22]
Rebecca Jeanette Rubin surrendered to FBI agents at the Canada–US border inBlaine, Washington on 29 November 2012.[23][24] On 10 October 2013, Rubin pleaded guilty.[25] On 27 January 2014, Rubin was sentenced to five years in prison.[26]
Joseph Mahmoud Dibee, was apprehended inCuba and returned to the US on 10 August 2018, after twelve years on the run. Dibee was believed to be beyond the reach of the FBI inSyria, which has nodiplomatic relations with the United States, and was ultimately discovered to be traveling throughCentral America, en route toRussia. With the assistance of Cuban authorities, the FBI detained him before he could board a plane to Russia, and brought him toPortland for trial.[27][28] On 21 April 2022, Dibee pleaded guilty.[29] On 1 November 2022, Dibee was sentenced totime served.[30]
The last fugitive militant Josephine Sunshine Overaker sought for the delits of Conspiracy to Commit Arson of United States Government Property and of Property Used in Interstate Commerce; Conspiracy to Commit Arson and Destruction of an Energy Facility; Attempted Arson of a Building; Arson of a Vehicle; Arson of a Building; Destruction of an Energy Facility, offering $50,000 for information leading to the arrest.[31]
In January and February 2006, as a result of separate investigations, but widely reported as extensions of Operation Backfire,[32][6][33] three more individuals, Zachary Jenson,Eric McDavid and Lauren Weiner, were arrested inAuburn, California for conspiring to damage facilities "by explosive or fire."[6] Eric McDavid, the only one of the three who refused to sign aplea agreement, was found guilty on all counts and faces up to 20 years in prison, and a $250,000 fine, when sentenced on the 6th of December.[34][35] InWashington, Nathan Block and Joyanna Zacher were arrested on charges relating to a 2001 arson on a farm nearClatskanie, Oregon[36] and inTucson, Arizona,Rod Coronado, a prominent American eco-anarchist, was arrested on a felony charge of demonstrating the use of a destructive device.[37]
The indictments of the 18 activists for alleged acts ofeco-terrorism have drawn condemnation from activists and alternative media organizations. TheNational Lawyers Guild condemned the operation and the resulting indictments, arguing that "life sentences for property damage offenses where the actor has no intent to harm an individual are simply unconstitutional."[38] Animal rights activistJerry Vlasak accused the FBI of targeting "a bunch of above-ground, well-known, peaceful animal-rights activists and environmental activists and charg[ing] them with being members of the ALF and the ELF."[39]
In response, then-U.S. Attorney GeneralAlberto R. Gonzales argued that "there's a clear difference betweenconstitutionally protected advocacy — which is the right of all Americans — and violent criminal activity."[32]
