Last month, a state court judge sentenced Ellerman's older brother, Colby Ellerman, 21, to two years in jail for his role in a July 1996 raid of a South Jordan mink farm. I realized that the hard way, and I'm willing to accept the consequences." "I committed a violent act," Ellerman said. Yengich told the judge, "While Josh's intention was to harm no one, he has thought it through and realizes that even the best plans can have unintended consequences." The bombing caused more than $750,000 damage to the building and trucks, and the co-op, which is owned by member fur breeders, has seen its insurance premiums skyrocket from $125,000 per year to $250,000 a year. It was only pure luck that no one was hurt, Schwendiman said. However, many emergency personnel risked their lives battling the fire, and shrapnel shot more than 700 yards from the scene, he added. Schwendiman said those families escaped with the fright of their lives but without injury. to avoid harming anyone and were unaware that there were two families living inside the building, he said. The other bombs were placed by his confederates beneath delivery trucks outside the building, he said. He also ignited a fire in the office using gasoline and motor oil. He said he broke into the co-op business office, where he placed a pipe bomb filled with screws and other shrapnel designed to cause maximum damage. He said he purchased the pipe from a Taylorsville hardware store, the fuses from a Sandy toy store that sells model rockets, and the smokeless powder from a local dealer. The ALF has no formal structure or leadership, and there are no members or membership lists, as such, only an affiliation that is claimed through action, he said.Įllerman said he constructed the five pipe bombs that were used in the attack on the co-op.
700 West, the co-op was targeted by the ALF because it was a major player in the national and international fur trade, he said.Īccording to Ellerman, the shadowy ALF is an "underground, direct-action, terrorist group that commits actions like this" in opposition to the killing or mistreatment of animals.
Wasting no time, Ellerman immediately gave the court an explanation of his own role in the bombing. The judge then delayed sentencing until May 6 to give prosecutors ample time to "debrief" Ellerman and assess the worth of his information. "That kind of cooperation can pave the way for a different, less onerous type sentence," Greene advised Ellerman. He faces a prison term of up to 50 years and fines totaling $750,000, though Schwendiman said the government is prepared to recommend he receive less than the minimum five-year sentence if his cooperation proves to be of "substantial assistance." Thomas Greene with a detailed account of his actions and promised to cooperate with prosecutors in their continuing investigation of the crime.Įllerman, 19, was indicted in June on 16 counts of malicious destruction of a building engaged in interstate commerce, using a destructive device (pipe bombs) during a crime of violence, illegally making bombs and aiding and abet-ting. Schwendiman and pleaded guilty to three felony counts related to the bombing.īeyond admitting his guilt, Ellerman also provided U.S. Yengich, the teenage bomber revealed Wednesday that he was approached by former associates in the Animal Liberation Front after he was indicted for the March 11, 1997, attack on the Fur Breeders Agricultural Cooperative.However, Ellerman said he rebuffed the ALF contact because "I no longer claim affiliation with that group."Īppearing in court Wednesday afternoon for what was to have been a routine status conference, Ellerman instead accepted a plea agreement forged with U.S. Animal-rights terrorists continued to recruit Douglas Joshua Ellerman even as he faced federal charges that could have landed him in prison for the rest of his life.Ĭoaxed by defense attorney Ronald J.