January 2004: High School Environmental Activists Plead Guilty to Vandalism Charges

Three former high school students in Henrico County, Virginia, plead guilty to charges of conspiracy to destroy vehicles and property used in interstate commerce. John B. Wade, 19, is sentenced to three years in prison and Aaron Labe Linas, 19, is sentenced to over three years for vandalizing and damaging new homes, SUVs, construction equipment, and fast-food restaurants in Richmond. Linas, who was active in his school’s Friends of the Earth club, reportedly learned of the Earth Liberation Front (ELF—see 1997) through the Internet. A third defendant, Adam Virden Blackwell, 20, will receive a similar federal prison term. The three apparently intended their actions to concur with ELF actions and exhortations. [Anti-Defamation League, 2005]