RICHMOND — A member of a radical environmentalist group was sentenced yesterday to three years in prison for damaging 25 sport utility vehicles, fast-food restaurants and other property.
U.S. District Judge James R. Spencer sentenced John B. Wade, 19, of suburban Henrico County, for acts committed in 2002 with two other teenagers. Judge Spencer sentenced Aaron L. Linas on Monday to 3 years in prison.
They were members of the Earth Liberation Front (ELF), which has taken responsibility for dozens of actions since 1997 that have caused more than $30 million in “economic damage on those profiting from the destruction and exploitation of the natural environment.”
The ELF did not return ane-mail from the Associated Press yesterday.
“It’s never pleasant to prosecute young people who have so much promise,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian R. Hood said. “These acts were not random. They were not impulsive.”
Wade’s attorney, Murray J. Janus, asked Judge Spencer to consider two factors in his sentencing.
Wade, he said, had been “grounded” by his parents and had not been with Linas and Adam V. Blackwell when they unsuccessfully attempted to blow up construction vehicles worth $360,000 at a high-end shopping center under construction in suburban Richmond. Linas and Blackwell fashioned a wick from an American flag, inserting it into a crane’s fuel tank.
Mr. Janus also said that Wade is doing well as a student at the Mary Washington College in Fredericksburg and should be allowed to complete his exams. Judge Spencer on Monday ordered Linas to begin serving his sentence immediately.
Wade’s father, David Wade, said his son had “matured” and, while passionate about environmental causes, any other activism would be lawful.
Judge Spencer agreed, ruling that Wade would get the minimum sentence and ordered him to report on May 10.
“They passionately believed in the causes of the environment,” Mr. Janus said outside the courtroom. “They feel they’ve inherited a mess from my generation.”
Wade, who pleaded guilty in January, was ushered away by a U.S. marshal.
He will have three additional years of probation once he is released from prison. Judge Spencer ordered him to pay $204,000 to 12 victims, in monthly installments of $250.
Blackwell, the third co-defendant, is scheduled for sentencing this month.
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