Tim DeChristopher, convicted of fraudulently bidding on oil and gas leases to protest the exploitation of natural resources on public lands, will find out next month just how long he might have to serve in prison.

 

U.S. District Judge Dee Benson is scheduled to announce DeChristopher’s sentence on July 26. The University of Utah college student faces up to 10 years in prison and a $750,000 fine for bidding on December 19, 2008, on parcels of land in Utah which were being sold off by the lame duck Bush administration to the oil and natural gas industry.

 

After winning more than a dozen bids, DeChristopher admitted he could not pay for the leases, which were worth $1.8 million.

 

The government has asked Benson to sentence DeChristopher to prison for four and a half years. Benson was appointed by President George H.W. Bush on the recommendation of Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah).

-Noel Brinkerhoff

 

This Hero Didn’t Stand a Chance (by Chris Hedges, Truthdig)

Utah Jury Convicts Environmentalist Who Bid on Oil Leases (by Noel Brinkerhoff, AllGov)

Activist Who Bid on Oil Leases Faces 10 Years in Prison (by Noel Brinkerhoff and David Wallechinsky, AllGov)