{"id":2987,"date":"2015-01-10T08:52:48","date_gmt":"2015-01-10T16:52:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/animalliberationpressoffice.org\/NAALPO\/?p=2987"},"modified":"2015-01-10T08:52:48","modified_gmt":"2015-01-10T16:52:48","slug":"animal-liberation-prisoner-eric-mcdavid-released-from-prison","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/animalliberationpressoffice.org\/NAALPO\/2015\/01\/10\/animal-liberation-prisoner-eric-mcdavid-released-from-prison\/","title":{"rendered":"Animal Liberation Prisoner Eric McDavid Released from Prison"},"content":{"rendered":"

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
\nJanuary 8, 2015<\/p>\n

Re:\u00a0 U.S. v. McDavid, Case No. 06-cr-0035 (U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California)<\/p>\n

Federal Government Agrees To Release Environmental Activist Eric McDavid From\u00a0Prison Because It Withheld Documents From Him At Trial<\/p>\n

\"eric_mcdavid\"<\/a>SACRAMENTO, CA.\u00a0 On Thursday, Jan. 8, 2015, United States District Judge Morrison C.\u00a0England granted a joint request by defense attorneys and the Dept. of Justice and ordered Eric McDavid released from prison with time served, because the government withheld documents from the defense at trial. McDavid was arrested on Jan. 13, 2006 and convicted by a jury on Sept. 27, 2007 for conspiring to damage or destroy property by fire or explosive (18 U.S.C. \u00a7 844(n)). No such property destruction occurred. He was sentenced by Judge England on May 8, 2008 to 235 months in prison \u2013 almost the 20-year maximum. On Thursday, Judge England accepted an alternate plea by McDavid to general conspiracy under 18 U.S.C. \u00a7\u00a0371 with a maximum sentence of 5 years. Because McDavid has already served 9 years, he will be released forthwith. In exchange for the reduction, the government insisted McDavid waive all claims for civil damages.<\/p>\n

McDavid has always asserted he and his two codefendants were entrapped by an overzealous FBI and its then 19 year old informant, \u201cAnna.\u201d \u201cAnna literally herded the group together from around the country, paying for their transportation, food, and lodging,\u201d said Ben Rosenfeld, one of McDavid\u2019s attorneys. \u201cAnd when they failed to show enthusiasm for her schemes, she berated them and threw fits,\u201d Rosenfeld said. \u201cAny conspiracy that existed was hers not theirs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Anna admitted at trial that the FBI trained her to exploit McDavid\u2019s romantic feelings for her by telling him: \u201cWe need to put the mission first. There\u2019s time for romance later.\u201d However, she downplayed his feelings as a \u201cslight indication that he might have been interested in me.\u201d In fact, McDavid sent Anna love letters. But the government concealed this and other correspondence from the defense, turning over one letter and ten emails for the first time only this past November. Records reveal that the FBI gave the missing correspondence to a special unit to \u201canalyze\u2026for behavioral insight into Eric McDavid.\u201d<\/p>\n

Additional government documents which surfaced only after trial show that the FBI urgently ordered then inexplicably cancelled a polygraph examination of Anna, and that extensive surveillance of McDavid prior to Anna\u2019s influence over him failed to reveal any predisposition to commit the charged offense. \u201cIf the government had provided the missing information to Eric\u2019s trial counsel, as should have been done, counsel would have used it to question Anna\u2019s veracity and to show Eric was entrapped. He never would have had to spend nine years in prison,\u201d said Mark Vermeulen, attorney for McDavid.<\/p>\n

\u201cSince 9-11, the United States government has mercilessly entrapped people, destroying their lives just to make political examples of them, especially in Muslim communities,\u201d said Jenny Esquivel, Eric McDavid\u2019s partner and an organizer with his support committee. \u201cThe government has targeted leftists and anarchists with similar fervor. This, like so many other alleged conspiracies the public hears about, are FBI inventions from the start,\u201d Esquivel said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are thrilled beyond words that Eric is coming home to us after nine years in prison,\u201d Eileen McDavid, Eric\u2019s mother, said on behalf of their family. \u201cWe never stopped believing he was wrongly accused. Blessings to all those who made his early release possible.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Civil Liberties Defense Center | www.cldc.org<\/a> | info@cldc.org<\/p>\n

Contacts:
\nBen Rosenfeld, Attorney\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Mark Vermeulen, Attorney
\n(415) 285-8091\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 (415) 824-7533
\nben.rosenfeld@comcast.net<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0vermeulen@mindspring.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Jenny Esquivel
\ninfo@supporteric.org<\/a>
\nwww.SupportEric.org
\n(see website for documents<\/strong>)<\/span><\/i><\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 8, 2015 Re:\u00a0 U.S. v. McDavid, Case No. 06-cr-0035 (U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California) Federal Government Agrees To Release Environmental Activist Eric McDavid From\u00a0Prison Because It Withheld Documents From Him At Trial SACRAMENTO, CA.\u00a0 On Thursday, Jan. 8, 2015, United States District Judge Morrison C.\u00a0England granted a joint request … <\/p>\n

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