Conspiracy, Bomb Retrial Postponed While Appeal Filed

Wed., June 25, 1997

Associated Press

The retrial on conspiracy charges of four men with ties to anti-government groups has been postponed while defense attorneys pursue an appeal.

John Irvin Pitner of Deming; Marlin Lane Mack and Frederick Benjamin Fisher of Bellingham; and Tracy Lee Brown of Seattle were among seven people tried in federal court early this year on conspiracy and charges related to making or possessing illegal weapons and pipe bombs.

A jury found several of the defendants guilty Feb. 28 of weapons and pipe-bomb charges but was unable to decide whether they were guilty of conspiracy. U.S. District Judge John Coughenour declared a mistrial on the conspiracy charge.

The retrial of the four on the conspiracy charge was to have begun Monday but was postponed after defense attorneys pursued a “double jeopardy” claim in federal appeals court.

The defendants had ties to the Washington State Militia or a Seattle-area group called the Freemen.

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Conspiracy, Bomb Retrial Postponed While Appeal Filed

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