Families say Prairieland ICE defendants were railroaded by the justice system
Family and friends of those convicted of taking part in the violent Prairieland Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center protest say their loved ones were railroaded by the justice system.
That's after a judge issued sentences ranging from 50 to 100 years in prison for 8 of those convicted on charges related to the incident last July.
Lydia Koza and Autumn Hill were married only months before Hill was arrested and charged for her role in the violent protest outside a Johnson County ICE detention center.
Koza insists that her spouse had no part in the violence that started with fireworks and vandalism but ended with gunfire that wounded a Johnson County deputy.
"My wife was not present at the time that the officer involved shooting happened," Koza said. "She was not there at the time of any act of violence. There's no justification for this."
Koza says Hill didn't deserve the 50-year sentence handed down on Tuesday by a federal judge.
"It's an enormous injustice," she said. "Fifty years at age 30 could basically be a life sentence."
Prosecutors cite violence, firearms, and anti-law enforcement messages
Federal prosecutors obtained convictions on all nine of the Prairieland defendants who were found guilty on multiple charges related to the incident.
Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche released a statement saying, "The sentences handed down today make clear that antifa terrorists who attack law enforcement and federal facilities will face swift and uncompromising justice."
Evidence showed the defendants dressed in black with masks on, and that authorities seized 11 firearms in total.
Benjamin Song was the only one who fired and was sentenced to 100 years in prison.
The nine defendants found guilty at trial included:
- Autumn Hill (formerly Cameron Arnold)
- Zachary Evetts
- Benjamin Song
- Savanna Batten
- Meagan Morris (formerly Bradford Morris)
- Maricela Rueda
- Elizabeth Soto
- Ines Soto
- Daniel Rolando Sanchez-Estrada
Authorities released digital messages shared between some members of the group, urging them to "stay mobile, stay destructive" and that "cops are not trained or equipped for more than one rifle."
Supporters reject terrorism claims
Still, the supporters of the defendants insist that they were not terrorists and that no one was killed.
"It's like the Department of Justice has swatted a fly with a drone," Koza said. "We're arguably more aligned with mainstream American views than the conspiracy theories that the Department of Justice itself is generating in order to prop up this idea of this antifa boogeyman."
Koza says Hill will appeal her sentence, which will end when the 30-year-old is 80.
"Like me, she's devastated," Koza said. "But she's a very resilient person. She's basically like, 'They can't take more dignity away from me.'"
