New Indictment in Bundy Case Adds Charges, Trump-Connected Defendant

The head of the Veterans for Trump in New Hampshire was arrested Thursday morning in connection with the 2014 standoff at the Bundy Ranch.

The FBI took Jerry DeLemus into custody as a new indictment was unsealed.

The case is strongly connected to the January takeover of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge outside of Burns, Oregon that has seen 25 people charged.

The two cases include several shared defendants including Ammon Bundy, son of rancher Cliven Bundy who is only charged in Nevada.

This new indictment in Nevada also adds Joseph O'Shaugnessy, Brian Cavalier, and Blaine Cooper who are also charged in Oregon.

Also indicted are two other sons of Cliven Bundy: David and Mel as well eight people described as "gunman who threatened, impeded, interfered with, assaulted and extorted federal law enforcement officials."

While DeLemus is currently charged in connection with events in Nevada, he did visit the Wildlife Refuge during the standoff, praising the actions of those involved.

Those who seized control of the Refuge were enjoying “great success” in resisting the “thug-like terroristic” actions of the government, DeLemus told Reuters.

According to the new indictment, DeLemus was a “mid-level leader and organizer of the conspiracy who, among other things: recruited, organized, trained and provided logistical support to gunmen and other Followers and organized and led armed patrols and security checkpoints.”

Cavalier, Cooper, and O'Shaugnessy are also described as "mid-level leaders."

Prosecutors describe Ryan Payne, Pete Santilli, and the members of the Bundy family as the leaders of the conspiracy.

DeLemus was the only person connected to a presidential campaign to visit the refuge while it was being occupied.

Prosecutors say that DeLemus, a retired Marine, reached out to Cliven Bundy soon after the April 2014 assault on Bundy Ranch and Bundy had asked him to travel to Nevada,

"He arrived too late to take part in the assault but remained at the ranch for three weeks after the assault, being placed in charge of "Camp Liberty" - one of the so-called militia camps where Bundy and his co-conspirators housed the gunmen," say prosecutors.

"We will stand and we will fight and we will die if the government tries to oppress the Bunds," prosecutors quote DeLemus as saying.

During his stay in Oregon, DeLemus also recorded several videos in which he promises to tell "the untold story" that were posted on YouTube.

The new indictment goes into great detail about the armed standoff in Nevada, providing lots of never before reported details including a conversation between Santilli and the FBI Special Agent-in-Charge.

"What are you going to do if 10,000 people show up," Santilli asked. "Are you prepared for this?"