Oregon refuge occupier Blaine Cooper pleads guilty

PORTLAND – An Arizona man has pleaded guilty to conspiracy for his role in the armed occupation of a national wildlife refuge in Oregon and is nearing a resolution to charges he faces in connection with a 2014 standoff at Cliven Bundy’s Nevada ranch.

The Oregonian/OregonLive reported that Blaine Cooper admitted to a federal judge in Portland on Thursday that he appeared in a video with occupation leader Ammon Bundy, urging patriots to show up at the refuge with firearms.

He said he could see how calling people out to a refuge armed could be intimidating.

Cooper is expected to be sentenced to six months in prison and six months in a either a halfway house or home detention.

The newspaper reports that Cooper has reached a tentative deal in the Nevada case, likely pleading guilty to two charges.