An open letter regarding Rodney Coronado's plea of "guilty" in the San Diego case.

“Dear friends and supporters~

On December 14th, before Judge Jeffery Miller in Federal Court in San Diego, I entered a guilty plea to one count of distribution of information related to the assembly of explosives and weapons of mass destruction. This was the one count I have fought for almost two years now and for which I faced approximately five to ten years in prison if found guilty at trial. In September of 2007, a jury instead voted 8-4 for acquittal and in the ensuing weeks, prosecutors in the case informed us that they would seek an additional indictment in Washington D.C., for a speech I delivered at American University in January, 2003. In exchange for a guilty plea in the San Diego case, the U.S. government has agreed to ask only for a one year prison sentence, drop pending charges in Tucson for my possession of raptor feathers and not to indict me in D.C. I am not required to testify against anyone else in any other investigations, and hopefully this plea agreement will once and for all grant me closure in a well-known campaign of repression against me for my past involvement, association and support for covert campaigns against environmental destroyers and animal abusers. It has long been my desire to put my past behind me and instead build a sustainable existence for myself, my wife, Chrysta, and two children, Anheles and Maya. This decision to take a plea bargain comes only after much careful consideration and a sincere desire to do what is best for my family. Such unconstitutional assaults on my free speech beg for a continued legal battle and defense, but I am instead choosing to reach a settlement that will allow me to move on with my life rather than face years of litigation that might lead to many years in prison.

My children need me. I am a father first and foremost, and have given 20 plus years to the battle against corporate and government policies which destroy our Earth. Now it is time to give of myself to the purpose of raising a family in these troubling times.

For the Earth, and all of her Children,

Rod Coronado”