[Ppnews] Tacoma Jury Convicts Woman of Arson - Hangs on Other Counts

[Political Prisoner News]

Civil Rights Outreach Committee

  For immediate Release: March 6, 2008
  Contacts: Kassey Baker, 360-561-5261
  Lauren Regan, Atty, Civil Liberties Defense Center, 541-687-9180

  Tacoma Jury Convicts Woman of Arson; Hangs on Other Counts

  Tacoma, WA - A federal jury was unable to reach a decision on conspiracy
  and transportation of a destructive device but convicted Briana Waters, a
  32-year-old mother and violin teacher and former resident of Olympia of
  arson. The government charged her with being a lookout in connection with
  the May, 2001 arson of the Center for Urban Horticulture at the University
  of Washington in Seattle. If convicted on all counts, Waters would have
  faced a sentence of 35 years. The two informants who testified against her
  in the case, who admitted to participating in the arson, face between
  three and seven years. Ms. Waters' sentencing is set for May 30.

  Without any physical evidence linking Ms. Waters directly to the arson,
  the government built its case on the testimony of the two informants, and
  a number of pieces of circumstantial evidence. The defense argued that the
  informants falsely accused Waters in order to avoid 35-year prison
  sentences themselves, and that their testimony was demonstrably false.

  Among the pieces of circumstantial evidence introduced by the government
  was a folder with a note on the cover from Waters to one of the
  informants, Jennifer Kolar, containing various radical pamphlets and
  publications. Prosecutors highlighted the most sensationalist passages in
  the articles, and sought to ascribe these views to Ms. Waters. Waters
  testified that she did not write the materials, did not agree with them,
  and did not pass them to Kolar. The defense argued that the informant must
  have substituted other articles for the ones that Waters actually put in
  the folder. While Waters' fingerprints were on the folder, they were not
  on any of the articles. The government countered that Waters' boyfriend's
  fingerprints were on the articles, and that he is a "fugitive" suspected
  of one or more arsons. The defense pointed out that the boyfriend is not
  on trial.

  "The government's case was primarily based on character assassination and
  guilt by association," said civil rights attorney Ben Rosenfeld, a member
  of the Board of Directors of the Civil Liberties Defense Center. "Evidence
  of other people's writings never should never have been allowed to be used
  against her."

  Briana Waters has maintained her innocence to all the charges. An appeal
  is likely.

  This trial is another chapter in the federal government's "Operation
  Backfire," also dubbed the "Green Scare," in which the government has
  hounded the environmental activist community, overcharged a number of
  individuals with a federal firearms enhancement applying to bombs and
  missiles, and branded them as terrorists, even though none of the events
  resulted in a single injury.

  Central to the jury's consideration of two of the charges against Ms.
  Waters was the question whether she was responsible for helping to build
  or transport explosive devices. The jury deadlocked on these charges.
  During the first stages of the investigation of the "Street of Dreams"
  fires in a housing development in Snohomish County, WA, officials falsely
  reported that explosive devices were found. Later, BATF Spokesman Kelvin
  Crenshaw made that no such devices were found. "It is inconceivable that
  officials could have made such a mistake. It raises the question of
  deliberate jury tampering by the government, and also calls into question
  the reliability of the government's information in general," said
  Rosenfeld.

  Briana Waters has steadfastly maintained her innocence.
  Copies of a press packet with current related articles and background
  information are available from civilrightsoutreach at gmail.com. For more
  information, go to www.cldc.org. ###





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