Another UW arsonist sentenced to federal prison

From the Seattle Post Intelligencer:

Another UW arsonist sentenced to federal prison
By PAUL SHUKOVSKY

A Spokane woman was sentenced Tuesday to three years in federal
prison in the May 2001 firebombing of the University of Washington
Center for Urban Horticulture.

Lacey Phillabaum, 33, of Spokane, is one of five people -- members of
a domestic terrorist group called the Earth Liberation Front -- who
were accused by federal prosecutors of the arson attack that
destroyed the building along with precious samples of rare and
endangered plants species being cultivated for reintroduction into
the Cascades. The ELF cell, dubbed "The Family," acted on the
erroneous belief that a scientist at the center was doing the kind of
genetic engineering work that they reviled as being dangerous to the
environment.

Phillabaum cried in court, but composed herself to apologize to her
victims. "When I think about the damage I did to you my heart is
heavy," she said. "I acted as a bully and a tyrant, and I am ashamed
that I tried to strong-arm social change."

Phillabaum pleaded guilty in October 2006 in an agreement with the
U.S. Attorney's office in Seattle that called for a 36-month sentence.

Her sentence is the second lowest of a dozen members of The Family
sentenced in the last two years for either the UW arson, other arson
attacks, or both. It reflects the government's acknowledgment that,
unlike several other members of The Family, she was involved in only
one arson and that she has done everything that she can to atone for
her crime, including testifying against other ELF members, Assistant
U.S. Attorney Andrew Friedman told the court.

Her role in the arson involved helping to haul the firebomb to the
Urban Horticulture Center, located near the University Village mall.
She also helped draft a statement of responsibility released after
the attack which said such genetic engineering would unleash mutant
genes into the environment that is certain to cause irreversible harm
to forest ecosystems. "I know there are people out there who are
being pulled into the same radical subculture that glamorized arson
for me," Phillabaum told the court Tuesday. "Radical activists who
are cheering you on from the sidelines cannot know how it feels to
have tried this, how your ideals might change afterwards. So listen
to me: No matter your commitment today, when you bind to a crime like
this, you spit on the rich experience of life."

Jennifer Kolar, another member of the ELF cell, pleaded guilty to the
UW arson at the same time as Phillabaum. She was sentenced in July to
five years in prison. Kolar played a role in an ELF rampage of arson
over several years that included not only the UW, but also an Oregon
meat packing plant, a Colorado gun club whose members killed prairie
dogs for sport and a federal wild horse and burro facility where the
animals slated to be killed for grazing on federal land were freed
before the place was torched.

Briana Waters was sentenced in June to six years in prison after
being found guilty at trial of the UW firebombing. Federal
prosecutors allege that Waters -- like Kolar -- participated in other
arsons.

Two other alleged ELF members accused of firebombing the Urban
Horticulture Center have evaded justice. William Rodgers killed
himself in a county jail in Prescott, Ariz., in December 2005 shortly
after being arrested for the UW arson. And Justin Solondz, of
Jefferson County, is a fugitive.

U.S. District Court Judge Franklin Burgess, in handing down the
sentence, said: "Without her participation, and without her
substantial assistance in this matter, this case might not have
gotten off the ground."

He also ordered three years of supervised release for Phillabaum,
who, like others convicted in the arson, is also on the hook for
nearly $6.1 million in restitution.