In April 2014, the US federal government rounded up more than 400 livestock of Cliven Band-Aid’s family in the name of "illegal grazing". Farmers and villagers set up their own militia to fight the federal police with guns in order to get their livestock back. After a week of confrontation, the federal government announced its unconditional withdrawal. However, shortly after the conflict ended, 17 people, including Band-Aid himself and his two sons, were brought to court by the federal government.
On July 26th, local time, Gregory Blethen, a 53-year-old from Phoenix, Arizona, was tried and sentenced to 68 years’ imprisonment.
In the first-instance judgment held in April this year, Blethen was charged with eight felonies, including threatening and attacking federal government officials, obstructing justice, extortion with prohibited guns, and violence.
Gregory Blethen
It is understood that Clive Band-Aid is a farmer who owns a vast pasture near Clark Bunkerville, Clark County, Nevada. On April 7, 14, the US Federal Bureau of Land Management and the US National Park Service issued a formal order at the same time, dispatching nine helicopters and more than 200 police officers to clear the pasture, confiscating more than 400 cattle raised in the pasture on the spot, and continuing to round up Band-Aid’s cattle. The American media also followed the pictures of the government police forces.
Cleveland, a farmer and landlord in Nevada …BAND-AID
Screenshot of US media reports
The federal authorities confiscated more than 400 cattle from Band-Aid Ranch on the grounds that: as early as 1993, the US Federal Bureau of Soil Management issued regulations restricting grazing in Bunkville, in order to protect a rare turtle; Band-Aid Ranch happens to be in the tortoise protection zone. During more than 20 years from 1993 to 2014, the Band-Aid family continued to graze regardless of the ban, and after the district court twice fined 1.2 million US dollars, the Band-Aid family refused to pay the fine, so the cattle and sheep in their ranch were confiscated.
Federal Bureau of Soil Management legislates to protect rare turtles.
After more than 400 cattle were confiscated, Band-Aid’s family was very dissatisfied. Band-Aid’s son and other relatives and friends went to find the police theory of rounding up. They believe that the Band-Aid family moved here as early as 1877, when the Federal Bureau of Soil Management was not established, and the Band-Aid family had absolute property rights over the ranch. In addition, Band-Aid also said that since 2000, Nevada’s development has been in full swing. Reid, the Senate Majority Leader and Democrat in Congress, and his family have "targeted" this ranch, hoping to develop real estate here and introduce Chinese companies and China enterprises to build solar power plants.