Former ELF Member Pleads Guilty to Arsons; Snitches on Friends for Reduced Sentence

by Rabbit / Earth First! Newswire

Tomorrow, May 5, 2014, Liam Mulholland will be sentenced for his involvement in a 2003 ELF arson.

Mulholland pleaded guilty to setting fire to a house at Mystic Forest housing development in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on March 21, 2003. Spray painted on the garage of a neighboring house were the words “ELF – No Sprawl.”

In Michigan, the mandatory minimum for this kind of property destruction is five years in prison. However, the government has requested a reduced sentence because of Mulholland’s “cooperation” with the federal government.

From his plea agreement and the Government’s Sentencing Memorandum, it seems Mulholland handed the feds a lot of information. He claimed involvement in several more ELF and ALF actions, including arsons that destroyed two homes at another housing development in Michigan in June of 2003; using incendiary devices to destroy chicken delivery trucks in Bloomington, Indiana in May of 2002; an arson at a housing development in Bloomington, Indiana in June of 2002; and a failed attempt to set fire to a pumping station in Stanwood, Michigan, in September of 2003.

Mulholland also provided feds with the names of the other activists with whom he carried out these actions—as well as where and how they traveled, where and when they planned and discussed their actions, what they purchased for the actions, how they disposed of the purchased items, and how they carried out each action.

The government is requesting a sentence of 18 months for Mulholland—a reduction of 42 months from the state’s mandatory minimum—because his cooperation will aid the government in cracking down on the other ELF and ALF suspects: “The government has determined that the defendant’s cooperation to date amounts to substantial assistance in the investigation or prosecution of others.”

The agreement also asserts that, because of his cooperation, all his charges related to the other admitted ELF and ALF arsons will be dismissed.

And it seems that Mulholland isn’t the only one snitching. The Sentencing Memorandum states that, though Mulholland often asserted that he was simply “along for the ride” during these actions, the feds have received contradictory information: “According to witnesses, it was the defendant who had the expertise to construct incendiary devices and did so for both the arson of the delivery trucks at Sim’s Poultry, as well as the attempted arson of the Ice Mountain pumping station.”

Stay tuned for more information after tomorrow’s sentencing hearing. If anyone has pictures of Liam Mulholland, or more information, please send them to collective [at] earthfirstjournal [dot] org, so that the word can be spread, and activists and activist groups can be on guard for the presence of this snitch.

For more information on snitches and informants, be sure to check out our online Informant Tracker.

---

Rabbit is an editor for the Earth First! Journal and Newswire. He can be reached at rabbit [at] earthfirstjournal [dot] org. If you appreciated reading this article, or want to support the informant tracking and prisoner support services, please consider subscribing or donating today.

4 responses to “Former ELF Member Pleads Guilty to Arsons; Snitches on Friends for Reduced Sentence”

1. XXXXX XXXXX says:

   May 5, 2014 at 11:28 am

   Forget it. Instead of demonizing snitches, it would be more practical to spread the word about ways to minumize the damage they can do.

   Nearly everyone will snitch on most of their associates if threatened with years of imprisonment, so it should be regarded as normal human behavior in that situation and taken into account in planning instead of playing the traditional game of calling someone names for saving himself at the cost of others.

   Very few of us are heroes. Most of us would accept long sentences to save our children or lovers, but not anyone else. Demanding that ordinary people act like heroes is counterproductive and unrealistic. A more rational way to deal with the problem is to enforce security culture and not ask too much heroism from each other.

   Reply
2. Grant B. says:

   May 5, 2014 at 10:48 pm

   While I approve of reasonable security culture, I would never snitch and I don’t think it’s unreasonable to expect other activists to commit to the same standard. Several other ELF members held their ground.

   I support assessing penalties for snitches.

   Reply
3. Truth says:

   June 13, 2014 at 12:47 pm

   I must disagree. Snitching is not normal behavior for good comrades. I’ve been threatened with years of imprisonment for not snitching on someone who robbed me. I still didn’t snitch… while I agree that many people snitch, you should be wiser and only deal with people who are truly for the cause, understand that all actions have consequences, and set up a support system in case of emergencies. Either that or don’t do anything that you might get in trouble for… and yes.. I have encountered snitches and even informants in my activist circles and I stay far away from them and as soon as I figure out who they are working for I let somebody I know and if I feel letting somebody know might jeopardize my networks with other members then I remove myself from them completely and let them deal with their problem when it becomes one. Good Security Culture is the best defense whether you are planning an action or just meeting with like-minded earthlings.

   Reply
4. Former ELF Member Pleads Guilty to Arsons; Snitches on Friends for Reduced Sentence » North American Animal Liberation Press Office says:

   June 22, 2014 at 5:57 pm

   […] Originally posted on the EarthFirst! Journal website. […]

   Reply