Bundy Supporter’s Pardon Effort Fails
New Hampshire State Legislators have rejected an effort to seek a presidential pardon for a man imprisoned for his role in organizing armed supporters of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy during the 2014 Nevada standoff.
The New Hampshire House voted down the resolution for Gerald “Jerry” DeLemus on Thursday. DeLemus was sentenced to seven years in prison on May 31st of last year for his role in organizing armed patrols and for acting as an intermediary between the self-styled militia and local authorities.
He tried to withdraw guilty pleas to conspiracy to commit an offense against the U.S. and interstate travel in aid of extortion. During sentencing, Chief U.S. District Judge Gloria Navarro in Las Vegas called DeLemus “a bully vigilante, threatening peacekeepers of the community."
Charges against Bundy and others were dismissed in January of this year.
DeLemus was the first person sentenced for his ties to the confrontation at Bunkerville, Nev., that became a rallying cry for those who want vast stretches of federal land in the western U.S. put under local control. The former U.S. Marine was 62 years old at the time of his sentencing.