Jerry DeLemus considers withdrawing Bundy ranch plea deal: I spoke up and ‘they came for me’
Jerry DeLemus, who awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to federal charges resulting from a 2014 armed confrontation with federal officials near Cliven Bundy’s ranch in Nevada, has compared his actions to those who spoke out against the Nazis and is considering backing out from the plea deal.
His wife, state Rep. Susan DeLemus (R-Rochester), shared a message from the Rochester tea party leader that was scribbled on the back of a magazine cover. The magazine, from the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, depicted Polish Jews being rounded up by German troops and included the Martin Niemöller quote, “First they came for the Socialists…”
“Will you speak up?” the cover asked.
“I did and they came for me!” read a handwritten note in the corner. “The little note in the upper left hand corner is from Jerry DeLemus,” his wife explained. “'nough said,” she added.
Report: DeLemus will withdraw guilty plea
Susan DeLemus also addressed a September 17 report that claimed DeLemus has changed his mind and is planning to withdraw the agreement in which he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States and one count of interstate travel in aid of extortion.
The article was published by Guerilla Media Network, home of The Pete Santilli Show. Pete Santilli, a self-described “shock jock” and anti-government radio host, is also under indictment for his alleged role in the armed standoff. Prosecutors have described Santilli as Cliven Bundy’s “shill and chief propagandist” and argue that he was part of the “organizing nucleus of the conspiracy.”
(Granite Staters may remember Santilli from his 2013 interview with then-state Rep. Stella Tremblay, who told the radio host that she believed the Boston Marathon bombing was perpetrated by the federal government. Tremblay told Santilli that she knew something was wrong when she viewed video of the bombing and determined the bombing victims “were not in pain.”)
According to the report, Jerry Delemus now says “he was forced into the deal by the FBI.” He is quoted saying “he buckled under extreme pressure after the FBI threatened that they would go after the men who accompanied him to Nevada if he refused to take the deal.” The article notes one of the men who accompanied DeLemus to Nevada was his son.
In a message shared on social media, Susan DeLemus said she had discussed the article with her husband and he confirmed that “almost all” of it is true. “The exception,” she wrote, “is that Jerry has not yet made up his mind about changing his plea. At this time his plea stands.”
"The DURESS, the THREATS, and the COERCION are true,” she added, noting those are her words, not her husband’s.
‘The defendant will not seek to withdraw his guilty plea’
In his August 25 plea agreement, DeLemus stated that he “will not seek to withdraw his guilty plea after he has entered it in court” and acknowledged “that he decided to plead guilty voluntarily and that no one coerced or threatened him to enter into this Plea Agreement.“
The government reserved the right to seek a longer prison sentence if DeLemus “denies involvement in the offense or provides conflicting statements regarding his involvement or falsely denies or frivolously contests conduct relevant to the offense.” The government also reserved the right to seek a longer prison term if DeLemus “attempts to withdraw his guilty plea.”
DeLemus’ sentencing hearing is scheduled for December 1. The two felonies carry a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison and $500,000 in fines.