Ecoterror suspects used secret codes

EUGENE, Ore. – A federal prosecutor described tactics used by suspects in Oregon ecoterror cases to keep their meetings secret as he argued that a woman accused of serving as the lookout for the firebombing of a southern Oregon lumber mill office should be denied bail.

Suzanne Savoie, 29, of Applegate faces 10 to 45 years in prison if convicted of arson and conspiracy charges in the 2001 firebombing of offices at Superior Lumber Co., now known as Swanson Group, in Glendale.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Engdall told the court Tuesday that at least four co-conspirators have told investigators about Savoie’s activities.

Each of the cell members had a code book and encryption software to convert letters to numbers in e-mail messages concerning their plans, Engdall said. Using the code book as a key, the software decoded their messages and programmed them to self-destruct after seven days.

Savoie sat silently as her defense lawyer, John Kolego of Eugene, urged a magistrate to consider allowing her to remain free pending trial.

Noting that the trial could be a year away, U.S. Magistrate Tom Coffin said he would not rule on bail until Thursday.