Ammon Bundy and fellow militants hit with new federal charges, could face decades in prison

The militant group led by Ammon Bundy, which took part in the six-week armed occupation of a U.S. federal wildlife refuge in Oregon, has been indicted on new charges according to reports. The charges include carrying firearms into federal facilities and stealing and damaging government property.

A federal grand jury returned with the indictment on Tuesday and was unsealed when the occupiers appeared in a federal court in Portland on Wednesday. The new grand jury ruling will supersede an earlier indictment in the case and adds new charges against Bundy, along with some his followers.

Last month, they were all convicted of conspiring to impede federal officers policing the Malheur National Wildlife Refugee where they staged their occupation. The failed takeover, which was orchestrated by over a dozen armed men on January 2, started after two Oregon ranchers were sent to jail for starting fires that spread to federal property.

The indictment lists 26 defendants, each of whom is charged with the initial count of conspiring to impede federal agents. New charges leveled against some of the protesters include possession of firearms and dangerous weapons on federal property, use and carry of a firearm in relation to a crime of violence, and depredation of government property.

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The last charge was against protester Sean Anderson and another sympathizer whose name has been redacted from official court documents. It alleges that the pair damaged an archaeological site sacred to the Native American Burns Paiute tribe by excavation with heavy equipment. According to the FBI, they were working with the tribe to assess damage to the tribe’s artifacts and burial grounds during the militia’s occupation.

Three armed occupiers were also indicted on charges of the theft of government property. What they stole included a 2012 Ford F-350 Truck, cameras, and related equipment. Bundy’s lawyer did not respond to a request for comment.